In a message dated 3/17/2005 5:31:51 A.M. Mountain Standard Time,
qhll@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
I do not
want to ride him too hard, but I worry that I'm not riding him hard enough
for there to be any aerobic gain.
Hi Shanna,
At eight years of age, your horse's legs should be ready
for work.
If he has no leg issues now, the trotting that you are
doing certainly won't be too much for him.
At this stage of his "endurance development," though, I
would (like others have said), not focus too much on "aerobic gain".
Let the aerobic gain be a byproduct of a good
conditioning program for the platform (underpinning, muscle groups,
etc.) Lung and heart function will adapt to the work much quicker than the
rest of the horse, that focusing on it (closely watching the heart monitor
instead of the horse's forward attitude, willingness, brightness, recovery,
etc.) might not be the way to go.
Standardbreds' abilities to trot quickly have made them
the choice for many endurance riders, particularly when crossed with other
breeds.
I would caution that just because a horse can trot
really fast, doesn't necessarily mean that the horse should always trot
really fast. The full spectrum of gaits available to your horse and
the soft tissue flexibility without degradation to the legs is the real strength
of your horse.
An LD ridden with a willing horse by a rider who
knows their horse's true strengths is always a great idea.
