Re: Karen Sullivan's Question #2

["Marci Cunningham" <mcunningham@calcot.com>]

2: What is your conditioning program for 50 mile rides?  100 mile rides?

My conditioning program, now that my horses are in shape, is minimal, mainly
because I don't have time to ride and work full time etc, etc.  I am
thrilled if both horses get ridden 20 to 25 miles one day a week at a 5 or 6
mph pace.  If I get 2 rides per horse per week I am ecstatic.  Although, the
second ride would only be 5 miles or so at a slower pace.  With the days
getting shorter I will soon be limited to weekend riding or riding in the
dark during the week if I want to get in 2 rides.  I'm very fortunate to
have a friend helping me with my weekend riding. (Thanks Kathy)  Remember,
I'm not trying to break any speed records so I don't need to burn up the
training trail and my horses are in pasture 24/7.  I like to get each horse
to an endurance ride once a month or every other month.  Again, I have been
fortunate to have the daughter of another friend ride Koztarr at a few rides
so I can get both horses ridden at the same ride.  I think there is a
tendency for new riders to over train their horse prior to their first
endurance ride.  A new horse may need to be ridden 3 times per week but
remember that rest is a necessary component of any training program.  My
horses think that rest is very important and if I started riding them too
much they wouldn't let me catch them.  I chuckle when I read about horses
that gallop up to their owner to be caught for a ride.  If I don't have
something to bribe them with when they see be coming with a halter they head
for the far reaches of the pasture.  Good thing it isn't that big.  I have
only done 5 or 6 100 mile rides, and I'm not particularly fond of that
distance but one of them was Tevis.  I don't do much different in getting
ready for a 100 but I do try to push my horse a little bit harder for the
month prior to the ride.  When I was conditioning Moonshyne for Tevis, her
longest ride prior to completing Tevis was an 80 mile ride and just about
every endurance ride I rode from January to June that year was over 50
miles.  The distances ranged from 55 miles to 80 miles.  This is a training
program that works for me and my horses and I freely admit that it may not
work for you.  It is one that has evolved from 17 years and 7,000 miles of
endurance riding, balancing riding with work, family and community
committments.  And it is one that works for middle of the pack finishes.
Remember to have fun on your conditioning rides, explore new trails and take
care of your equine buddy.

Happy Trails,
Marci Cunningham
AERC #1455