Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I've got to disagree here.  If you want to trot and canter the majority of a ride, you'd better condition that way as well.  If you walk 5 miles at home and your horse recovers to resting within a few seconds, you can't expect that after trotting 25 miles at a ride.  CRI is an excellent indicator of how well the horse is recovering THAT DAY.  A little common sense says that you've got to condition the gaits you'll use on a ride as well. 

 

Aerobic conditioning requires the heart rate to raise to a certain point, say 75%, and stay there for a period of time, say an hour.  By conditioning aerobically several days a week, you are then preparing your horse to safely do an endurance ride.  To ask him to do something different from conditioning rides to endurance rides isn't fair.

I dont think you NEED to condition the same way you ride a ride.  In fact, I dont think you would want to.  You should be able to tell how well conditioned he is by taking his p&r.  The point being that you need to work him hard enough to get his heart rate up and know how long he takes to come down. 

Susan [Young], The Wicked Princess of Pink
Semper Obliquo (Always aside)  

Glenndale Grace Farm, Ft Gibson, Oklahoma U.S.A.

"Ride on! Rough-shod if need be, smooth-shod if that will do, but ride on! Ride on over all obstacles, and win the race!"         - Charles Dickens (1812-1870)