Re: Books

[flemmerl@rcbhsc.wvu.edu (Flemmer, Linda)]

Trishmare wrote:
>     "Endurance and Competitive Trail
> Riding" by Wentworth Tellington and Linda
> Tellington-Jones is considered a classic in the field.  It is
> unfortunatly out
> of print, last I heard, but look around, you never know . . .
I'm lucky enough to have a first edition - it is a great book, but it also
illustrates how far endurance riding has evolved.  The training schedule
that they outline is intensive & doesn't allow enough recovery days. 
They recommend a dolomite/lite salt mixture for electrolytes- we've come
to learn that there are 'lytes mixtures that are better formulated and
better absorbed (& they are commercially avialable, now)!  The
pictures show the horses as lean to the point of having bones sticking
out.  (No "groceries" for a reserve.)  You weren't a "real" endurance
rider if the hrse had any padding.

They mention a gate into a hold as a new concept, now the most common kind of a hold.  (Meet the HR paramter, then begin your hold time.)  At that time in history, many rides started your hold time when you got to the check, and would check an outgoing pulse at the out timer.  One ride that we attended wanted a pulse of 66 AFTER a one hour hold.  There really were some marginal horses out there!

A great book in many respects and cutting edge when I bought it.  I wouldn't part with it, but I wouldn't use it on its own to guide a beginner into endurance as it is ridden today.

I believe that Amazon.com will do a search on out of print books - they may be able to come across a copy.  Good luck to the Newbie in finding one!

Linda Flemmer