i train my 5 boys with a yamaha breeze with the engine removed and now as temps are dropping i am looking to increase distance. 

to those that train with heavy carts etc over distance, any ideas on this?

basically i am wondering as i cant use my stripped out breeze at rallies, if i want to run my dogs say 10 miles on a rig would say 5-6 miles with the quad be enough to prepare them to be able to cover 10 miles with a rig, given the decrease in weight/drag/work load etc???

I don't see why not, I have done, and I know Forstals were also looking to use one of theirs at an event.

has it got a brushbow/bumper 

no it does not have a brushbow etc etc etc and i am not looking to start an argument about rigs/brushbows again.....

I have only been back training for a month now and getting them out 2/3 times. Once i have done 7 training runs uping the distance by 1/2 mile for another 7 times and so on until there fit. I took them out the other night and i could see they were loping for the mile track. What other methods do you use to get the mileage up? do you make them pull even if its superlow to build up muscle or keep speed up so there use to it (at present iam keeping lines tights and sometimes go slow as i wont help them as i want heavy training) How much weight training do folks do?

Didn't realise that you had started one before

Back on track, depends where you are looking to run your dogs, some allow common sense to prevail, as opposed to nit pickers...............

I like to vary the training with mine to avoid them getting bored or in to fixed habbits.   

ok, perhaps i should have said am not looking to resurrect the tedious brushbrow argument, that some people just will not let go, it is not a factor nor relevant to my question.

has anyone who uses both heavy carts and rigs any thoughts at all??  i know there is a couple of people on here who do train with heavier rigs.

mick??  i know you use my old passenger rig, do you still rig race, any thoughts?? 

peter, i know you have a bewe cart but not sure if you use a lighter rig also??

hi kelly
 yes i still use my light rig for races, yet almost all my training runs with the hounds are done on the passenger rig i got from you often with someone in the seat.
2 reasons for this: 1 the trail surfaces where i train aren't great and if i trained on a light rig i would be plagued by feet problems.
2 the hounds like to run fast so they see a race as the ultimate reward as they can run flat out the whole way instead of where gravity only allows this during training where they can be pulling 37ish stone for 5.5 miles.
 not sure if running 5 mile heavy training would prepare them for say 10 mile as you asked originally personally i think i would like to be training 10 mile if i were to enter a 10 mile race.
 the 3 sibes use the heavy rig for early season training and for the occasional run later in the season
               mick
       
 

hi mick,
so do you train your dogs using the heavy passenger rig + passenger over the same distances you would be racing with the light race rig?
thanks,
kelly

Hi Kelly

I would stick to your 5-6 mile runs with the quad for now. Try and get your dogs to pull as hard and fast as possible on hills so without having an engine, take a wee break at the bottom and then get them to run as far as they can up the hills.

I would switch to your race rig one month before the races, starting at 7-8 miles(hopefully loping all the way) and increasing to the 10 before the race. Train to race. The dogs need to know what pace is required from them in the race, also if they are used to a slower pace with the quad there is a chance of injuries when you let them fly with your race rig.

Ali

thanks ali, thats  a big help,


this is exactly what i have been doing  but over shorter distances at mo.


will defo try this, will give me time to build up my nerve to take 5 out on the rig.  haven't tried it yet as the idea of 5 on a lightweight rig scares me a bit at the mo!    have 2 youngsters who need more training. 
cheers,
kelly

kelly once the dogs are fit i normally train them a little further than most of the sprint distances of the races we enter.
 last season the week before a race i trained on my rig over race distance-ish
 agree with ali on sudden attempt at increase of speed and injuries, the way i train, the dogs still get speed work pulling the passenger rig more so when i use it without a passenger when there is little difference to my rig apart from i feel more in control with the 4 wheeler especially over the rougher sections of the trails i use.
 good luck with your youngsters
         mick

I'd say no to the above question.
Whilst you may have removed the weight element and thus reduced their workload, you're now asking them to run (in your example) twice as far as they've actually been training for. There will be a pick up in speed because you've switched to the rig, but as has been said in a couple of the other replies - train like you race.
If you're looking to run a race team 12 miles, or 18 miles , the advice I have always been given is to ensure that your dogs have run the distance, or pretty damn close, a couple of times.

I pretty much only use my Fritz cart for training - if I want to go faster, I add more dogs, if I want them working harder, more weight.
I used it at a couple of NSDSC races too.

Hi Kelly,
Have you got the Speed mushing manual, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speed-Mushing-Manual-Train-Racing/dp/0962364304/ref=sr_1_1/026-9194285-7915666?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224011929&sr=8-1
If not it's a good read, loads of detail on types of training( conditioning), distances etc.
Steven