 |
FW: Re: [RC] [RC] What is LSD to you and other conditioning trivia - Ginny HolsmanIMO, a horse should never be raced that is not conditioned for twice the distance that they are going to be raced. That is, a horse should be conditioned to ride 50 miles in order to race 25 miles.However, I must explain the difference IMO between riding and racing. Conditioning occurs at a riding pace; not a racing pace. The idea is to enjoy the ride while conditioning. Racing is trying to cover the distance as quickly as possible. That's quite a bit more strenuous. So, if you condition your horse by riding for 50 mile rides, then they can handle a 25 mile race well; but if you condition your horse by riding for 25 mile rides, then they can only handle 10-15 miles at race pace well. This is because the very nature of racing pushes a horse beyond their comfortable abilities, not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally, causing tremendous extra distress that is not occurring at a riding pace. The reason this happens is that horses are empathic. If the rider wants to win; the horse wants to win too. If the rider is just enjoying themselves, then the horse is too. Another aspect about racing that differs from riding is that during a race, the rider is also under distress, and hence less in touch with how their horse feels when riding. For example, if, when conditioning, your horse is not moving well, the tendancy is to slow down, try to figure out what is wrong, resolve the problem; but when racing, if your horse is not moving well, the tendancy is to push on, finish the race, as best as possible - consider consequences later. This combination of pre-occupation with winning by the riding under distress and a horse under pressure to win in order to please their rider can have harmful consequences unless a horse is conditioned to be able to handle far more, at a riding pace, than at a race pace, when they are under more stress. A horse will definitely perform better if conditioned beyond the race length. From: Joe Long <jlong@xxxxxxxx> Reply-To: jlong@xxxxxxxx To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: [RC] What is LSD to you and other conditioning trivia Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 13:47:32 -0700 _________________________________________________________________ Don?t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|