I have seen comp horses die at comp rides.
Granted the weather was VERY hot and humid with the heat index out of
sight. But again, the problem was the fitness of the horse. Have
seen horses come down with laminitis at a comp ride too. About the only
difference between comp and end is the speed of the front runners. I like
Matthew Mackay Smith's proposal. If a horse is fit, it should be down to
parameters in 5 min or less at a vet check. If my guys weren't, I bit the
bullet and slowed up. If I am really serious, I ride with the HM and see
what my horse travels at and how fast she comes down during training runs.
Conditioning is very important and it takes much dedication on the part of the
rider to get out and do it. I am not so good about this anymore, but then
I don't ride so fast anymore either. Jeanie
