Exercise phys people: do they train horse with same principles as runners?

No, not even close. Horses are much more fragile than humans, they can't do any distance work.

Trainers often make Horses (don't forget their jockeys too!) run quarters. Because of their hooves they must run on a dirt track and because of their heavy coat it is typically done in the moon light. A common workout for them is 4 x( 20 x 400) with about a minute recovery.

Actually horses are much more temperamental and sensitive than humans. One day, after a sluggish workout, I entered the barn and found one of my horses pacing the stall, apparently mulling over the numerous missed splits over and over. I asked him, "What's with the long face?" He promptly whinnied angrily and kicked a hole in the door.

Their training is much easier and lower mileage. Horses are born to run, these horses are specifically bred to run fast, and they can't handle much mileage anyway.

They do use many of the same drugs as humans, though.

Did you cut him from the team?

bluegrass wrote:

Actually horses are much more temperamental and sensitive than humans. One day, after a sluggish workout, I entered the barn and found one of my horses pacing the stall, apparently mulling over the numerous missed splits over and over. I asked him, "What's with the long face?" He promptly whinnied angrily and kicked a hole in the door.

So cheesey, but made me laugh. Good job!

Can't do distance work? That's uh horsesh*t.

There are documented cases of racehorses doing high mileage but in 90% of the cases where people try this it makes little or no difference to the race performance of the horse.

So it's possible but pointless.

Horses don't need no Extenze.

bluegrass wrote:

Actually horses are much more temperamental and sensitive than humans. One day, after a sluggish workout, I entered the barn and found one of my horses pacing the stall, apparently mulling over the numerous missed splits over and over. I asked him, "What's with the long face?" He promptly whinnied angrily and kicked a hole in the door.

Thanks for my "laugh out loud in the office" moment of the day.

haha YO wrote:

they can't do any distance work.

American horses can't do distance work because because they've been kept in cosy stables eating tasty hay and living the sweet life. Here in Kenya, horses run to and from school every day, eating whatever grass is on the side of the road without shoes.

I once saw a horse working out and the first thing that came to mind was "wow, that think is hung like a distance runner."

European horses are trained with more volume than most of the 2 year old's you see run in the triple crown races. and most of a race horse's training is surface specific. These horses are born to race, all you have to do is ring bell and open the gate... they know what to do.

If trainers would get rid of those high heeled horse shoes and move to Vibram Hooves they would get hurt less.

Daily double wrote:

Is horse phys the same as runners?

Differences?

Any crossover stuff?

Horses are not trained at all, a long of dumb stuff is done to them.

Hydrite wrote:

bluegrass wrote:

Actually horses are much more temperamental and sensitive than humans. One day, after a sluggish workout, I entered the barn and found one of my horses pacing the stall, apparently mulling over the numerous missed splits over and over. I asked him, "What's with the long face?" He promptly whinnied angrily and kicked a hole in the door.

So cheesey, but made me laugh. Good job!

I concur!

There's a lot of misinformation above. Just saying. 2 year olds in the Triple Crown? :)

They don't train the same way. Horses (thoroughbreds) are bred to try and get certain characteristics through the genes. Sometimes it passes on and sometimes it doesn't. It's more of a talent thing. Some horses (TB) are good at 5 furlongs, some at 7, some at 1 1/4 miles, some are good at 2 miles.

As for how they train, i'm not qualified to speak on it. It would be nice to have a knowledgeable poster address it on this thread.

I have no idea how horses are trained, but it dawned on me that the times horses run today and not any faster than Secretariat ran. (Watched the movie the other night).

Secretiat set the Belmont record in 1973 with 2:24--that still stands. And the Derby record in the same year.

Preakness is 1:53 from 1985, 1996, 2007 (Secretariat has the unofficial record--clock malfunction)

Junk Master wrote:

If trainers would get rid of those high heeled horse shoes and move to Vibram Hooves they would get hurt less.

I kid you not, this is real:

In short, as has been mentioned, no, they don't train similarly.

I've read in several places that most race horses have basically the same VO2 max, so it's irrelevant to train it.

That leaves speed.