Sounds like more training is necessary. Eatting, drinking, etc. are all
necessary as part of training.
I've always found that a horse trained alone learns to depend on
himself and his rider and focus. Horses trained with others learn to
depend on others. This is not to say they are kept alone but when I go
ride it is he/she and I, the trail and nothing else. I pretty much
refuse to ride with others during training.
Independent of any of this if the horse has not been conditioned to
eaisly handle 7.5 minute miles, you can't expect him to do a 6 hour 50
without undue stress. It's all gets back to what the horse has been
trained to do and not riding past that training.
Truman
sharp penny wrote:
Ahhh.... in theory this sounds great but so far in my
limited experience I just can't mimic the conditions at
training/conditioning rides that take place during an
actual endurance ride. At home my horse is sane...vaccums
up everything in sight.... drinks like a fish within the
first 10 miles and will tell me when he's tired. At a ride
he is waaaay pumped up (sometimes he litterally shakes just
standing cuz he's so excited). He dosn't drink until mile
15-20...won't eat out on the trail if he even thinks there
is another horse he needs to catch up to...and rarely acts
tired.. On training rides he conserves energy by being a
thinking horse and works with me...at an endurance ride he
will waste alot of energy by being a reactive horse, his
thinking brain dosn't engage until well into the ride.
This is why alot of people (me included) use actual
endurance rides as training/ conditioning rides. Yes
training at home gives you a good *ball park* figure of
your horse's base, his training capacity, and what he is
capable of. IMHO you don't really know your horse until you
have done a good year or two of actual endurance miles. I
don't feel there will be an across the board indicator of a
horse that will be predisposed to getting in serious
trouble in relation to their training program (or lack
there of). Every horse will have different needs in
relation to miles and frequency of training miles...what
one thrives on may not work as well for another at the same
level of condition.
Again..JMHO
Regards,
Penny
Lisa is so very right, if you don't know your horse's
particular capacity
for all of this, you ought'a....and there is a time and a
safe method to
determine that....at home, BEFORE you do it at an
endurance ride.
----Frank
