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[RC] [RC] Newbie needs help...again (long)! - DreamWeaverI know the actual range will vary with each horse but if someone could just tell me an approx. range that would be good. Now, when she hits 120 I slow her down to a walk. I don't know why but I have 120 in my head for being to fast???? The rates can vary by horse. Once you know where she trots at her 'regular' trot HR, just focus on trotting her at that rate for so many minutes at a time. I don't know how everybody else does it, but with my horses I started out working them at a trot and sometimes a horse would trot at 90, sometimes as high as 130 -- it depends on the horse, the weather conditions, time of year (winter coat, etc.), and sometimes whether or not we were on the flat or a gradual incline. anyway, I would start out trotting them at their working trot speed (which is never their "fast" trot) for 10 minute intervals. Then over the course of many weeks, would build on that to where they would be trotting for up to 40 minutes at a time at that same pace/speed/rate. Also, how fast should she recover from exerting herself and what number do I want her under? For example, we are strong trotting and her HR is 120. I bring her to walk. Should she be under what number after how many minutes? When I stop I like for them to drop to 60 or less within 2 minutes. Is the long sponge rope just suppose to hang like it is off of my saddle? Won't it get caught on something? I put a little loop knot in the middle of my string, and clip that to the clip along with the sponge, so that it isn't left hanging long. I am planning ahead and was wondering how much grain do people feed at vet checks? I usually feed complete feeds, and will add water to them and often a bit of electrolytes. I use gallon size baggies (most of the rides I do have vet checks out of camp, so I have to pack the horses lunch). Chief will eat two or three full gallon size baggies of feed during an hour hold, along with hay, carrots and apples. I prefer it if he eats hay first, then goes to the concentrates. I will let him eat as much as he wants, and whatever he wants. Obviously I am not giving him choices of things that I don't want him to eat though ;) your horse may prefer the food to be wetter, or dryer -- you just have to experiment to see. Don't worry too much if your horse gets to the vet check at the ride and doesn't want what she always wants on your training rides at home. Also, some horses won't eat food with electrolytes in it, so you need to be able to offer both types if you plan on doing it that way. What is road work? How often do you do it and at what pace? I do ride her on the road and mostly walk. However, I do trot her up the one long hill. I'm not sure if it means riding on roads, or pavement. ;) Have people experienced horses getting sour if they train alone? I pretty much ride alone. I do ride an organized pleasure ride on the weekends but usually go solo. I tried riding with others but they wanted to canter the whole time and she wasn't ready for that. Now, I ride alone because I can better control her pace. Will this be bad for her psychologically to always go alone? The best thing in the world is to have an independent horse! Riding alone is great for that. If your horse gets too excited the first few times she is in a group, or is at a ride and has horses leaving her or coming up from behind, then simply get off and walk on foot, or go off the trail a way and wait until she calms down (I usually prefer to go with the forward motion theory). I've done that with my most excitable horses, and they have learned that "she's not getting on and we're not going to get to go until I calm down". They are pretty smart. :) I have never been one to go along with the idea of just riding it out, well maybe for a short period, but not for the first half of a 50. I think a horse can mentally blow itself out (which ends up as a metabolic problem later) in the first 10 or 15 miles of a ride. I have been letting her grab leaves and eat as we go. People yell at me and tell me that I shouldn't do that and it is bad behavior. However, I am thinking it would be good for her to have food in her stomach. Who is right? I let my horses eat whenever they can find food. I don't like them to make a picnic out of it, however -- and encourage them to 'grab and go'. Going back to easy boot epics. Do you wrap the foot with vet wrap every time you ride or just at a actual ride? Will wrapping the hoof and pastern help keep them on? Am I the only one that has to use a leatherman to get them on and off? I find this part crappy and tedious. Have you measured and/or tried a smaller size boot? If they are coming off, they might be one size too large. Or, they aren't being adjusted tight enough. Chief has done 17 rides in the epics (over bare feet) and has not (KNOCKING ON WOOD) had a single boot come off, and we have done some extreme mud on several of those rides. I think the key has been that the boots are a very snug fit. For example, when he had shoes on I could only get a size 2 easyboot on him. Now that he is barefoot, I am able to get a size 1 on. I could also ride him in a 2, and have without it coming off but since the 1 fits like a glove I stick with that. I doubt his feet will get larger now that he is bareefoot, being that he never had shoes put on until he was almost 7, and the shoeing process did nothing to change the shape or size of his feet. What are you using the leatherman for, may I ask? Fold the gaiter down over the back of the boot as far as you can, you can even velcro it to itself under the bottom of the boot. Then, slide the boot on over the foot. Loosen the cable and stretch the boot apart, so that it will open as wide as possible. You may need to pull the cable out of the metal guide on the boot where it feeds up and thru. Keep holding the back of the gaiter down and folded over, and it won't get in the way and the boot will go right on. I have cut the heelstraps off of my boots and it has been working remarkably well! Getting them off is a piece of cake, just loosen the buckle again and stretch the sides out. The boots slip right off. I have only been wrapping the pastern with vetwrap, not the entire foot. Karen in NV =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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