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Posted on 07/14/2005 3:23:55 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
This is a horse chat thread where we share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.
I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!
I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and Becky pings everyone most mornings. Let Becky (Paynoattentionmanbehindthecurtain) and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.
So... like the previous threads, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.
Previous threads:
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - thread ONE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX
New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!
It's usually about $3/lb and you just fill the bag with any assortment you choose.
You can get them online too right here, but you can't choose what flavor you want more of - they'll just give you a bunch of all of them.
That's why I prefer to pick it myself so I can fill the bag with what I know I like. And they are even tastier if you refrigerate them. Yummy.
I like cold feet! : )
Socks help, but the cold of the ceramic tile seems to seep right through cotton.
I usually wear flip-flops in the house to keep my feet off of the floor, but I love going barefoot whenever I can.
I was hoping to ride this weekend, but Deaconjim is working 12 hr day shifts, and I'm not confident enough to saddle up and ride when I am alone with the kids.
Mommadooo3 where are you? Has anyone heard from her? : )
I can understand why.
It's every mother's mantra when we're with the kids:
"But what if something happens to me and no one else is around?"
Speaking of kids, I'm gonna go sit on the couch and watch Little Bear with my girls.
Be back later!
My cocker spaniel is 16 years old, and I could never imagine leaving him behind. Ever. Or my lab mix, or my cat. It would be unthinkable.
I once got chased by a bat while in the back ring. Jimmy, (my old horse) bolted squealing and bucking and making a very large and vocal fuss in general. I lost both my stirrups, and I don't know if I was more afraid of a major spill or of the bat! Of course no one saw what happened, but they darn well heard, and when someone came down, the bat was no where to be seen.
Bats give me goose bumps.... urgh.
I've heard that about "over conditionin"? how much is over conditioning?
I know, hard to know.
Celia and I did 3 hours again today. We will go again on Mon.
Oddest thing happened today. We had a coyote following us. At first we thought it was just a dog. We couldn't see it at first, just heard it howling. I thought it was Grizzly chasing a squirrel for awhile, then he showed up but the howling kept up off in the woods. We rode on, hoping it was not a dog caught up in something. Then when we looped back around to that same area the howling started again. Then Celia saw it. It was standing off in the woods from us and every few seconds would howl. It let Grizzly walk up to it and sniff noses. Grizzly came back over to us and it kind of parrelled us for awhile. I'm thinking it had pups somewhere out there.
Becky
The part about letting Grizzly sniff noses with it is beyond bizarre. I've never heard of that, unless it was really a hybrid or a pet or something!
No way to know exactly how much is too much when conditioning. Good exercise makes them more healthy, and more able to go the distance... but any athlete will wear out in their weak point the longer they go.... no matter what, eventually joints wear out.
There's a reason top level competitors in things like jumping never jump except in competition.... barrel racers too.
What brought this on? What question are you trying to answer? For yourself? or for others you see ride who don't condition like you do?
And I don't mean to imply that those 'sprint' sports are the same as what you are doing, clearly endurance sports wear a horse differently than running sports.
But the idea that ~might~ carry over for both is that each horse has a finite number of footsteps in him in his life, so use them wisely.
My question is mainly for me. Am i doing enough, too much, etc?
I've always get stressed over conditioning:) It just bothers me to loose points on that factor. But then I see people, like Celia who doesn't condition at all till a week before a ride. I worry about her horse sometimes. Horses will do alot of things even when they don't feel good or hurt. That's always been her philosphy. He did it:). Well yeah, he completed the ride, but was he comfortable doing it, has always made me wonder. And she does open, 60 miles at a faster pace.
I've always looked at it by how I would feel. I "think" I'm an average active person, even without the riding. In other words, I'm a pasture ornament:). But when I started my walking for additional exercise, a mile liked to kill me. So what does that say about a pasture ornament that is carrying all the weight horses do and asking them to go "pleasure" ride for 2,3,4 hours? Yeah they do it, but how good is that for them? I've asked these questions before at CTR's then I get this stuff about "over" conditioning. I find it all very puzzleing. I "think", fwiw:), that strong muscles and good nutrition will help protect the joints.
