Training and Conditioning Endurance Horses - RECORD KEEPING

Record Keeping!
"Attention to detail can mean everything".
By Jo Hamilton-Branigan

One of the secrets to becoming really successful lies in careful record keeping. You need to have access to a good history. It enables you to examine your practices in detail - from horse to horse, from year to year. You can see what works and what does not. It enables each horse to be treated according to its individual peculiarities. It often takes quite some time before the "secrets" of fine tuning an individual athlete become apparent.

Brilliant horses are often like brilliant people - they can be notoriously difficult to train. They don't usually sit well within the confines of the "norm".

Why do you think that small stables often get better results than larger stables filled with "superior" horses? Or why a horse that is brilliantly successful in Australia performs badly in the U.A.E.? The history is either lost or unavailable. Sometimes the secret is understanding the horse.

The first thing that you should consider is keeping a small diary or log for each horse in your care. It really only needs to be an exercise book. Something to just keep all records together. I believe that a copy of the diary should accompany the horse if it is sold, leased or given away.

Advantages
1. Exact times and dates are known for major events
2. Systematic approach to health care -enables regular/planned vaccination, drenching, farriery and veterinary attention (say to teeth).
3. If the horse is to be sold or passed on to someone else its history is recorded and hopefully the horse won't have to suffer ALL the mistakes you have made again.
4. Any major problems are recorded, as well as management necessary to maintain "soundness" i.e. digestive upsets, allergies, feet problems.

Disadvantages
1. Many owners will be reluctant to pass on "secrets"
2. Many won't want to admit to imperfections/faults
3. Your mistakes are there for all to see.

These disadvantages can be overcome of course by preparing a summary from the information in your diary. Health and farriery history is easy to summarise if it is recorded. It is also relatively factual, important information.

Other elements - such as diet or training, might not be so straightforward. For the horse's sake you should include the information which affects his well being. For example, if the horse is prone to "tie up" it is vital for the purchasers to know how you managed the condition, especially if there are complicated dietary and training strategies involved.

Injuries are another area that vendors might not want to readily disclose. However, if you don't disclose them - EVERYONE involved suffers in the end. Firstly the innocent horse, secondly the unhappy buyer and the lastly and perhaps most adversely - the vendor. Many times the vendor's reputation is irrevocably damaged. It is well known that word of mouth can be equally, if not more, damaging once a person's ire is invoked.

The Diary
On the first page of the diary write in the horse's name, breeding, birth date, relevant breed associations/numbers etc, as well as where the horse came from and the breeder if that is known. Then a few pages on the general history of the horse's relatives especially if you know material which isn't recorded. Then general health information - keep a few pages spare to note down date of worming and vaccinations.

Then start a day to day log on what you are doing with your horse, feeding, distances/rides, shoeing, recoveries, illness, medications etc. It is probably best to just rule a few columns down the side for predictable basics, such as date and pre-ride temperature/HR, but leave most of it free so you can essentially keep a diary.

Most importantly, this will enable you to keep an exact records of dates and times and exactly how much work and of what type of work your horse has had to get it to any given level of fitness. As a general rule, in the early seasons things will be much slower than in later seasons.

Injuries are never totally predictable but some of them are preventable. The "history" will enable you to go back through your notes and examine things more closely to see if the training predisposed your horse. It enables you to "see" what is working and what is not working.

Training Log
You may also keep a separate training log. An example of which is given below in Table 1 - slighty modified version of Kerry Ridgway's "Principles of Condition Endurance Horses".

Performance Record
A detailed performance record is also very useful. This is probably best kept separate from the day to day activities. It will enable you to gauge performance criteria quickly and accurately. Weight carried, heart rates, distances, times and average speeds. These can be easily averaged for successive seasons. This type of performance record is probably best achieved on a computer spread-sheet i.e. the Ride Record Template which can be forwarded to those who are interested -
J.Hamilton@mailbox.uq.edu.au
Other thoughts:

Training large stables:
When you have more than a couple of horses in training, record keeping is essential. Successful large stables recognise the importance of detailed records AS WELL AS having a relatively high ratio of staff to horses. A good groom (or endurance rider) will have no more than 3- 4 horses (if you don't work full-time as well). Each horse needs to be catered for on an individual basis. Champion racehorses frequently have a personal groom to monitor their well-being every minute of the day. The thoroughbred "Shuttle Stallions" are good examples of this one on one relationship.

As a buyer:
It is also important as BUYERS that we appreciate the "history" of the horse if it is provided. It often provides clues to the behavioural or management problems before they ever occur. Prevention is always better than cure. As a buyer of a horse I can never find out too much information. It enables you to refine and trouble-shoot your relationship in quick time without the risk of repetitious, time wasting mistakes.

Accurate RECORD KEEPING is an under-estimated training aid. Your horse will only benefit from this type of attention to detail. You would be surprised at what a difference it makes - and how easy your horse/s become to train as the season/s progress.

Training Log Week Beginning…………………………

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