 |
Re: [RC] [RC] Fitness - rene . acker
Thank you, Karen. I have had a lot of feedback, and the 2 most important
things I learned was:
Remember to have fun with this, it doesn't have to be a job. If you
only ride weekends and then want to do a 25 miler, you should have no
problem, just don't be in a hurry to finish; "ride your own ride".
(This is exactly why I'm interested in endurance, I'm tired of
showing/competing)
Your horse should be prepared for the terrain it will encounter on a
ride, so if your going to the mountains, yes, you should be riding your
horse on like terrain as much as possible, but "flat work" will still
help keep your horse fit.
I already knew these things, really, but couldn't figure out how all these
LD riders were able to go out and climb hilly, rocky trails on a regular
basis. I only get to do that on weekends, which I guess is enough for
limited distance. No way am I ready for a 50 miler!
By the way, thanks everyone for all the friendly, helpful responses. My
first assocation with endurance riders has been very positive. Thank you!
Rene' Acker
AmSouth Bank
Mortgage Banking/Alt-D
RCN-3, BH-4361, Hoover, AL
Phone: 205-560-7870 / Fax: 205-560-6378
DreamWeaver
<nvrider@xxxxxxxxxxx> To:
ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent by: cc:
ridecamp-owner@xxxxxx Subject: [RC] [RC]
Fitness
durance.net
12/15/2004 02:18 AM
I think the original thread started with how do I keep a horse in condition to do LD. I don't thin this was a question about how do I develop an endurance horse, it was how do I keep my horse fit for its job. Well, if a horse is in condition to do a LD ride, then it's a developing endurance horse. *Most* endurance horses are developing endurance horses. I didn't say it was going to be easy, and if it were easy then everybody would be doing it. Keeping a horse fit enough to do rides is entirely different than having a horse that is totally prepared in such a way as to be able to do the ride, and come home without being stiff and sore. It takes a long time to build a good horse that includes so much more than simply wet saddle blankets. In my limited experience and from what I have gleaned from others, it doesn't take a ton of conditioning to keep a horse fit to do LD. You can search the archives and find dozens of mentions of "any person can take any horse and do 25 miles in 6 hours" and occasionally qualified by "it's not smart to do this." I think that most of the time those statements are made regarding the horse, usually one that has been in a pasture and runs around a lot, and probably not in the hands of 'any person', but with an experienced rider. There is a lot more to bringing a horse to a ride than to just have it fit enough to live thru it. Feel free to disagree, but I think it is important to let people know that they don't have to give up everything to condition a horse for miles & miles and hours & hours in the dark several days a week with reflective materials on them to be able to do a 25 every month! I'm not disagreeing, it's just that I don't remember anybody saying that a horse needed to have miles and miles and hours and hours in the dark several days a week to be able to do a 25 every month. More like, those were options available (riding in the dark, and how to), you don't *have* to spend hours and hours in the dark, and I think it's really sad if people think that they *have* to, rather than *get* to. It's not nearly as much fun with a negative attitude. So you ride the horse two times a week, for half an hour once and an hour or two the other time, and one or two other times you free longe the horse or do arena lessons -- basic education for a riding horse (and rider) should include most of that anyway, regardless of riding long distances. There are no short cuts, only short careers ended by not doing the preparation needed, which does entail quite a bit more than just 'miles'. My horses do the above mentioned schedule and are able to complete all the distances successfully. Karen in NV =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|