Once the horse is in shape, it doesn't take much to
keep it there. In the beginning of each one of my horses' careers, I did
put training miles on, approx 25 a week for 25, 50 a week for a 50, and a few
more than that for a 100. I learned that one could definately overdo it,
when my first horse started chasing me at the trot outs with ears pinned and his
attitude soured, I learned to back off. But the miles need to be there in
the beginning to give the horse a start. The other factor to consider is
how many rides are going to be attended with that horse. The closer the
rides, the less training miles needed. In fact, early rides in the season
turn out to be training rides for me. I just get to add those miles to my
horse's career. Everyone will have a different twist on what kind of miles and
speed to put on the horse for training. Certain things are fairly constant
between different riders, but each rider knows his/her horse and what that horse
needs. So it behooves each one of us to be honest about what we expect of
our horses. If one wants to win, then train for winning but listen to the
horse. If one just wants to finish, then train to finish but listen to the
horse. There is no right or wrong in one's approach for getting ready for
a ride. It becomes wrong if the horse is not in shape, if the horse is
pushed too far and too fast, if the rider listens to his/her desires and not the
horse. I figure the most important thing is the bond that one
develops. If you got that bond, you will certainly have one of the biggest
advantages possible. Conditioning is just icing on the cake for one
terrific ride. Jeanie