Re: Dubai - Valerie

[Tivers@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/11/98 4:13:22 PM Pacific Standard Time, ChacoL@aol.com
writes:

<< Tom Ivers or others, could you give us a brief overview of warming up the
 various systems?  I've read different recommendations.  Should an endurance
 horse be warmed up differently from other race horses?  It would seem that
 doing your warmup at the beginning of a race rather than pre-race could lose
 valuable time if you're going for a win or top ten.
 
 Linda
 San Francisco >>


Hmmm, tough question. In racehorses we want to warm up because we need extreme
flexibility and a full complement of red cells in circulation--also, for
tendons, ligaments and muscles to be ready for some rather exotic forces.

Aside from flexibility and perhaps some increased fuel-efficiency, not much of
the rest seems to apply to endurance horses. Within 2 1/2 miles of a gentle
start in competition, these animals will be fully warmed up. 

I'll have to defer to someone who knows more about the needs of the endurance
horse in this area. No doubt that warmup is good--but what warmup and what are
the effects in an endurance horse?

ti