A while back there was discussion on whether or not it was okay to cool a horse with ice water. I remembered Dr.Nancy Loving saying something about that, but it took me this long to dig it up. Some folks thought that since studies are showing no adverse effects in using ice water to cool event horses, that it is probably okay to use ice water to cool distance horses. I thought this might shed some light on the subject.
This is from Trail Blazer, July/Aug 95. BEATING THE HEAT, by Nancy Loving, DVM:
One of the big problems presented by a hot and humid climate is that often the water temperature is very close to the air temperature. In an insufferable hot climate, keep in mind that if the water has been sitting around a long time in a bucket, you may have to add ice to cool it to a potentially useful temperature before sponging the horse. The addition of ice cubes or frozen plastic water bottles ("Bullets") to buckets of water will achieve some temperature differentiation to improve conduction and evaporative cooling. This does not mean you should pour ice water on your horse. Please note that using ice water on a long-distance horse is a poor idea in any situation, even in heat and humidity. If water applied to a horses skin is TOO cold, then the superficial blood vessels will reflexively constrict and pull away from the skins surface. Instead of continuing to release heat, the blood vessels suck back into the deeper confines of the muscles. The result is a rise in muscle and body temperature quite the opposite of the effect you were trying to accomplish. And worse, muscles may stiffen or cramp in response. Heart rate will remain elevated due to high body temperature and/or muscle cramping. This will certainly not help you get through a vet check in good speed.
(Presently studies are underway on the use of ice water to cool event horses. The work effort of event horses involves both aerobic and anerobic exercise. Ideally, an endurance horse works primarily in the aerobic range, and at relatively slower speeds than a galloping and jumping event horse. The differences in exercise intensity between the two sports may make it difficult to draw correlations from up-coming research. Be cautious in extrapolating from the ice water data that is directed towards the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.)
Karen
Thursday, January 01, 1998
Gusto's Rescue - Heidi Smith DVM
Ten days ago, a post appeared on ridecamp (the endurance list) from someone named Michelle Eddy (someone I don`t even know) forwarding the plight of an Arabian stallion in a feedlot in California awaiting slaughter. Imagine my shock and horror when I scrolled down and discovered that the horse in question was Aya Gusto, a wonderful colt that I was responsible for breeding, that I had foaled out, and who I had no idea was in danger of being sold into such dire straits!
Gusto`s story began long before his conception. I was trying to gather a group of good mares to breed to the stallion Argonaut, who came to central Oregon at a very advanced age, hence was not likely to be around for a lot of years. I contacted a very good friend of mine in southern California who had a group of mares he was willinig to lease to me, including Gusto`s dam Aya Augusta (Aurab x Tueyma). This mare was particularly special to me for several reasons, one being that she was the daughter of the only full sister to my foundation stallion Surrabu, and one being that she was one of the kindest, nicest mares I have ever had the privilege to know. She had been through a rough life--she had suffered founder from a retained placenta, and then had been mistakenly confined, with the thought that she would do herself more damage if she were free to exercise.
Consequently, when she came here, she was a bit on the unlovely side, with poor muscle tone, underweight, and in dire need of foot care. Still, the hand that life had dealt her did not alter the fact that she was an absolutely lovely mare in her day, nor did it change the quality of her genetics. Augusta also had some problems producing Gusto; because of her age she suffered from a condition called uterine insufficiency, and Gusto was born with badly contracted tendons. He also nearly did not get born; his nose hooked on his mother`s pelvic brim during delivery, and I was fortunate to be able to grab hold of it and get it pointed out before contractions drove his head further down and out of reach. He spent two days in leg braces before he could stand on his own, and one of the braces slipped off of its padding briefly and cut his foot, leaving a scar on his coronet band. Still, he was a dandy colt, and a real sweetie--I felt fortunate to have produced him and to have gotten him up and going, and he never seemed to look back once he got through his immediate troubles at birth.
Four of the mares from this lease had foals by Argonaut; as part of the lease, I was able to keep two, and two returned to the owner of the mares in southern California. Gusto was one of the two who went back. Both his owner and I agreed that he was stallion quality, and I expected to be able to breed to him at some point on down the road. I was startled when his owner sold him as a three-year-old to a woman in Escondido--I had seen him a few times and he was growing up nicely. The owner was trying to regroup his program somewhat, though, and felt secure that the colt had gone to a good home. That was the last I had heard of Gusto until I saw the horrible post on ridecamp.
