Many others with far more experience than I have
already written on the time off question. I think that there is another
resource worth consulting.
The ultrarunners have debated tapering before a big
race and the consensus seems to be that a two or three week taper is
beneficial. I know that I would rather show up at the starting line a
little under-trained rather than a little injured and I try to follow the same
advice for my horse. And, I remember that it took me about a month to
fully recover from running a mountain 100. One hundred miles is a long way
and any injuries or deficiencies will surely manifest themselves over that
distance.
I believe that the human experience translates to
equines. You can read other runners ideas on the taper at (some of the
authors have been very successful and the first post is particularly
good):
Several have posted that they had exceptional
horses that could run 100 after 100 and I do not doubt that is true. So,
the question becomes, ?Is your horse an exceptional endurance athlete?? or
perhaps ?Are you feeling lucky today?? Hostile Indians no longer chase us,
so no race is worth compromising the horse.
