Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Jobs and Training - The Minimalist Approach

On Fri, 20 Dec 2002 20:49:53 -0500, Stagg_Newman@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>Would be interested to hear if others have a similar approach.
>
>Stagg Newman

Your methods are approximately what I've done with my horses.  It
works for me.  I share your belief that the the intense training
schedules some people advocate often results in overconditioned
horses.

The most heretical part of my approach is that I don't do a great deal
of LSD in the beginning.  I have neither the time nor the patience for
it, so I pretty quickly move to mostly trotting (except when going
steep up or down).  But as I don't ride every day, the horse gets
plenty of recovery time before his next workout, and most of these
mostly-trotting workouts are only an hour or two.  

Then after a couple of LD rides I move to the 50's.  I don't do any
speed work (at home) until he's had some 50-mile rides completed, and
I make no attempt to race up front in 50's before his second season
(that is, at least a year of middle-of-the-pack speed 50's).  And I
won't attempt a 100 until he's had some experience racing 50's.

When competing regularly I will do few workouts between rides ... a
short, easy ride to check him out and limber him up, but no heavy
exercise between events.  That is the time his body needs to recover
from the stresses of the ride, and to heal any minor injuries he may
have experienced (such as microinjuries to joints or tendons that may
not be observable, but if not allowed to heal will gradually build up
to a serious failure).  However, my favorite way to "tune-up" for a
100 is to ride a 50 a week before.

The most important point you made IMO is that it takes several years
to build a good 100 mile horse (or a good 50-mile horse FTM), that can
run up front and last.  There are absolutely no short-cuts to that.

-- 

Joe Long
jlong@xxxxxxxx
http://www.rnbw.com




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