Detraining Finale

A $4200 Keenland Fall Breeding Stock sale reject at left named Hilda's Passion out of Canadian Frontier wins her 4th stake in a row and sets the 7F track record at Gulfstream, trained by Todd Plecher no less. We're all for success by cheap horses. This one though, a bit of a head scratcher. How does a put together weanling as Hilda must have been get no bid at $4200.00? Few buyers, cheap stallion, lost in the shuffle, probably. The speedy Gone West, Seattle Slew, Saddlers Wells, all in that pedigree. They missed the El Prado broodmare sire probably. Congrats to connections.

We digress. Back to the business of detraining. The final Q I'll pose is after we do the speed work what is the detraining effect of avoiding speed work over time?

In terms of muscles and soft tissue I fret and worry about layoffs of any length. If I've breezed 6f on Sunday how ridiculous is it conceptually in terms of muscle tissue, and the physiology of muscle tissue to then do zero speed work for six straight days and ask the horse to do another 6f the following Sunday. What are the chances in that scenario that the horse will pull something, tear something, and yet, this is the sort of pattern or worse that our trainers use. Try for yourself to run all out for a minute 12 today and then trot a couple of minutes a day for 6 days and do it again, and note the effect. It wouldn't be fatal probably, but we pose the questions: is it optimal? Is it smart?

Probably with soft tissue to safely do speed work we need to keep them tight and strong. Based on my experience, some speed work---short spurts will do--every 3 days per Preston Burch does that. I am still unsure I'd do a mile every three days these old timers did with some horses, but will get back to that later.

As to the bones, it's a difference scene altogether. Assuming we have an FR horse to begin with the Q seems to be, how long does the built up structure last through layoffs.

The blog has already advocated that speed work every 7 days is the absolute minimum for getting FR in the first place and maintaining it thereafter. However, what happens to the FR cannon bone subjected to longer layoffs?

My short answer is an unknown in terms of science--we're without any research, but I think it's possible to make a very sound educated guess here.

First note that the danger in layoffs and FR obviously is other than any one miss of a workout in the training cycle or even two or three. Once the FR processes have fully clicked in, the fibrils are aligned, the bone glue proteins filling up all the empty spaces etc.--all those FR processes at the bottom of last post--when they are engaged the FR bone will last a while.

How do we calculate the time frame that FR will last. The answer seems fairly simple to discern. The FR processes as they were developed over the course of the blog mostly involve the bone version of tightening against force. It's a reaction process of bone to concussion much as muscles tighten resisting force exerted on them by tendons and ligaments. The bone tissue girds itself against force and immediately post race commences the process of relaxation to its pre-race condition.

However, bone, unlike muscle, due to the nature of the material is going to uncork or relax at such a slow rate that full relaxation or reversion to non-FR condition is going to take a good long while.

I am supposing there is a mathematically calculatable effect with each missed workout. Such and such a % e.g. of lattice compaction has reduced, or bone glue proteins have withdraw "x" amount of distance from the outer spaces, or the "adherence" materials that causes FR fibrils to stick together has lost a few molecules of this or that.

In deciding the precise amount of time we have within the parameter of "safety" for the bones there seem two possibilities:
1. Something e.g. injury has happened and the horse lays off for e.g. 2 months. Were would the FR bones be at that point, and
2. The horse is fine, but, Todd Plecher style we lay off from the every 7 day processes seemingly (for Plecher) whenever we have an excuse to do so. These are the Kiaren McGlaughlin "
why do more when less will do" type trainers.

In #2 above, assuming these types ever achieve FR in the first place, probably what happens is there is a weakening over time. Who knows how much time. Depends on total amount of workouts missed. Here is the way I gage it: if these sorts keep missing workouts over a two month period the FR threshhold will have reduced below race appropriate levels.

And, we see this all the time--trainers prepare their young horses in competent fashion, probably get close to getting FR, and then, just as soon as the racing begins they more or less just quit the speed workouts. The horse lasts two or three months, and then, boom. That is the typical conventional trainer and the explanation for the fracture, I think, is above.

For longer layoffs I am pretty sure over a six months period of layoff the horse will no longer have any FR bones. The Qs--what about 5 month layoff, 4 months, 3. At what point exactly do we start to worry about FR and length of layoff.

My thought process: After a 30 day layoff I'd have some concerns. Probably even the longest lasting process, which would be fibril alignment in optimal directions, would have begun to fray. You may still have full FR bone after a 30 day layoff, but, I'd think it would be well on the way to non FR sometime within 3 months of the last speed work. Will FR last two months from the last speed work. Without writing a book, I'd think the FR threshhold would be around two months--i.e. after a 2 month layoff the horse dips just below the threshold--i.e. if we recommence at that point getting back would be a lot easier.

I suspect after a 2 month layoff the FR quality of bone starts a geometric regression--i.e. the degradation process is slow at first and then accelerates as you get farther and farther from the last speed work. I believe all FR effect from the FR processes would have disappeared in 6 months and probably sooner. Probably around 4 months.

And, let us remember also we have the osteoblast/clast bone resorption and reconstruction going on at the rate of 4% of bone cells a month. By 6 months out 25% of the bone will be completely new bone unaffected by any workout and calcified according to the age of the horse.

Training:
Thurs. 3/17: some short very fast riderless bursts + 3 times trot gallop up and down hill
Fri. 3/18: Off
Sat. 3/19 Off: No excuse for this one. Horrible day weather wise. truth is the trainer bailed out this day.