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Re: [RC] Time between 100 mile rides - Joe LongBruce Weary wrote:There are certainly a wide variety of horses out there, capable of various levels of work and recovery. Joe was blessed to have had one of the best, Kahlil Khai, which may skew his opinion ever so slightly to the thinking that 100's can be commonly done by lots of horses in less than 4 weeks with relatively few side-effects. There are so many variables, that I think discretion is the better part of valor. To set the record straight, I do not believe that most horses can handle 100-mile rides that are only one or two weeks apart. Sanshra is not ready for even a 50-mile ride two weeks after a 100 (I tried it once, a 50 two weeks after the Big Horn 100, and although he finished OK he wasn't 100%). I do believe that FOUR weeks is enough time for most horses to recover fully from the toll of a 100-mile ride, and be ready to do another. Look at how well horses do in the multidays where they are covering 200 - 250 miles or more in four or five days. My specific advice to someone wanting to try two 100-mile rides four weeks apart is: Ride the first one conservatively so that you still have some gas left in the tank at the end of the ride, then monitor your horse closely over the time between the rides. Do only light warmup rides the first two weeks, working up to a nice 15 - 20 mile workout 5 - 7 days before the second. If everything checks out fine on that workout, he should be ready. The bottom line, though, is that each horse is an individual, with different needs and abilities. Where the horseshoe meets the trail you must know your own horse and ride your own ride.
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