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[RC] "fit to continue" at finish vs. mid-race - Mary KraussMusings:This whole discussion of 30 vs. 60 minute recovery periods makes me wonder about whether or not the community should accept more signs of fatigue at the end of the race vs. the middle of the race. I'm not sure. As a runner I know I'd be ticked at myself if I weren't pretty out of gas at the end of a marathon. I've always believed the most successful runner runs strategically; the trick is to use one's energy so precisely that you get to the end without having left too much (nor too little) gas in the tank. It seems as though it is o.k. to be more wiped out at the end than in the middle. Without the kinds of study some are suggesting, why would one assume more horses are in trouble just because they're more tired at the end? Of COURSE they're more fatigued at the end. On the other hand, if the community of veterinarians agree that horses who pulse down within 60 minutes, but not within 30, are likely to be in trouble, then that's the viewpoint we need to adopt. They're the ones who would know best. Perhaps they should be the ones who vote and decide what standards make the most sense--they see and evaluate more horses than any one of us could. Part of the reason I'm interested in this whole conversation has to do with what I witnessed at Tevis, which I managed to get to observe this past year. The veterinarians were doing an amazing job of quickly assessing horses and seemed really accurate and fair in their judgments of who was fit to continue throughout the race. They seemed comfortable accepting a different (and lower) standard for Best Condition the morning than for continuing during the race however. I was taken aback at first to see that Heraldic might have been the ONLY horse in the top 10 who wasn't pretty obviously sore and gimpy. (I missed his showing but saw the others.) Then I got to thinking how I am the day after a marathon, even those I'd prepared for pretty carefully. I was always sore somewhere, and stiff, by the next morning. I know we're talking about a different matter, more having to do with measurable metabolics than muscle soreness, but I was left with the sense that the veterinarians are the only ones capable of understanding the issues objectively. The rest of us have too much invested and probably should know better than to "know" what's best for the whole community.... If I were going on my opinion initially, I probably would have dubbed every one of those top 10 horses as overridden. Instead, I realized that the vets knew more than I and was able to adjust my reaction to suit the facts--horses that run a hard race are sore the next day, duh. I guess my point is the community of veterinarians within the community of endurance folk probably know better than any of us what criteria to change or retain.... Mary K. who doesn't know much yet about equine recovery times.... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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