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Quite true, but it still requires twice the energy to carry a 200 lb rider as it does a 100 lb rider when you factor out the horse itself. Now 9% may not sound like alot but it must be. Geeze, they get to talking one pound differences at the TB tracks for distances under 2 miles.

Enough for weight discussions for me. The only one I'm out there to beat is that trail! Time to ride.

Barry Cole,  Kansas

---

From:  Joe Long <jlong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To:  jlong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To:  <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject:  Re: [RC] The Physics of Weight
Date:  Mon, 31 Jul 2006 15:53:40 -0600
On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 16:37:05 -0400, Truman Prevatt
<tprevatt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

...
>And as amazing as the horse is in it's biomechanics he still has to
>answer to Mother Nature. Double the mass he has to carry - he has to to
>twice as much work and expend twice as much energy. Mother Nature makes
>an exception for no one - no matter how good their equitation.

Truman!  I'm surprised at you for making such a newbie mistake.  Even
if we assumed the horse was lifting himself and his rider straight up,
that statement's wrong.  Let's use a 1000 pound horse carrying either
100 pounds or 200 pounds for an example:

A:  1000 pounds of horse plus 100 pounds carried = 1100 pounds.

B:  1000 pounds of horse plus 200 pounds carried = 1200 pounds.

So, even a very "worst-case" calculation that ignored all of the
actual physiology involved in going down a trail instead of lifting
the mass straight up, B requries only  9% more energy than A.

Now, put the 200 pounds on a 900-pound horse (for 1100 pounds total)
and both horses are now expending exactly the same amount of
energy!!!!!

This is why all of these "physics" arguments have been waaaaay too
simplistic, and of no value in determing the amount of real effects of
weight carried on endurance horses.
--

Joe Long
jlong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.chiprider.com

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