Re: RC: Rider weight/horse size

[Farafix@aol.com]

Sarah,

I'm fit enough to get off my horse for the long downhills on rides such as 
the OD.  I've found that it seems to give the horse a nice break.  
Intuitively, it seems that it would help the horse not having my extra 150 
pounds or more (what with the TONS of stuff I have in my waistpack!!!) to 
balance when going down some of those steep, VERY rocky mountains.  There's 
one long climb that comes down about 2-3 miles from Hickory Lance vet check, 
so I get off & jog down with the horse happily trotting behind me (they 
wouldn't be able to go so fast with me on them), dodging boulders & rocks, 
and get back on at the bottom, trot & canter into the vet check & horse will 
pulse down in 3-4 minutes.
I do find that I have to do some running, or weight lifting for thighs as 
bracing against the downhill can get you pretty sore the next day.  Nice to 
get out of the saddle for awhile.  I often have folks pass me on the uphills 
as I don't race up those mountains --- try to keep the horse below 150, a 
brisk walk up those mountains in June will run the horse at 120-130 anyway.  
Then I catch most everyone that passed me going up on the way down --- my 
horse isn't so tired & so still is coordinated (when we get to a not so steep 
downhill I'll get back on & my horse is still relatively fresh).  Probably 
helped me top 10 the OD & Cosequin last yr.
On the weight issue --- a couple of years ago when I was getting Tempo 
started I had a friend who was about 20-25 pounds heavier than me riding his 
dam Kadance+/ and competing her in 25 mile CTR's.  I only did one 50 mile 
endurance ride with her that year as she had a horizontal crack (from the one 
of the Ft Valley rocks!) growing out on a front hoof.  I was pleasantly 
surprised at how fit she was when I rode her in the IAHA National CTR that 
fall (enough to top 10), and attribute it to having a heavier rider on her 
for much of the year doing just training & CTR's.  In training we were 
utilizing Tom's interval techniques --- simply because the terrain around 
here is a lot of short up & downs.  With the MD heat & humidity you can get 
the horse's pulses going pretty good --- didn't have the heart monitors on 
usually, but I noticed Kadance+/, carrying the heavier rider,  would be 
panting harder than Tempo.

Nancy & Tempo (now when are you going to get off going UPhill?!?!?!)
MD