I use to ride 50 to 75 miles per week.. all day sat and sun..
then I got a hrm.. from ti.. and began to do it by cardiac response
conditionig.
that was 9 years ago. I dont think I ride any longer then 20 miles durning
any conditioning ride. at home . alot of dynamic short works at variuos
speeds all based on working hr and recoveies..
My horses are in better condition, not used up before the competition be it
ctr or endurance.. we do kick some but on the natrc ctr.. as far as condx..
but loose due the horsemanship part of the vet score..
When I am getting ready for 50 miles.. I ride the 2 day 50/60 ectra / natrc
ctr..
and lots of one day ctrs.. I used these rides as my long days.
At home I rode somewhere btw 5 to 15m per day. I stopped keeping track of
miles and logged time at xHR.. How much time did we get at 145 bpm and the
recovery.. Like Truman and Wendy reported..
Wendy posted some great conditioning papers a few months ago.. and when I
redo the V-MAX Conditioning Guide I will cop some of that stuff.
Also the guidelines from Dr Nancy Loving are great.. in her new book..
I dont do many LDs.. since I dont have a real big problem with ctr.. even
though its natrc.. I use those rides to get in better shape for the
endurance.
I dont see much difference in metabolic issues up to 50 miles.. of course
that depends on how fast you race..like if you have never galloped for 4
miles .. then do it at a race.. you may have a problem...
so if you condition at say 7 to 8 mph and you compete there or a bit faster
.. I dont see a problem.. sort of adding up all those short rides into one..
Like when I did those crazy 26.2 mile RUNS.. its was the .2 miles that got
you.. no kidding.. it was the last 15 miles that killed me..
I sure wish I knew about conditioning back then like I do now.. and I surely
would never run without a hrm..
my horses never leave the barn with it..no matter how far we are going..
now moving up to the 100 milers.. thats a new game..
the 50 mile rides are a must.. but dont race..define that one.. pick a good
pace and work it ..
I am not a 100 miler never had a good 100 mile horse.. so my one and only
od100 does not qualify me as and expert..
I did find that more of the multi day rides either away at camp or at ctr did
the best for getting us ready .. the 3 day 100 efforts are about the best..
we went away to camp out and would do about 20 miles on fri.. then 30 on sat
and 20 on sun.. that was under hard working hr on a fit horse ..I would ride
a bit faster then I planned to ride in the race..
then I cheated and spent a week at Vals K the month b4 the 0d.. the horse was
tougher then I was..
I do plan on trying them again.. when I get a good 100 miler again..
then I get re-work my conditioning plan.. since the area we train in is all
different..
roger r
omni-- od what..he is getting there