mechanical fatigue

[Chelle Sherman <c.sherman@connriver.net>]

John, hello from a fellow Vermonter! I'm a distance rider that's been sort of 'horseless' for awhile and I'm starting up again late this season (new horse arrives this week). I read your questions on mechanical fatigue with interest. What this means, basically, is that your horse was less 'fresh' than when he started. He had less spring in his step, seemed less energetic. What I'd like to suggest is that this may be a 'real' problem, and it may not. My understanding is that with CTR, you're being judged on the change in your horse between vettings at the beginning and the end of the ride. Many CTR strategists avoid mechanical fatigue scores by making sure that their trot out at the beginning of the ride is leisurely and matter of fact, NOT bouncy. It is much easier to duplicate leisurely and matter of fact than bouncy after going 25 miles. So, in essence, you may have a strategy problem (easy to fix) rather than a conditioning problem (also fairly easy to fix). Also, knowing the terrain you were competing on, I know that you were in serious hill country - not just short, steep hills, but grinders that go on for miles. I am not an expert, only a person who loves to ride distance, like you, so take this for what it's worth. Are you doing enough hill work in your training? You need to duplicate the grinders that GMHA throws at you and do it at or above the CTR pace. But don't do it every time you ride - you can easily overtrain in this terrain. Also, remember, that since these are your first two rides, your horse will gain condition from doing them, and you may find that the problem simply goes away as the season advances. I hope I've been helpful, and I will look forward to seeing you on the trails this year! Cheers and best wishes to you!

Chelle Sherman
Tunbridge, VT