ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: [endurance] Training the Endurance Horse
Re: [endurance] Training the Endurance Horse
Lucie A. Hess (lhess01@mail.coin.missouri.edu)
Sun, 7 Jan 1996 21:15:46 -0600 (CST)
Diane, I thought I would reply to your questions about conditioning.
Also , several others were discussing the same issue. I have been in
Endurance since 1984 and NATRC since 1979. I've ridden
the same horse for 16 years in both sports. I don't win much but I sure
do have fun and I think that's what gets forgotten these days. I have
conditioned my horse and now my new horse with long slow miles at the
walk and the trot. I very seldom canter or gallop much, but will do some
short sprints. I usually ride on our gravel roads here or on the highway
frontage. Our gravel roads are very hard large pieces of limestone so I
have to be careful about stone bruises. I usually will ride about an
hour or so every other day and a long trail ride 2-3 hours when i can on
the weekends. This only occurs when the weather is decent and the sun
stays up in the evenings. I usually begin to condition in Feb. or March
as I live in central Missouri and it's COLD HERE. Another thing I do is
go for completion only in the beginning of the year and work my way up as my
horse gets in better shape. I do work like everyone else and have other
projects other than riding so it's all a matter of give and take. I know
this is long, but I get really concerned when I hear how often and how
fast some people are working their new horses. I don't believe in that,
however, I've managed to ride a very large Appaloosa, who was not physically
meant to be a distance horse, for many years until I retired him at the
age of 20. Well, enough of my opinion. Lucie, Columbia, Mo.