Thank you for posting the Body Condition article
(BC). The statistics regarding BC and 100-mile completion at Tevis are
very persuasive. The likelihood of finishing appears to increase
dramatically as the BC score approaches 5. For example, in the 95-96 study
a BC of 4.0 or less meant a likelihood of finishing at less than 65 percent and
a BC of 5.0 or greater increased the likelihood of finishing to over 90
percent.
In 1998 the critical BC level seemed to be about
4.0. Horses with a BC less than 4.0 had less than a 26 percent
probability of finishing whereas a score of 4.0 or above increased the
likelihood of finishing to over 90 percent (I wonder if the difference between
the two studies is due to the somewhat subjective aspect of Body Condition
scoring). A detailed summary of the studies
is published on Susan Garlinghouse's site at:
Reading those articles caused me to alter my
training and fitness routine for both myself and my horse. The key is to
achieve adequate fitness training without depleting the body's reserves --
fitness versus fatness. Lastly, I think that the BC findings may well
apply to ultrarunners too, but that may require further study.
The statistics regarding BC seem very important and
I was wondering if the Horse and Welfare Committee and the Veterinary Committee
would want to include some Body Condition Score questions on their treatment and
mortality follow-up questionnaires.
In summary, Body Condition Score seems to be a very
strong predictor of success at the 100-mile distance and I wonder why the topic
has not received greater emphasis.
