 |
Re: [RC] Hard and fast HRM Numbers (was: What is a "reasonable pace?") - Ed & Wendy Hauser"...All that said, going out and doing 9-10 miles in 2 1/2 hours (assuming this doesn't include lots of hill work) isn't doing any cardiovascular conditioning at all. ...But not because of the HR itself, but because if the horse is only doing 9-10 miles at a time in 2 1/2 hours, it isn't doing any work to improve its cardiovascular fitness. ..." This fall I was lucky to be able to help out one day Owyhee Canyonlands. Because of a change in procedure, I was able to follow many horses as they came down at vet checks. I saw real differences depending mostly upon where they were running. Please note that I did not do any statistics or write things down so just take my observations as suggestions for further consideration. Observation: Front runners, even those who were probably running a bit faster than they should, would come down quickly to the 60 pulse. Often they were still hot (nostrils flared, breathing hard). Their pulse was strong, but slow. By the last 1/4 of the pack some horses were down when they came in, but others took a long time to come down (up to 15 minutes). These horses exhibited a weak (that is hard to hear) pulse that was above criteria even though the horse was much less hot than front runners with a lower pulse. Conclusions: Some people who do not want to go fast probably do not ever train their horses in a manner that gets the pulse up. The result is their horses are not cardiovascularly fit. Personal observation: Since my second year of distance riding I have included some interval training in my workouts. When I started this I was using a speed Quarter horse in CTR. I was living in WI at the time. The UMECRA CTR pace was usually 6.25 mph, often in humid conditions. This is similar to the back of the pack at Owyhee. Also remember that I could not pour water on the horse at the check, and that the pulse was taken exactly 10 minutes after arrival. After 3 months of one day a week doing 3 or 4, 1/4 mile sprints up the (only) hill (perhaps 100 ft altitude gain), my horses pulse at the 10 minute pulse checks droped 4 to 8 beats per minute. His pulse would then be between 44 and 48 (UMECRA requires 36 for no point deduction, it is amazing how many horses consistantly loose 0 or 1 pulse points), not great for a great CTR Arab but low enough to allow me to place in Heavy Weight division. Recomendation: Even if you never intend to run at the front of the pack, you will be amazed at your horses performance improvement if you make sure that your training rides are faster and include some wind sprints in your program. Ed
ranch@xxxxxxxxxxx 406.642.6490 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|