I swear, I get kicked off the list for a couple of months and the list goes
crazy! I cannot beleive the volume of messages! It is nice to see such
interest in the sport. By the way, this is not just a fluff message - I
really do have some replies to current threads.
HRM - I really, really want one for xmas (Teddy, have one handy for when my
dad calls in desperation for a gift) but I have been competing (mostly in
CTR) for 11 years now without one. Star and I know each other very well
and he tells me what I need to know during competitions but it would still
be nice to have something besides intuition to base my training regeme
(sp?) on. I tend to back off during the season and never condition really
hard as he has many many miles on him.
Older horses - my first horse was 20 or so on our first ride and placed 2nd
(of course I weighed 80 lbs max at the time), which hooked me. Star is 15
and still going strong and winning, although I did have a bit of tendon
trouble at the end of this year, too much eventing, I think. I'm going to
give him a few months off and see what happens
rest time - like I said earlier, I never really push my horse. Of course,
my training loop is only five miles and we do it on a regular basis but
only at a steady trot, not pushing it. Also, dressage is a staple at our
barn and we jump every week or two. I do give him a day or two completely
off after a ride, depending on how he recovers. We have done back to back
60 and 90 miles, although I do not recommend it. They were both two day
rides. We were Reserve at the 60 mile CTR and took up the entire time
allottment on the 90 endurance (hey, at least we finished). I do back to
back 50's or every other week a bit more often and have had no troubles
with soundness. Of course, we only average about 4 or 5 rides a year.
Fat - being a Morgan, he is plumper than your average Arab but leaner than
the average Morgan. He does well with no ribs showing but can be felt.
When I finish my term paper on fat feeding in distance horses, I'll let you
know.
I guess that is all for now.... Boy it is good to be back!
Shannon Loomis and the old man, Quail Meadow Star
"Stars are not measured by how long they burn, but how brightly"