I believe many of the earlier "skinny" horses wre trained too hard without
proper nutrition to keep weight on. We saw MANY horses last a few rides to a
year or slightly longer and never come back. I suggest most of them broke
down due to fatigue in thier races over a period of time. When you are
working the speeds we work..even in competition speed rarely exceed 15
mph...most competitions are won at a 10 mph pace (over rough terrain..not
flat even surfaces..makes a HUG difference)..most horses fade in the last 1/4
of a competition...that's where the really fit horses who are brought on
slowly have th advantage. Rio, Becky Hart's 3 time World Champion was always
started in the back half of the starting group and worked his way up to
winning...often by a good half hour. Phycologically, this is great for both
horse and rider. Besides, I never liked to be chased!!!
In the past few years we have seen records broken and courses run faster than
ever with "fat" horses. In 1994 Valerie Kanavy won a 100 I belive in
Mississippi running the two or three other horses..doing the last 16 miles (I
think) in, if I remember right less than 1/2 hour. All of her competition
was right on her tail. Her horse Pieraz, aka Cash, is not skinny. Watch the
USET tape on the '94 Wolrd games and you can see her win and Cash. He won
again this year in Kansas and looked great at the end (as did Fire, whom
Valerie rode..her daughter, Danielle rode Cash to the win by a head).
Most of the endurance crowd keep their horses outside year round with plenty
of free choice hay and pasture. I doubt any could compete at top levels
without grain. Most all feed grain at vet checks (every 10-15 miles about a
30 minute rest)..usually with electrolytes in a bran-type mash. I feed
straight alfalfa without any bad effects, but some believe it is a no-no. I
feed straight alfalfa year-round..my pasture is not good, and have no
problems. I have had problems with overgraining, even though the rations are
adjusted according to the work they are doing (i.e.: far less on off days and
considerably more on tough days). Many riders don't believe in graining just
before a competition..this is no grain that morning (3-5 AM with a 5-7 AM
start...2 hours before competition). I once triedloading up my horse with
extra grain several days before a big race, but ti was a disaster...he was so
"high" that I had a hard time controlling him. Perhaps MORE exercise along
with the increased grain level would have been the answer. We, too, have
difficulty controlling horses on high levels or grain at the start of an
event. I have found that truley "fit" and "experienced" horses are FAR more
managable and nicer to deal with.
It is truely amazing what these arabians can do...even not conditioned
properly. A good many riders train in competition...that is, use rides to get
their horses fit. The smarter ones are going very slow and get faster as the
season goes on. Those that don't run out of gas sooner or later and have
injuries.
I have NOT had my horses fit this year and hence, have only competed every
6-8 weeks and slowly at that...AND, I am riding young horses who don't have
enough base yet. And, in spite of being careful (and trying not to get
D.I.M.R.--"Distance Induced Mental Retardation" by getting too enthusiastic)
I have had some minor lameness problems...mostly muscle fatgue related. My
fault..not enough time.
More riders would benefit from understanding that just because the horse acts
great and wants to "go" doesn't mean he is ready. I think this is the
biggest evil to combat in our sport.
Teddy Lancaster