So a horse that’s fit and doing 100s
doesn’t lose that fitness over a 2 mo. period? I’ve heard people worrying that their
“fit for 50s” horse has been off for 2 or 3 weeks, and they think
they’ve lost their conditioning and won’t be ready in another 2 or
3 weeks. You give me hope that I actually do have the time to get 2 horses
ready.
So, how about for a horse that
you’re trying to bring around to being ready for a 50? If you do a 25 or
30 one week to test their fitness level, would you think they’d need a
week off after that, or would it boost their level of fitness to only wait 2 or
3 days to go out again? I hope ;you don’t mind
me picking your brain here, but I have an 8 yr old that I’m just starting
to do 10 mile rides on and want to get him ready for 50s.
Kathy
Jody wrote:
Ok, here is what I have done for years in terms of lay
off time.
Keep in mind, that I am referring to conditioned
horses, not horses that are "getting ready to do a 50".
I will give at least a week after a 50, sometimes
more if I don't "need" to ride for some particular reason. But
at the same time, I don't have any problem with doing back to back rides.
We go to a good many rides each year, so once we start, we will have at least
one a month. In that case, I don't ride them at ALL in between
rides. They need that time to rest. After a 100, I will give them
anywhere from 1 week to a month. Again, it just depends. For
instance....after the OD 100, which was on June 10th. I just now, last
week started riding those horses again. So, they have had about 2 months
off...total rest, just standing around eating grass and swishing flies.
Those same horses will go to a ride in one month. But, these are fit,
seasoned horses. So, they hold their conditioning well, and bounce back
well.
I have done a 100 one weekend, and then a 50 the very
next...same horse. No, Rose was not a happy camper about it. But
she did it and it didn't hurt her. But she was going fast at either
ride. I have done a 100 one weekend, and two weeks later another 100 same
horse. I have even done a 100 one day, rest one day, and then a
50....again same horse. She won both rides and BC'ed both rides. It
really depends on the horse. She was super horse.
