Re: ROTW (665 Views)
Posted by:
TGJB (IP Logged)
Date: June 04, 2006 01:47PM
Miff--
1-- I did NOT say they ONLY break down after big efforts.
2-- Again-- I believe that big efforts cause physical discomfort (like that you feel the next day if you play ball after not doing so for a while, or exercise more than usual), and a horse will change his mechanics slightly to get off something that doesn't feel good. When you are dealing with something this big moving this fast and landing on an area this small, the impact is huge (there have been studies that show the pounds per square inch is something truly crazy), and anything less than optimum mechanics can cause real trouble. Again, my analogy is to a pitcher adjusting his delivery because something hurts, and blowing his arm out (Zambrano recently comes to mind).
This, by the way, is why trainers don't want to buy horses with bad stride mechanics-- they are more susceptible to injury.
Incidentally, when you see a horse miss a race because of a hoof bruise, check out how often it is coming off a big effort. Same theory.
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