Ridecamp: RE: [RC] extremely fast 100s

Debi,

 

You have encapsulated this entire conversation into its key components, and did so using facts, not fudge frosting.  Your premise - it takes an exceptional/unusual horse to win an elite race - has been shown to be true since they started racing horses.  Think of how many Seabiscuits and Secretariats there have been...not many, and some have come from humble rather than monied beginnings.  It holds true in human performance as well, with a Carl Lewis type of athlete coming along only once in a while.

 

Your point about not running a horse beyond its capability AND knowing what that capability is, is the essence of endurance, in my opinion.

 

It is a rare experience to have a horse like Redman, and I'm appreciative that you shared that with us. 

 

Mike Sofen

-----Original Message-----
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of DebiG54@xxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 4:40 PM
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [RC] extremely fast 100s

Just a quick thought...

The majority of endurance horses competing in this country or in the world will never be capable of winning any 100 mile race, much less sub 10 hour 100s.  As in any sport, there are the elite few who have been blessed genetically and trained correctly.   In our sport, if you add a skilled rider to a blessed and prepared horse, you can get amazing results.  All of these attributes have to come together to win an elite race.

Some horses just defy endurance racing logic.  I have been lucky to be the partner of a rare specimen, who finished not only sub 10 hour 100s but also ran one sub 9 hour 100.  In his prime, CBS Redman could run that fast with no special gimmicks and also would win best condition.  The only thing I'd syringe into him was electrolytes-- no fancy carbo loading, amino acids, or any of the other supplements.  He'd just eat hay or grass, grain and carrots.  That's it!  Metabolically, he would be almost flawless at those speeds with the exception of gut sounds.  His guts would frequently be a "B" with an occasional "C" thrown in, but he'd bounce back quickly.  

When a horse is not trained to run at those speeds or just can't do it because his body wasn't designed to go so fast for so far, then you can have terrible consequences.  The owner, trainer, or rider has to become familiar with his/her own horse's limitations and potential and do the best with that.

Debi Gordon