About the shedrow

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Ma Springs
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About the shedrow

Post by Ma Springs »

I have such a hard time wrapping my head around the shedrow training...

Is it really an exercise that helps with recovery and will not add tiredness? I don't know why but I'm not sure I trust my vet when he says:

"I'd go one more day without exercise, but this horse should be okay tomorrow. Maybe a walk around the shedrow might help?"

:?

I want to race this horse in 36 hours. 8-) Should I use the shedrow or not? When do you use it? Do you know that it works or are you superstitious? :)
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Kent Saunders
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Re: About the shedrow

Post by Kent Saunders »

I have used it most of my Sim career. I use it in between races. 3 days before a race is probably too close IMO. With the advent of First Class shipping it's probably not needed as much as previously. Think of it as in real life. The horse is tired/stressed and it's too soon to get out on the track for real exercise so you walk the shedrow and the horse gets to move around, limber up tired/sore muscles. I used to vet check alot more than now and it definitely made a difference if I was cutting it a little close to race one. If I'm not mistaken another trainer uses it alot (or used to) Laura Ferguson.
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Lily Wilkins
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Re: About the shedrow

Post by Lily Wilkins »

I think there is a great Regina Moore article floating around the Feature Race Database that discusses walking the shedrow. I don't remember which one it is though.
Many trainers like to do it either a week after a horse's last race, or, about three days before their next race. I don't think it contributes to tiredness much, if at all.
In your horse's case though, it might be better just to hold off since the horse is just on the cusp of recovery and will be racing again so soon.
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Nini Panini
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Re: About the shedrow

Post by Nini Panini »

I'm very pro-shedrow. I can say with confidence it doesn't really significantly impact tiredness. I've been walking my horses the day before their races for many SIM years, and they've done well!

This is just from today:


Y59-W10-D7 Vet: Breath On a Mirror is walking soundly. This horse isn't even a little bit tired. (Post-Shedrow)
Y59-W10-D7 Walked the Shedrow
Y59-W10-D7 Vet: I don't see anything going on with Breath On a Mirror's legs right now. It's the perfect time for a race or some other exercise! (Pre-Shedrow)
Last edited by Nini Panini 2 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
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Xander Zone
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Re: About the shedrow

Post by Xander Zone »

I have never really used any of the added training things other then the gallop of yearlings .

That being said I remember a player that has left the game that did things like everyday and his numbers were off the charts
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Re: About the shedrow

Post by LA Pepper »

I used to believe that 'walking the shedrow' would keep a horse that is close to peak in fitness level up to that level longer before sliding down into less fit. And is not enough exercise to make a horse at top energy level more tired. so it keeps a horse more race ready when there are still a few days before its race.
The above all seems reasonable in my head until I read a forum post years ago where someone broke their horse ( put on the injured list) from doing too much walking.
So I still use it but not as much.
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Ma Springs
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Re: About the shedrow

Post by Ma Springs »

Thanks to all responding! Interesing, but still a bit unclear I think...
Lily Wilkins wrote: 2 years ago I think there is a great Regina Moore article floating around the Feature Race Database that discusses walking the shedrow. I don't remember which one it is though.
Many trainers like to do it either a week after a horse's last race, or, about three days before their next race. I don't think it contributes to tiredness much, if at all.
In your horse's case though, it might be better just to hold off since the horse is just on the cusp of recovery and will be racing again so soon.
Yes! I read that series of articles when I was completely new. Invaluable, it’s a must-read...for anyone, lol! I had forgotten about that passage, think I found it here:

https://www.simhorseracing.com/featurer ... leID=12794
WALKING
I have long suspected that the reason my horses break down so infrequently, even when I do occasional things like race back-to-back weeks, is because I regularly walk them between races. (Generally, I walk a week after a race, and also two days before the next race.) I just haven’t been able to prove to myself that walking actually does anything, though the FAQ on training your horse does say “it’s the best exercise you can do for your horse.”

There is a Level 3 vet comment where Dr. Hacklu suggests that a horse be walked. When I’ve gotten that comment with my study horses, sometimes I walked the horse and sometimes I didn’t. In the case of walking, the horse was still at a Level 3 immediately after the walk. In all cases – whether the horse was walked or not – the horse was at a fully rested Level 4 the next day.

So, walking is a very difficult thing to pin down, in terms of exactly how it helps a horse. I do know it’s possible to injure an already-tired horse from walking it. Many years ago, I injured a horse the first day of training after a break, by walking it, when it had just raced Friday of Week 16 the prior game year. Based on a recent Forum thread, another player has had the same unfortunate experience.
So perhaps this is why I’m still a bit puzzled, if even Regina after all that research found it to be ”a very difficult thing to pin down”.

I’ll have to go experiment some...
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Laura Ferguson
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Re: About the shedrow

Post by Laura Ferguson »

I used to have my horses walk the shedrow roughly a day - it was actually more like a day and change - before the race, and eight days after the race. With the advent of first class shipping, the pre-race didn't seem to work as well, so I dropped it, and noticed an improvement in performance. Whether that improvement is coincidental or based on something more factual, I'm not sure, but I've left the post race walk, but haven't gone back to the pre-race.
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