Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

In 1970, when our eldest daughter decided she would be the first member of
our family to try a 50 mile endurance ride, she dutifully rode her horse 20
miles a day, at a fast trot wherever possible, every day of the week.  We
knew nothing about endurance riding and conditioning at the time.  When race
day came, she made it to the first vet check, 12 miles form the start, in 45
minutes, all at a trot.  Her horse pulsed in at 82 bpm, but just never
recovered.  In those days, pulse criteria was much higher than it is now,
something like 72 bpm comes to mind.  Anyway, they pulled her horse, but
there was no rescue trailer (there wasn't any water at that vet check,
either), so she rode her horse back to the start, plus 4 more miles to our
home.  Imagine a horse pulled for lack of pulse recovery, no way to get it
out of the wilderness, and the rider putting in another 16 miles after the
horse had been pulled.  Endurance riding has REALLY changed!  Yes, one CAN
over-condition a horse.

Barbara

----- Original Message -----
From: <Cowgirgoof@xxxxxxx>
To: ""Howard Bramhall"" <howard9732@xxxxxxx>; <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 11:37 AM
Subject: Re: [RC] [RC]   [RC] What if your horse hates to condition?


> You sure can over-condition them, although you don't see it as much as you
did back in the 80's when we all thought you had to ride the snot out of
em'! When I did my first ride in 1980, it was nothing for me to condition
six days a week at 6-8 miles each day I rode (no lie, I have the journals to
prove it!).
> After a couple years of this I realized I was bringing a burned-out horse
to the rides and backed off some.
> Becky
> ============================================================
> Of course things aren't perfect,  perfect doesn't exist on this earth.
> Doesn't mean we won't go on trying to get better at what we do. Besides,
if
> everything was perfect today, what would you do tomorrow? Slamming each
> other doesn't get anything done.
> ~  Dot Wiggins
>
> ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/
>
> ============================================================
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Of course things aren't perfect,  perfect doesn't exist on this earth.
Doesn't mean we won't go on trying to get better at what we do. Besides, if
everything was perfect today, what would you do tomorrow? Slamming each
other doesn't get anything done.
~  Dot Wiggins

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

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