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Re: [RC] physiology & conditioning - Barbara McCraryI don't know about anyone else's rules regarding lay-up after a ride, but I have my own policy: I watch the horse after a ride. He may be laid back and not too eager....in which case he needs a rest. When the horse in question starts to buck and hop around his paddock, he is obviously feeling good enough to go for a ride. This may take a week, 10 days, or he may do that the very next day. It depends on the horse and how he weathered the particular ride. Horses that do 5-day rides have always appeared to us to increase in energy as the days go on, providing the rider hasn't gone hell-bent-for-leather each day. Barbara ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Latiolais" <latiolp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 10:51 AM Subject: [RC] physiology & conditioning Here is a question I have not seen discussed on Ridecamp (Although I suspect it is SOMEWHERE in the Archives). Conventional Wisdom is that after a ride you rest a horse one week for every 25 miles they were ridden at an endurance ride. Of course that depends on the general underlying "base" conditioning of the horse. A horse's first year at 50's needs a bit more time. A horse that has been doing 100's for a year or two can get by on less rest. THE QUESTION: Why the extended rest? What is the particular physiological issue? It is obviously not muscle. Humans don't need a week off after a marathon. A couple of days, maybe; not a week. Studies of human conditioning generally show that one day off for every day exercised is optimal. So what is it about horses that needs more time? Is it tendon or leg related? Following the "conventional wisdom" of giving least two weeks off for each 50 miler, my horse blew a tendon in his 178'th endurance mile. He is fine now, although we are back to LD's until next season. At the PNER convention two years ago, one of the speakers questioned the conventional wisdom that rest was needed after a ride. Some thought he was talking about stalled horses. If you stall your horses, you obviously need to give them some light exercise the week after an endurance ride. Are there any equine physiology experts out there that can shed light on this issue? -Paul L. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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