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Short digression to post exercise warm down, which is added to "The List".
After post race/breeze galloping out we observe all sorts of procedures out there on the race track. Is there a right and wrong way? Maybe Bill Pressey can be of some help concerning heart rate.
Most jocks have their own post race thing, and I've found it fairly difficult to get a particular jock out of this, even after trainer insistence.
My concern has been with jocks, post gallop-out, that just "stop", intermanably sit there on the horse for 60 sec. or more in sort of a self celebratory motionless ceremony post breeze before they finally go back into a walk. My theory -- at this point the heart and respiration rate are likely still very high, and bringing the horse to an abrupt stop might contribute to EIPH. Why?
I'd think the rapidly beating and huge equine heart creates a lot of capillary pressure. This pressure would presumably be disspated by muscle movement. When the horse is forced to "freeze" by its oblivious jockey, everything stops except the heart and the breathing in a very warm animal. Withouth muscle movement to dissipate blood pressure u have a huge fast beating pump, the heart, forcing blood into a circulatory plumbing limited in diameter.. Possible u'd get some additional capillary burst at this point particularly if there was some bleeding already that resulted from the race.
I thus much prefer (insist) that, post gallop-out, the jocks turn around and trot off instead of stand there motionless. And when they get back to the unsaddling area, I certainly like to get the saddle off and commence walking quickly on the same principles. Winners Circle? Well--we suffer the slings and arrows of just standing there.
The other factor that's important to me is avoiding tying up, charlie horses over small areas. Does this sort of thing occur due to deficient post race warm down? Unknown unless the horse could talk. Would think that muscle cramping and injury over small areas is a possibility. And so, again, I want my jocks to create enough movement to prevent.
I never bought into Ivers concept that you need 1/2 to a mile or two of post race exercise to "bring down the lactic acid levels". And, the interminable post race walk on the walker is nearly ridiculous imo, although I engaged in 20 min walking to buffer the keyed up horse. If u stand there and watch 'em at the walker post race u see immediately when the horse has walked enough. It's 15-20 min. in my experience.
The other part of warm down for me, was the immediate cooling off at the wash rack. Off the race track--straight bee line to the wash rack in hopes of cooling the horse enough to avoid killing gut bacteria. Certain urgency in this, if u've been there.
What is the correct exercise regimen post race/breeze--my thoughts--very little is necessary. Recently read a post from one of those Testosterone Nation fanatics who engages only in "basic" workouts. He included that while it's well and good that some preach extensive warm up and warm down, in his experience all the stretching, foam work (weight lifter term) etc. pre-and post did nothing for him except waste his time. I largely agree with the provisos above.
I have some further experience in that I've watched horses extensively in riderless breezing in the paddock. What is their behavior after extensive hard fast running? They walk for about 30 sec. and then just stand there. Sometimes its a bit more than that, but usually, even after max workouts, they do very little. Which may be instructive.
Warm Down added:
THE LIST:
1. Injury Prevention
2. Athletic conditioning
3. Physical condition
4. Nutrition
5. Exercise schematic (protocol)
6. Warm up--race and exercise
7. Race strategy
8. Rider
9. Trainer
10. Animal husbandry--general horse care.
11.Animal compliance and compliance training
12. Race selection
13. Track conditions.
14. Equipment
15. Shoeing
16. Peer pressure
17. Warm down.
After post race/breeze galloping out we observe all sorts of procedures out there on the race track. Is there a right and wrong way? Maybe Bill Pressey can be of some help concerning heart rate.
Most jocks have their own post race thing, and I've found it fairly difficult to get a particular jock out of this, even after trainer insistence.
My concern has been with jocks, post gallop-out, that just "stop", intermanably sit there on the horse for 60 sec. or more in sort of a self celebratory motionless ceremony post breeze before they finally go back into a walk. My theory -- at this point the heart and respiration rate are likely still very high, and bringing the horse to an abrupt stop might contribute to EIPH. Why?
I'd think the rapidly beating and huge equine heart creates a lot of capillary pressure. This pressure would presumably be disspated by muscle movement. When the horse is forced to "freeze" by its oblivious jockey, everything stops except the heart and the breathing in a very warm animal. Withouth muscle movement to dissipate blood pressure u have a huge fast beating pump, the heart, forcing blood into a circulatory plumbing limited in diameter.. Possible u'd get some additional capillary burst at this point particularly if there was some bleeding already that resulted from the race.
I thus much prefer (insist) that, post gallop-out, the jocks turn around and trot off instead of stand there motionless. And when they get back to the unsaddling area, I certainly like to get the saddle off and commence walking quickly on the same principles. Winners Circle? Well--we suffer the slings and arrows of just standing there.
The other factor that's important to me is avoiding tying up, charlie horses over small areas. Does this sort of thing occur due to deficient post race warm down? Unknown unless the horse could talk. Would think that muscle cramping and injury over small areas is a possibility. And so, again, I want my jocks to create enough movement to prevent.
I never bought into Ivers concept that you need 1/2 to a mile or two of post race exercise to "bring down the lactic acid levels". And, the interminable post race walk on the walker is nearly ridiculous imo, although I engaged in 20 min walking to buffer the keyed up horse. If u stand there and watch 'em at the walker post race u see immediately when the horse has walked enough. It's 15-20 min. in my experience.
The other part of warm down for me, was the immediate cooling off at the wash rack. Off the race track--straight bee line to the wash rack in hopes of cooling the horse enough to avoid killing gut bacteria. Certain urgency in this, if u've been there.
What is the correct exercise regimen post race/breeze--my thoughts--very little is necessary. Recently read a post from one of those Testosterone Nation fanatics who engages only in "basic" workouts. He included that while it's well and good that some preach extensive warm up and warm down, in his experience all the stretching, foam work (weight lifter term) etc. pre-and post did nothing for him except waste his time. I largely agree with the provisos above.
I have some further experience in that I've watched horses extensively in riderless breezing in the paddock. What is their behavior after extensive hard fast running? They walk for about 30 sec. and then just stand there. Sometimes its a bit more than that, but usually, even after max workouts, they do very little. Which may be instructive.
Warm Down added:
THE LIST:
1. Injury Prevention
2. Athletic conditioning
3. Physical condition
4. Nutrition
5. Exercise schematic (protocol)
6. Warm up--race and exercise
7. Race strategy
8. Rider
9. Trainer
10. Animal husbandry--general horse care.
11.Animal compliance and compliance training
12. Race selection
13. Track conditions.
14. Equipment
15. Shoeing
16. Peer pressure
17. Warm down.
posted by rather rapid at
1:36 PM
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1 Comments:
HR will hit a max of 215-240bpm during a breeze, this is maximum aerobic effort, not maximum effort overall as there is an anaerobic component that is difficult to measure.
A fit horse breezing an appropriate distance/speed will show HR of 120bpm within 2min of passing under the wire, and down near 80bpm another 3min later.
Unfit/unsound/poor horses show 150bpm and 120bpm at the same time frames.
The flushing out of lactic acid is best accomplished at HRs of about 60% of max, or around 120bpm - which is found at typically a nice jog pace. 3-5min of this is ideal.
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