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[RC] Training to 'top ten' - Spottedracer

Recently I've had several consistant 'top tener's' (several also have gotten BC's) give me advice. I've been thinking of progressing from my standard 'Turtle' up to possibly 'Top tenning' for my third year in AERC. All of them gave one consistant training tip:

'To top ten - you train at top ten speeds'

OK, with this in mind, I considered all four of our conditioned endurance mounts for '07.  Two are younger and will be doing their first season of LDs this coming season. The other two are proven 50milers with 1-to-2 years of conditioning under their belts.  So I chose the two experienced mounts to start 'top ten' conditioning with. Figured they could handle it better, with less chance of injury..

Drove out to Edwin warner park for my first 'top ten' conditioning ride. Plan was to ride one - pony the other. Unfortunantly, this meant I also had to try to ride this entire 25 mile ride in my Australian stock saddle. With padding of course. (For those of you that don't know, I've got twisted feet due to RA, CANNOT use stirrups due to intense 'pressure pain'. So I find it far more comfortable to ride with bareback pad for rides greater than 1 hour....)  But it's far more secure to pony a horse from a saddle, than bareback...

Decided to ride Ginger and pony 'ol Dakota. Ginger's one of those horses with the heart and mind, every endurance rider longs for. Dakota's one of those horses with natural endurance - but will ONLY go fast IF the horse in front of her is.  So I had to work with their strengths..

The trail was slick last Sat when we did an 8 mile with my young daughter. On christmas we received another 1.5" of slow, soaking rain. So you can imagine what the trail was like! It's a well-maintained, wide, hard-packed, reasonably hilly, 'bridle path' - type of trail. But rain-is-rain! So I decided NOT to put their boots on, since they are USED to training totally barefoot - and the sticky clay mud would stick to the boots and add 2-3lbs of weight to their hooves. A recipe for tendon strain!

First 8+ mile loop - 45 minutes. Both horses looked great during the first 20 minute rest break at the trailer!... Second 8+ mile loop - 55 minutes. Both horses looked great - I was starting to feel the effects of riding in a saddle for extended period. Decided to go my 'standard speed' for the final 8+ mile loop.  Did the third loop in 1:30 - didn't canter/gallop one stride! so it was still a better pace than I generally do anyways!   ... So ended up with a ride time around 3:10! That's better than I've EVER done!  I figure I'd be fairly close behind the 'top ten group'!

Now I just need to get MYSELF in shape to be a 'top tenner'! I now know I've got two horses that can do it. With another 3-4 months of conditioning - these two could POSSIBLY get close behind the top tenners in 50's.... But I'm REALLY shooting to try to 'top ten' in both 50's I do at BSF in the fall!! Or get close! 

BTW - since I've saved so much $$$$ in farrier costs, have had another 50% increase in riding lesson business over the winter, and Dakota's actually become an 'intermediate level' schooling mount..... The hubby's agreed to let me keep all six of my horses!(since the only one NOT 'working to pay for her feed' is my young Fino.. Her youth is a valid excuse though......)  So Ginger is OFF THE MARKET!

- LP