HW vs. others

[Samm C Bartee <bartesc@mail.auburn.edu>]

My .02!!!  My turn....

I had a horse Desert Embers. I got him totally unbroke. I did all the base
on him, and that was fine.  he was used to my weight.
Tina Hicks--a FW, bought him from me.  We compared his heart rate while
she was riding him..same saddle, same terrain, same pace, etc.  it was
amazing the difference.   And this was during when I owned him...vs. now
that she owns him.  With each of us conditioning him our own way.

I never got the HR readings that she has.  It ws always a good low working
pulse for me to see 133 or so at a good working trot.  Sometimes working
up to the 140's if he was working hard.  
Tina has trouble getting him over 100.   His recoveries are tremendously
better with her, and it was not due to difference in conditioning!!   I
put 480? miles on him one year...he was fit.  But my weight certainly did
make a difference....

I have worked lots of paperwork, especially in the last year.  I can tell
you that it's not always the heavyweights that win BC.  Most of the time
if they push their horses to the point where they can have time plus
weight the vet score is way lower...so maybe sometimes time and weight
will overcome that, sometimes not.  I have seen some horses ridden by LW
or FW's that were pushed past the point of having great vet scores too,
those times, the time sometimes helps, but the weight does not.  

**IF** the horse is fit for the weight, terrain, and speed that he is
asked to do, then he will be judged accordingly on BC.  If he is not fit
enough for the above, then it will show.  
It matters to the horse what weight he is carrying...just look at the HRM
as you are conditioning..if you are lighter, add weights and see..I don't
mean 20 lbs, but make it so you are asking him to carry 225 lbs.  

Revel carried 252 lbs through his whole carrer as an endurance
horse...think what he could have done as a FW horse?  
I think that I have to condition my horses a little bit differently than a
featherweight.  Just a thing that I have noticed over the years.  You
might not notice if you are small.  But it *does* make a difference!

I am riding Coujur, a horse that belongs to a featherweight. She has been
joking for years about how she conditions the first 1/2 of the ride and
ride the 2nd half.  Well, it works for her, but I rode him last weekend
and let me tell you...HE KNEW HE HAD BEEN RIDDEN!!  
There is a difference in weight.  I don't think there is enough to change
the BC scoring, unless someone can show me differently. I have seen too
many times that it matters how the horse is conditioned, not who is
riding.  

But you can't tell me that it makes NO difference...I can see it everytime
I ride a horse.  

Power to the heavyweight's HORSE!! 


APPY TRAILS



SAMM C. BARTEE
Auburn, Al.  SE Region
with
COUJUR--I have to carry what?  
B JETS WAR EAGLE--endurance newbie
110 miles and.....
SIR REVEL--what about me?  I want to go!