Re: discussions of training...

["Steph Teeter" <step@fsr.com>]

Training....

We certainly have to qualify *what* we're training - is the horse
young and stucturally immature? Older and years of base fitness?
Easy keeper? Hard to keep weight on? etc..

and *why* we're training - regular competitions all year, peaking
for 'the big one', going for the miles, going for speed and wins?

I've been asking this question a lot too - and the answer I get
from most of the top competitors is that to *maintain* condition you
only need 3 rides per week - two short rides of 6-10 miles, and
one longer ride of 10-20 miles. As far as speed and difficulty
of the training rides - train the same way  you compete, and
compete the same way you train. i.e. if you're going to ride
fast, then train fast - if you're just doing the miles, then there
is no need to race up every hill when you train. This is for
maintenance of a fit and seasoned horse. If you are trying
to increase the level of fitness, or peak for a certain ride, there
are certainly other things to consider - interval training, gallops,
etc, and of course for a young horse, miles of LSD. But I think
the biggest mistake a lot of us make is training too hard during
the competitive season. Once they're fit, they don't lose condition
very quickly. And if you compete often and train too hard, you're
going to have a problem with keeping weight on, cumulative
physical stresses leading to breakdown, sour attitude, loss of
stamina...

I think there are whole books written on this topic??

I'm personally interested in how some of the top riders peak
for certain events - without exhausting their horse for the big
day. I've heard that peaking 3 weeks before the event is
desirable - then tapering the demands for the next three weeks.
Some that I've asked shoot for a competitive 50 miler 3 weeks
before the big one.

Comments? Susie Hayes - I know you're out there, and you've been
talking about getting some of the seasoned competitors involved
in discussions... words of wisdom?

Steph


-----Original Message-----
From: Michael K. Maul <mmaul@galaxy.nsc.com>
To: ridecamp <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Wednesday, August 12, 1998 9:03 AM
Subject: discussions of training...


>for the posting:
>
>But, I really would like some discussion about training rides:
>Intensity
>
>Distance
>Frequency
>
>see the FAQs at
>
>http://www.endurance.net/FAQ/
>
>Mike Maul
>W/CT Regions
>