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Re: FW: Re: [RC] [RC] What is LSD to you and other conditioning trivia - Joe Long

On Fri, 24 Feb 2006 20:24:03 -0600, "Ginny Holsman" <ginny744@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

IMO, a horse should never be raced that is not conditioned for twice the 
distance that they are going to be raced.  That is, a horse should be 
conditioned to ride 50 miles in order to race 25 miles.

However, I must explain the difference IMO between riding and racing.  
Conditioning occurs at a riding pace; not a racing pace.  The idea is to 
enjoy the ride while conditioning.  Racing is trying to cover the distance 
as quickly as possible.  That's quite a bit more strenuous.

I'm afraid I don't agree with this.  A fundmental principle of conditioning for
competition, is that you don't ask the horse to do in competition anything he
has not been conditioned to do in training.

Among other things, that means that I will ride some of my conditioning rides at
the same or even greater speeds than I will be racing at.  Once my horse is
race-fit, I will be doing a significant amount of conditioning at a movin'-on
canter, some at a hand gallop.  I will do only a very little flat-out sprinting,
though.  I don't do that much in a race, it doesn't need much at home.

At these speeds, 1/3 to 1/2 the ride distance is sufficient.  You get most of
the training benefit in the first hour, the time on a given day spent over that
amount isn't adding much.  <more comments below>

So, if you condition your horse by riding for 50 mile rides, then they can 
handle a 25 mile race well; but if you condition your horse by riding for 25 
mile rides, then they can only handle 10-15 miles at race pace well.

This is because the very nature of racing pushes a horse beyond their 
comfortable abilities, not only physically, but also mentally and 
emotionally, causing tremendous extra distress that is not occurring at a 
riding pace.  The reason this happens is that horses are empathic.  If the 
rider wants to win; the horse wants to win too.  If the rider is just 
enjoying themselves, then the horse is too.

I enjoy myself the most when I'm racing.   : )

If you condition at racing pace, then you aren't "pushing them beyond" what
they've been prepared for on race day.

Another aspect about racing that differs from riding is that during a race, 
the rider is also under distress, and hence less in touch with how their 
horse feels when riding.  For example, if, when conditioning, your horse is 
not moving well, the tendancy is to slow down, try to figure out what is 
wrong, resolve the problem; but when racing, if your horse is not moving 
well, the tendancy is to push on, finish the race, as best as possible - 
consider consequences later.

Absolutely NOT!!!  If my horse is not "right" during a race, I slow down or
pull.  I've pulled more than once when the vets said my horse was fine, and
could go on.  And how will I know if he's not "right" if I've not conditioned at
those speeds?

This combination of pre-occupation with winning by the riding under distress 
and a horse under pressure to win in order to please their rider can have 
harmful consequences unless a horse is conditioned to be able to handle far 
more, at a riding pace, than at a race pace, when they are under more 
stress.  A horse will definitely perform better if conditioned beyond the 
race length.

The conditioning theory that I've read, what I've seen at rides, and my own
experience racing many rides says otherwise.  Not only have I never conditioned
at more than about 1/2 the upcoming ride distance, it is usually no more than
1/3.  When I conditioned myself to run a Marathon -- 26 miles -- I never ran
farther than 10 miles on any one day prior to the Marathon.

I've believed for a long time that many riders overcondition their horses.  Your
prescription is, in my opinion, a recipe for doing that.

-- 

Joe Long
jlong@xxxxxxxx
http://www.rnbw.com

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Replies
FW: Re: [RC] [RC] What is LSD to you and other conditioning trivia, Ginny Holsman