ridecamp@endurance.net: conditioning

conditioning

Stephanie Greenway (greenwas@ucs.orst.edu)
Wed, 31 May 1995 13:05:51 -0700 (PDT)

I've been lurking for a while and am absolutely enjoying all of the info.
I have a question concerning getting a horse in good condition for a
race. A friend of mine who rode endurance in CA, said that the best way
is to do six days of work, one day rest. She also said that it is
important to exercise fast and slow twitch muscles. In other words, one
should alternate the types of workout every other day. One day the goal
is to work for several hours at the walk on the trail in order to build
endurance. The second day would involve plenty of trotting and cantering
to build better lung capacity for stamina.
Does this sound like a good method?
I would like to begin some serious training so that I can AT LEAST do
some of the small races in my neighborhood. Plus, will a horse that is
exposed to the "scary" things on the trail EVER stop spooking. (He's a
six year old Arab). Or should I give up and buy a new horse????

Stephanie *&* Mahni
<greenwas@ucs.orst.edu>