Role Of Calcification

If it just sits there, bone, as any other material, progresses by its chemical/physical/atomic characteristics. By e.g. studying paleontology and history of the earth and the environmental cataclysms that result, we get full appreciation of materials changing over time without external stimulus and due mostly to planetary chemistry and physics now being accelerated beyond belief by human intervention.

Similarly, if the image above left represents bone, and this just sits there over time inactive, might we think the blue connective dots holding up the lattice would deteriorate or strengthen as surface receptors attract calcium and thicken the nodules. The point is that even absent external stimulus, something is going to happen, i.e. physics and chemistry will change the bone lattice over time, as most old geezers as yours truly can relate.

If we add to this huge concussive forces in taking the horse at speed we may presume numerous additional "changes". Unnecessary to know exactly what these involve. You may read my copious speculations over the last two years of this blog. The point is something is going to happen as the horse motors down the race track, and, by my reckoning, post race what happens will start of process of undoing itself and restoring itself to the pre-race state.

Last post on this speculated the time length of "bounce back" of some of these processes, concluded that complete bounce back occurs in day 3 through day 8, post race, considered various factors, and questioned whether there is anything else that needs to be considered.

I have "considered" what else needs to be taken into account. The thing or process that has been omitted from the discussion and continues to nag is the on-going process of calcification resulting from interaction of the osteoblasts/clasts. Normal thinking about "bone remodeling" probably refers exactly to this process of calcification. The general theory would be that exercised bone undergoes a process of destruction/reconstruction whereby additional calcium is layed down and bone thereby becomes denser and stronger.

Based on my exam of this, I believe there is much more involved than the simplistic calcification idea of remodeling. While certainly over time exercise will stimulate the calcification process, increase the total volume of calcium salts within bone tissue, and hence cause increased density, I am unable to pin point the time frames involved, and this makes me a little uncomfortable in reaching final conclusions involving necessary frequency of speed work for FR.

About all that I am able to come up with in terms of the calcification process is that there is that it is possible to do to much or too frequent speed work since horse exercise also involves damage to individual bone cells. You must be careful to avoid exceeding the point where bone is able to repair over time these little pockets of destruction. And, that it is possible to do too little speed work in terms that the stimulus to calcify is insufficient to activate the processes necessary for FR. Probably there is an "optimal" formula of exercise where building up and tearing down of bone at the nano level operates. Where this optimal point is involves total guess work. I'm unable to reach a conclusion except as follows.

My thinking is that the calcification process is a longer term process than the very short--matter of days--other processes that I believe are involved in bone remodeling. Prior posts have referred to the lengthy process of bone repair--i.e. complete recalcification of injured fractured areas taking 60-90 days to complete repair. Prior posts have speculated that repair of damaged areas--and by extrapolation increased calcification in healthy areas--would take a minimum of 30 days and probably a little longer to complete their work.

Due to the length of the calcification process, as I am interpreting, I am only able to take a wild guess at what optimal speed work spacing involves for sort of calcification that will build up and remodel the bone to FR. I'll take a stab at that next post.

Training:

Tues: 7/20: 10th rain day of the month. Off.

Wed. 7/21: Second rain of the day commences right when we start training. Horses go riderless in 2f spurts for about 10 min with complete rest between. Nob declines to ride in the mess.