Hang time

[Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

Most of the horses who train with us have fairly steady drops in their
pulse rates when they stop.  Blaze will get down to 70-75 and *hang* there
for a couple minutes or so before dropping further.  Does this improve with
further conditioning or is this just something that is peculiar to his
body?  What should I be doing to help this?

Blaze is a 13yo Arab/MFT gelding who didn't get started with his training
until he was 10 (I was busy riding big TBx's during his youth) and did his
first LD ride last September.  He has now done 6 LDs, does very well at vet
checks (except for his co-dependency problems which will sometimes elevate
his HR <g>), and has plenty of energy left over at the end.  We train a
couple of times a week for 3-5 hours (working woman syndrome <g>) and he
does a couple of arena lessons with students.  His planned future is to be
an intro level horse for students -- able to do respectably in 25 & 50 mile
competitions.  I'd like to improve his "hang time", if I can, since it's a
bit discouraging to always be that last one in your group to reach
criteria.  Does conditioning affect this...and will having a FW to MW
riding him change this?  I ride him in HW category (:-p but hope to be a
solid MW by spring :-)) but will have the option of putting lighter riders
on him next year if this would help.  His resting pulse rate is 34-36 (40
with the excitement of a ride) and he drops to 60 or less normally within 5
minutes of stopping after a fairly energetic pace.  But he's always last in
the group and spends most of the time hovering around 70!  Training
suggestions will be appreciated...or you can tell me to just "deal with it"
cuz that's the way it's probably going to be! ;-)

Sue

sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.