 |
[RC] Hard Roads - Bruce WearyHi Carla--I thought I'd throw in my two cents regarding your questions about road work. Of all the miles you will ride in endurance riding and training, some if it will be on hard packed dirt roads, and very little on actual pavement. The rest, hopefully, will be on trails with less dense surface, and thus more forgiving to the horse. While there is concussion involved with every step a horse takes, it varies from an unridden horse walkng across a soft meadow to a heavyweight horse and rider trotting on pavement. Those are the two extremes, and you won't be spending much time doing either one. You will probably be training on much the same surfaces you will be competing on, so the horse will naturally adapt his muscles, joints and bone density to the workoad as he progresses throught the fittening process, as long as it is at a reasonable pace. A little boring anatomy might help. People are upright creatures with what is called an axial (or straight up and down) spine. When we run, the concussive forces can be measured all the way from our heels to the top of our head. Not real efficient for running when compared to the rest of the animal world. The fastest creatures have four limbs, and what is called a suspensory spine, meaning it hangs horizontally between the two pairs of legs. This is much better for shock absorption, as much of the concussion of the horse trotting is transmitted to the spine. Remember the "Slinky"? If you pulled one of those apart slightly, the spring would go up and down with very little effort. This helps dissipate some of the force the legs are absorbing with each step. I know these things because I used to run, but now I have a guy that does that for me. :) Becky Hart said one time that she would purposely do a couple miles of trotting on pavement every now and then to help increase bone density and accustom the horse to it in case pavement was encountered at a ride. When you think about it, the horse's ability to negotiate a trail depends on more than the hardness of the surface as far as staying sound. A forest trail, with it's softer surface, may be more difficult for the horse to travel over with it's twists and turns, as well as rocks, roots, and unevenness. A road, on the other hand is usually flat and unchallenging, and the horse can happily scoot along and even make better time compared to other parts of the trail. I really wouldn't worry about it. I can't remember anyone being pulled from a ride and saying " If only I hadn't trotted on that dirt road......" Just train sensibly, watch your horses legs and way of going, and let the horse and Father Nature do the rest. Bruce Weary =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|