<< This brings up another question. I read recently that human athletes
actually improve their conditioning during the rest and recovery period -
that the actual conditioning itself does not improve the body, but rather it
occurs during the recovery and rest time after the workout. Would this also
hold true for our equine athletes? Maybe the rest period after a ride is as
much or more important than the actual ride itself? >>
The conditioning cycle is: Work, Recovery, Rebound, Supercompensation. The
work is the necessary challenge to get things started. Recovery fluses out
waste and debris while starting the refueling/rebuilding process. Rebound is
the "back to normal" condition. Supercompensation is the body's way of making
sure that the next challenge is handled more easily--an increase in all the
affected parameters of fitness is experienced--then it's time for another
challenge. In racehorses, the entire process takes about 5 days. Don't know
about endurance horses.
ti