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Staffy Power Racing
Staffy Power Racing was invented by Craig Ralton in 1991. It underwent a re-design in 2008 to the more professiojnal set-up you see nowadays.
Any able bodied staffy can take part in Satffy Power Racing, all you need is the following gear:
-Mountain Board / Kite Board
-Full strong but comfotable harness
-Extra length lead (limited stretch lead or similar to reduce launch shock)
A bull in it's prime will easily pull a 100KG load to a burst sprint speed of 35km per hour but will generally (if fit) settle at 10-15Kmph over long distance.
In comparison, a Bull Stafford running free on a Greyhound track will reach a burst sprint speed of just over 50kph which is 10kph faster than an Italian Greyhound but incidentally 10kph slower than a Greyhound.
However, a fit stafford will only keep this speed up for a max range of around 100 meters. A fit bull will maintain around 30Kph for the next 200 to 400 mters max then maintain 15-20k until it overheats. NB: Never make your stafford run to chase for more than 2Km.
Other than this, a fit stafford that is allowed regular cold water plunges or dives is safe to run, even while pulling a load, for hours.
Rumble's largest tested weight pull was 2 adults and 1 child (on boards & blades) totalling225KG in the summer of 2009 on Oriental Parade, Wellington, New Zealand. Not bad for a dog weighing just 19KG.
The most important factor in any weight pulling or staffy power racing, just as with high horsepower car racing, is to ensure you warm up the power-train before using to prevent injury.
Once your staffy is warmed up & stretched he/she should be able to use their full power without risking muscle, tendon or ligament damage.
A balance diet with Glucosamine & Chondroitin will help maintain joints.
Remember, due to the muscle to weight ratio, staffies produce a greater amount of heat than any other breed so on competition days, especially in a hot climate, they must be allowed a pluge pool, river or ocean to cool off as you can risk depleting oxygen supply to the brain through heat expansion which will restrict blood flow in the arteries etc delivering oxygen to the brain.
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