Re: Prompting

[truman.prevatt@netsrq.com (Truman Prevatt)]

>Don't you believe it!! Yes, technology can be helpful, especially in
>training, and to a certain extent in competition, but in my experience
>anything that distracts your attention from your horse and the trail
>will ultimately not serve you...and regardless of who has the most toys,
>at the end of the day, the trail will have probably sorted out the best
>horses.

I rely on the HRM in training. I want to get the heart rate above a certain
level for a period of time and then measure the recovery period.  The
alarms work well for that.

But in a ride I turn the alarms off.  They are distracting.  I concentrate
on the trail. I will check the readout from time to time when the trail
allows, but I really depend on how the horse feels and how he is doing at
checks on rides.  At vet check the HRM is nice but I strip the tack a lot
of times and check the old fashion way - stethoscope.  More often than not
I am trotting out with a stethoscope drapped around my neck.

On a ride that Misty won, I branch caught the electrod wire and broke it on
the first loop and I rode the last 40 miles without a HRM.  I did slow down
and was more conservative but I made up 20 minutes in the last 12 miles to
win the darn thing.  I have never been much of a techno-toy freak and
became even less so that day.




Truman Prevatt
Mystic "The Horse form Hell" Storm
Little Stormy - "She wasn't with us long - but boy will we miss her"
The Rockman, a.k.a Misty Jr.
Jordy, a.k.a. Bridger - Finaly getting his shot

Sarasota, FL