Are
there small, but perhaps significant, procedural methods we could employ at
rides that might help?.....
and comments: ....how we ride to arrive at the
block of time is the REAL ISSUE.
And Connie said she would like to see some
studies about how we train before the rides. (I know I am cross
posting but I want to comment on all of the above)
I am sure there is a tad more we could do at the
rides to prevent crash and burns. But I think more importantly is how have
we PREPARED our horses before we arrive at the rides and push them to
the limit? In training, you should be able to judge what your horse is capable
of doing. But if you only ride twice a week, and your long ride is 15 miles, you
can't expect your horse to go out and compete in a fifty. You really have no
idea of what your horse is capable of doing, or not able to do.
It would be very interesting to see training
schedules of horses that have been treated and of those who do so well to
compare. Granted some horses may have had some hidden problems but then you
would think some of that would show up in a serious training regiment.
How many people train with on board HRM?
You can pick up any training manual for
triathlons and marathons and see, it ain't that easy. Now, if you just want to
do it for the sheer pleasure, (what are you, crazy?) the training doesn't have
to be that serious. But, if you want to compete, or finish in a certain
time, you really have to put the time into the training. The right training
schedule, should make the competition seem fairly easy. You should be able to
look at a race and say, "That's nothing, I have been doing that, and then some
for the past two months!" There is also the "Some days you get the bear, and
some days the bear gets you" to take into consideration.
How many riders really put in the time to train
the way they want to compete? And even sometimes when we do, it is so hard to
set a goal, not meet that goal and then go back and re-evaluate. To back off, or
start over, especially if you only have one horse, but many goals is a hard pill
to swallow. Many riders push on, (they'll do better next time) and so goes the
horse.
Frank said, "But, when a horse's
performance reveals that finite point where their ability to adapt, to
tolerate, to withstand is reached...it is reached.
Agreed.
But how do you know your horses performance
level without seeing the potential in training? How do you know what they
can tolerate, withstand, adapt to if you haven't stressed them
before the ride? Sometimes we get so wrapped up in
electrolytes and beetpulp, that we forget other parts of the equation. The work
part. Maybe on your training rides you could determine how far and fast your
horse can go but still recover in 10 minutes instead of watching your horse take
20-25 minutes to try and recover at a ride.
Heidi says, " And any tools which help us to
recognize that point prior to reaching it are good tools."
Amen.
One of the best tools we as riders have is our
training schedule. It can tell you so much before you ever get to a ride. How
long does it take for your horse to recover after galloping 15 miles? If it is
taking more than 10 minutes, maybe your horse isn't ready to do that. You should
know that from training. Is it normal for your horse to go 15 miles without
drinking? How much stress can you place on horse? How much rest after a workout?
Does your horse go off feed after a long ride? Weather, terrain, other horses,
how all this effects your ride, you should be able to tell in training. Maybe
more emphasis should be placed on what happens before the ride, not at
the ride itself.
All this valuable information is available to you
way before you ever put your horse in the trailer to go to a ride. I am just as
guilty as the next person for not putting in the training I should. However, I
haven't really competed. My goals have been to stay on and finish. Low
standards, I know but since I did it in training, it was easier to do at rides!
Yeah! ;)
But, when I am ready to set goals,
no matter what they are I will do my best to prepare myself and my horse. That
will mean setting priorities and putting riding first. No more housecleaning!
Like that was ever an issue. ;-}
"The will to win is
important, but the will to PREPARE is VITAL"
