RE: [SPAM] [RC] Hill training vs. the flat - heidiYou answered your own question, sort of, in your 3rd sentence--you
are training different muscle groups on the flat. So there isn't
any "conversion" formula--if you are going to utilize all the muscle
groups, you need to do both.
One of the most eye-opening experiences of my early days as a ride
vet was watching a lovely and very fit little QH mare Top Ten a fast,
flat ride, and then a few hours later present with colic-like
symptoms. She had been trained exclusively in the hills, and had
recovered beautifully all day. But on exam, she had good gut
sounds, etc., and I was a bit puzzled until I realized that her belly
muscles were abnormally hard--she was tied up in the belly muscles,
which had been stressed more and differently than they were used to by
miles and miles of flat trotting. Her butt muscles (which we more
often see involved in tie-ups) were just fine.
Heidi
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