I do think joints wear out. But they are going to wear out rather a horse is rode or not.
Becky
I never got a clear view of the coyote. But when Celia told me Grizzly walked up to it, that was the first thing I asked her. Was it some kind of 1/2 bred coyote. She swore it was a coyote, it sounded like one too. I just got glimpses of it thru the trees. She started to ride thru the woods right at it, and it moved off aways.
I thought the whole thing strange too, actually made me a bit nervous. It just didn't act right.
Becky
That doesn't sound like normal coyote behaviour at all. I would be concerneed that it was rabied. If I were you, I would take some precaution with you next time you go.
I assume you mean like Bay and Cyn do. That ~is~ conditioning, really. Conditioning them to do what's asked of them, which is light trail riding. They're in good healthy shape now, ready to go on a good day's ride, but I wouldn't do two long rides in a row.
I'd seperate what you and Celia are coing from the pleasure riders like me who go out for a few hours on most weekends, and don't ride a lot in between. The job is much different. You condition so that they can go longer than we do. Muscles and heart have to be in good enough condition to do that work without fatigue or strain so that they can keep going the next day, when less-conditioned horses would need rest.
If you see a disconnect between the way Celia does it and the way you do it.... I'd say it's possible you're both right. Horses will do it, and often get away with it as long as they are a young horse with good inate stamina and strength.
You think it's better to have them in better condition going in. Have faith in yourself and your experience. You know you're right on that. I'd hope your conditioning scores would show it, and I can imagine resenting it if there just isn't a discernable enough difference to show in the scores. Their inability to complain to the vet at the checkpoints, and their instinct to hide pain rather than show it, means they will just 'do it'.
Random thoughts...
I believe there is such a thing as 'muscle memory' once a certain level of condition has been achieved, you can decrease exercise and maintain it, with a lesser but regular short work out.
There is also something of benefit to comparing yourself to a marathon runner. They run a several times a week, but short couple-mile runs. They only run the long distance runs at marathon time. If they ran 20 mile runs every workout, they'd blow their knees.
Which brings us to joints. I do think it's not true that conditioning will protect joints. Joints wear out from movement. There is no doubt benefit to the increased blood flow and to the lower leg and foot from regular movement, But every movement is friction on joints, and that can be lessened with supplements and care about pounding on hard surfaces, it can't be eliminated.
Kindof long and rambling.... it's a very complex issue, I think!
That is Celia's philosphy. She did have this horse is good shape when he was young. Now she believes it would just take a week or so to get it back. The difference is she doesn't do the regular short work. She is just riding drag this ride, so she won't have to go "as" fast. But it will be two long days for him.
It is a very complex issue. I just get kind of fanatical right before a ride:).
Oh, and I always wondered how much marathon runners condition. I never knew. I would have thought they had to go out and do at least one long run at least once a week to keep that amount of stamina.
Becky
If it had had rabies wouldn't it have attacked Grizzly? Grizzly didn't even raise the hair on his neck, he never barked at it, or acted like he was going to chase it. I still wonder if it was really a coyote, but Celia swore it was, and it did sound like one.
Becky
Celias horse is about 16 years old. But he has been doing CTR's since he was 4.
One thing, she did loose points almost every ride for sore stuff, sometimes legs, sometimes whiters, back loins. She never agreed that she should have lost those points:) He has also coliced several times at rides. She took the blame for those of feeding him to soon after getting back in from the ride,, so who knows.
Becky
I'm sure there's information out there about marathon runners, but I don't think they do very many long runs. 2J might know, she used to do marathons.
Bay does have a lot of inate stamina.... Even at his age, I've been impressed at his drive and strength to keep going. There is something to the idea that if they've done it in the past, it's easier to get back there than if they've never done it.
For one... I don't get near as sore from riding as ecurbh does, or at least like he did when he was starting out. And in terms of physique, I'd say he's younger and stronger, a little fitter than I am just because he's a guy and not as pudgy as me. But my body's been riding longer, even though it had been a while when he and I started riding alot.
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