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Re: [RC] Ride holds - Joe Longpaul@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote: Again. Has any actual research been done to show that extra holds of a stated time are better for the horses? If horses do indeed benefit from these extra holds, shouldn't we have four or five holds or even more in a 50? It's easy to say that the holds are there to protect the horses. When you ask for actual evidence that it actually provides any protection, they change the subject. Vet checks are necessary, no argument there. Hour-long holds? Another question entirely. Somebody used the analogy of a baseball pitcher taking breaks between innings. This is true. But what happens when there is an extended delay, (like from rain) especially later in the game? Does that pitcher come back out after a 45 minute cooling off period, or do they have to bring in a new pitcher? Why? Because the muscles get too cool after that long of inactivity and cramp up. Football has one long break in the middle and two other very short breaks of a couple of minutes. ( sounds like a one hold ride with two gate and go checks:-) Baseball and football are not close to being comparable with long-distance endurance competition. They are composed of lots of idle time interspersed with short anaerobic bursts, not at all the same. The optimum approach to our sport is to keep a steady level of effort that is aerobic. The only value that I see, for the horse, to having a horse stop for a fixed amount of time during an endurance ride is to allow him to eat. And that is a factor only in rides well over 50 miles -- a 50 is at most 12 hours long. Even in a 100 a single "food stop" would suffice, and it doesn't have to be an hour. Some riders need, or at least want, hour holds. IMO fit horses don't. -- Joe Long aka ChipRider jlong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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