Running Horses

[sshaw@pacbell.net]

I have been (trying to be) a runner ever since 1977 and have done over
40 marathons,  eight 50 milers and too many ride & ties. My best
marathon was in the same year as my best 10K race and I have always
trained at both. You need both. Even those who just train at long
distances put in speed intervals within the long runs.

At our recent Board Meeting for the Ride and Tie Association we
discussed the initiation of studies to show that ride and tie, short
runs with stops may even be BETTER for horses than long slow distance.
The completion rates and lack of needed treatment in this sport seems to
bear this out. Jim Steere, DVM at steeres@home.com  is working on this
and has 25 years of theory about it.
He was saying that if you look at how the horse was built by nature,
quick flight response for a quarter mile, that there is some basis for
these thoughts.

Any horse that I have had for ride and tie seemed to be able to step
into the Tevis with no problems, and most of them top tenned!
STeve Shaw