Onward With Bones

Continuing where I'd left it around 4/17 after Preakness, Derby and getting way off track by wet weather.

First a small epiphany on the subject of fracture resistance(FR) had occurred: that speed related concussive pressure might at the cellular level squeeze bone fibrils together and thereby eliminate or reduce the nano spacing between the fibrils. OR possibly exactly the opposite effect, that the forces of speed work pull or force the fibrils apart. And also, that these two opposing processes might occur simultaneously in the same cannon bone depending on variables as location, state of the conditioning, etc.

In terms of bone remodeling or FR this idea fibrils being squeezed or pressed together and staying that way post race, glued or congealed, to form a denser bone might possibly be a key to understanding. I'd strayed onto this considering the role of calcification in FR--calcification is good, as established previously--and that pressure might increase the rate and quality of calcification.

There's more, but, leave it there this post to get back on track and hopefully to finally conclude here the topic of the minimum requirements of speed work for FR. A busy week at the RR ranch, and will try to get this going on Friday.

Training: 14 days of mud concluded last Friday. We trained commencing Saturday for 4 straight days riderless ending Tues. night, and it was progressively harder and faster about 3.5 miles/day in spurts. Very hard but short speed bursts Mon. and Tues, the horses looked good considering the amount of off time since 4/22. Off today after 4 hard days, and, weather willing, tack work resumes on 5/27. The predicted 3 days of rain this week have yet to materialize, knocking on wood.