Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Three factors have to go into this. The physical condition, the mental 
condition and the difficulty of the trail.  By physical condition I not 
only mean how long he trots without stopping, it also includes factors 
like how well he carries himself. With doing dressage work he should be 
fine there. If he has a nice rounded carriage he'll do a lot better than 
if he's head high and inverted going down the trail.

IMO the worst thing that could happen is if he gets tired at 25 miles 
and has to be pushed for five more miles and the decides "it's not for 
me" and becomes sour about the whole experience. This could be from 
physical reasons or from the fact that his attention span is not ready 
for a 6 hour outing. Clearly the difficulty and diversity of the trail 
play into both factors.

Personally I like to give a horse about a year of just hacking around on 
the trails before I do a ride. This is the time you do your LSD and 
build up distance. This builds the horse physically and builds his 
attention span. But I'm pretty conservative.

If you go, be ready to pull if the horse shows any problems - either 
physical or mental. He has a lifetime of endurance ahead of him - 
there's no hurry. There is no stigma in pulling - especially when it is 
in the best interest of the horse.

Truman





Ridecamp Guest wrote:

> Please Reply to: Jennifer Johnston jennifer.johnston@xxxxxx or 
> ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> ==========================================
>
> Hello All-
>
> I have put this question for to a local enduance vet and have not yet received a response, so...was wondering if I could ask the group for some help with a 'readiness' question. I have asked and read a great deal about readiness for endurance (50 Milers), but have NO experience with Limited Distance and the relative stress it puts on a younger horse.
>
> My riding partner would very much like to join me for her first ride this Saturday. We would be doing 30 MILES. She has a 5-year-old Arab gelding who was started on the trail only this year. He was ridden all winter in dressage (4-5 x week). He began 'conditioning' (2-3 hours with hills, lots of trotting) only mid-June. He is ideal weight and appears well-bred for endurance (good hoofs, cannons, not at all stocky). He's somewhat nervous, but not excessively- seems to calm quickly and trusts his rider. He's drinking, eating, peeing well on trail.
>
> So...with this history, what is the vote on readiness for a SLOW (no trotting downhill, lots of walking) LD ride this weekend?
>
> Any/all input would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to respond directly. Thanks very much.
>
> Jennifer 
>
>
>  

> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>
>  


--

"The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. The opposite 
of a profound truth may well be another profound truth."    Niels Bohr 
-- Nobel Laureate, Physics




=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=