Ridecamp: Re: [RC] The ONE thing: >> Just DO IT!!

on 9/15/02 2:51 PM, Floyd & Margaret Reid at reidfm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> 
> Tamara:
> 
> I can only give you my experience...Tamara, I'm a 69 y/o newbie.
> 
> I bought an 11 year old Arabian gelding 15-2, in Colorado May 3, he had
> been in pasture almost unused for 2 years.  Seller was a former Tevis
> finisher now entering Vet school...she said he was a good prospect for
> endurance. I hauled him to Bishop CA, got shoes May 6 and began LSD
> 3x/week.  
> 
> A Tevis finisher (6 times) invited me to accompany him on the NASTR
> 50-miler, north of Reno NV.  He only intended to "finish" and assured me we
> would get finish the ride.  At that point I had 12 rides on my horse, the
> longest one 17 miles.
> 
> I followed behind my experienced 70+ y/o friend.  We started after
> everyone was away from the start line, walked and trotted.  We finished at
> 10 hours 54 minutes, for ride time of 9 hours 39 minutes...we still had an
> hour.  Vetted all A's, pulsed 48 at the final vet check 8 minutes after
> finishing.
> 
> On August 17, I finished the Eastern High Sierra Classic, 50-miler in 9
> hours 20 minutes...rode behind Trilby for the first 43 miles.

Sorry to top post that whole thing, but I think it is important. Since I am
new to actually doing endurance rides, I have many questions about this
post. All I hear is LSD, takes over a year to build sufficient bone, tendon,
ligament strength-is this a wise idea to take a horse fresh out of pasture
for over two years, start riding in May and a few months later after only
twelve rides do a 50 miler, and then weeks later does another 50 miler?

I have a mostly pasture potato mare, that doesn't get ridden much since I
 had been getting the other mare slowly ready for a 50. I think it would be
cruel  and risking her long term soundness by riding her for 12 training
rides then expecting her to do a 50. Am I wrong or is this widely accepted
as good training practice? I'm not trying to be snarky, just can't quite
believe it is so easy to get a horse adequately prepared for a 50.  When my
other mare was really ready, lots of LSD, lots of terrain, galloping,
trotting with no problems and had good recoveries, I entered her in my first
50. I think it is unfair to the horse to ask more than that. Are the books
that give the timelines of maturing wrong? Where they break down the approx.
time it takes to condition various systems, tendons, bone, etc.

Thanks, Tiffany
Tiffany


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