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[RC] Need Opinions - k s swigartI have always wondered whether it is better to walk or trot to the finish if: > >1. It is a very hot day >2. You have 8 or 10 miles to go to the finish line >3. There is no water between where you are and the finish. >4. You feel your horse is tired. > >Walking in taking two to three hours exposes the horse to a longer period in >the heat without water than trotting in taking an hour plus where shade and >water are available. One demands more energy for a short period, the other >demands less energy for a longer period. >I am interested in the opinion of others. Julie Suhr And Joe Long answered: There is no set answer, there are other variables to consider, and in many cases you will want to walk some and trot some. But overall, the more you can trot instead of walk, the better for both horse and rider. And while I agree that there is no set answer as there are other variables to consider and that in most cases you will want to walk some and trot some; however, I don't agree that the more you can trot instead of walk being better for the horse. It will, however, be better for the rider (or the non-rider...more on that below). The biggest reason being point #4: "you feel your horse is tired." Assuming that the horse is not on the verge of metabolic crash (in which case, covering another 8-10 miles is not good no matter what pace you choose or how long you are out there), another 1-2 hours without water for a non-working horse is not going to make a lot of difference, whereas extra work for a tired horse is. Not the least of reasons being that extra work generates A LOT of extra heat and in the scenario Julie describes, it is heat that is the enemy. In normal conditions horses can walk along all day without even breaking a sweat, where as trotting them under a load can work even the most fit horses into a sweat in not very much time at all. As long as the horse's cooling mechanism is working fairly well the extra heat generated can be disipated to the environment without too much detriment to the horse. However, if "you feel your horse is tired" he is probably tired for one of two reasons: a) he lacks fuel (in which case he won't be able to successfully fuel the extra work of the trotting) or b) he is already overheating (in which case he won't be able to cool off from the extra heated generated by the extra work of the trotting). If you feel yuor horse is really tired, the best thing for the horse would be to get off and walk your horse the last 8-10 miles (especially since most people can walk just as fast as most horses)...but this assumes that YOU have enough water and fitness level to sustain the extra work you are going to be doing, an 8-10 mile walk on foot on a very hot day with no water is not something to be undertaken lightly. However, if you really want to know the answer to Julie's question, ask yourself this: If you were 8-10 miles out on a hot day and already tired which do you think would be a better choice for you. To walk in, stopping and resting every place you find a little bit of shade or to jog the rest of the way hoping that you make it before you drop dead from overheating and fatigue? No Julie, if you feel your horse is tired, walking the rest of the way is going to be much easier on the horse and much less risky (not to mention the fact that trotting a horse that is already tired is much more likely to lead to a mechanical injury than walking it will). The small amount of time saved by trotting instead of walking is inconsequential compared to the extra fuel required, the extra heat generated, and the extra stresses placed on the musculoskeltal system. If it is a REALLY REALLY super hot day and/or your horse is REALLY REALLY tired, the extra time away from shade and water spent standing still doing nothing (and waiting for the sun to go down and for things to cool off and/or for the horse to rest, even if in the heat with no food and water) is probably going to be a better option for the horse. If you can find a place somewhere to stand and rest in the shade of some lone tree. However, as Joe mentions, this depends upon other variables, like IS there ANY shade to stand and rest in, in which case trotting a bit from shade to shade and resting in it to let the horse cool off may be right option, or WILL the temperature cool off as the day progresses, and just how tired is the horse anyway? If the horse feels a little tired and there is 8-10 miles with no water and no shade, your horse would be better off just walking the rest of the way in. kat Orange County, Calif. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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