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[RC] Judgement Call - Bruce WearyHi Mike--My unsolicited advice would be to let the horse rest more. Please accept my congratulations for recognizing an LD ride as a conditioning event, as that is how you intend to use it. You can ride around the house at a conditioning pace, and go as far as the LD ride if you think the horse can do it, but abort close to home if a problem crops up. It's not what you see in the horse that will get you. It's what you don't see. Personally, I wouldn't stress the horse's mechanical parts so closely in time to the obvious presence of inflammation. I respectfully disagree with Truman that a horse should be encouraged to "play through the pain." This is a concept that is only popular with football coaches. There is sometimes a price to be paid for it. Horses can't make decisions about the consequences of persisting in the presence of pain or injury. All the old-timer riders knew the principles of time frames for the conditioning of the different tissues: Heart, lungs and muscle: 3-6 months. Ligaments, tendons and joint capsules: 1-1/2 years. Bones and joints: 2-3 years. Older horses can tolerate more work, but it's still a a good outline that has stood the test of time. I have found few people that are willing to wait 2 years before really asking for the horse's best performance. And remember, my advice is worth what you pay for it. That will be $500, please. Dr Q =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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