Needless to say, the keyboard started humming here! I contacted Gail Garrett (whose post Michelle had forwarded) and was eventually routed to RoseAnn Nemes of Arabian Horse Rescue Network. It has been a real privilege to work with RoseAnn over the past ten days to get Gusto rescued, and I have come to admire her hard work and professionalism. Normally, it is RoseAnn`s policy to geld stallions that she rescues, which I applaud. (Lord knows there are plenty of good geldings out there masquerading as stallions!) However, RoseAnn was impressed with Gusto and really did her homework checking into his background. She found folks that I have never heard of (as well as several who I know) who told her that Gusto`s CMK lines were being preserved by many of us, and not to be in a big hurry to geld this boy if she could place him in the right hands. I will be eternally grateful to those folks for their advice to her. I was also impressed at how carefully RoseAnn checks out her adoptive homes. If you are not already acquainted with what this lady does, check her out at her web site (www.ahrn.org). She works on a pretty tight budget, and can always use donations.
To make a long story short, I just returned home from a 2000-mile round trip to bring Gusto home for good. He is a bit thin and has a case of ringworm around one eye, but otherwise does not seem too much the worse for wear. (I found out during my various e-mail and telephone conversations that his odyssey started approximately two months ago when he went through a sale in Pomona; he later went through another sale in Bakersfield before ending up at the lot where RoseAnn was eventually able to rescue him.) He is friendly and was definitely looking for a person; about the third time I climbed up on the fender well to check on him, I started to see "ears" and recognition, beginning to hope that perhaps I would be a permanent fixture that he could depend on. He is a gentleman, hauled well, ate and drank well in the trailer, and is at this moment chowing down in my isolation paddock. (RoseAnn forewarned me that the feedlot where he was is notorious for strangles, so he will stay isolated until he is past the incubation period--we will all keep our fingers crossed, but he seems healthy other than his ringworm.) He even seemed grateful for the attention when I stopped at a drug store on the way home for a tube of miconazole to start treating the ringworm--must have felt good having it applied!
I owe a debt of gratitude to Michelle and Gail, who I have never met but whose posts brought Gusto`s plight to my attention, as well as to RoseAnn for helping me get this wonderful horse back where he belongs.
Heidi Smith, DVM--Sagehill Arabians (Oregon)
Gusto`s story began long before his conception. I was trying to gather a group of good mares to breed to the stallion Argonaut, who came to central Oregon at a very advanced age, hence was not likely to be around for a lot of years. I contacted a very good friend of mine in southern California who had a group of mares he was willinig to lease to me, including Gusto`s dam Aya Augusta (Aurab x Tueyma). This mare was particularly special to me for several reasons, one being that she was the daughter of the only full sister to my foundation stallion Surrabu, and one being that she was one of the kindest, nicest mares I have ever had the privilege to know. She had been through a rough life--she had suffered founder from a retained placenta, and then had been mistakenly confined, with the thought that she would do herself more damage if she were free to exercise.
Consequently, when she came here, she was a bit on the unlovely side, with poor muscle tone, underweight, and in dire need of foot care. Still, the hand that life had dealt her did not alter the fact that she was an absolutely lovely mare in her day, nor did it change the quality of her genetics. Augusta also had some problems producing Gusto; because of her age she suffered from a condition called uterine insufficiency, and Gusto was born with badly contracted tendons. He also nearly did not get born; his nose hooked on his mother`s pelvic brim during delivery, and I was fortunate to be able to grab hold of it and get it pointed out before contractions drove his head further down and out of reach. He spent two days in leg braces before he could stand on his own, and one of the braces slipped off of its padding briefly and cut his foot, leaving a scar on his coronet band. Still, he was a dandy colt, and a real sweetie--I felt fortunate to have produced him and to have gotten him up and going, and he never seemed to look back once he got through his immediate troubles at birth.
Four of the mares from this lease had foals by Argonaut; as part of the lease, I was able to keep two, and two returned to the owner of the mares in southern California. Gusto was one of the two who went back. Both his owner and I agreed that he was stallion quality, and I expected to be able to breed to him at some point on down the road. I was startled when his owner sold him as a three-year-old to a woman in Escondido--I had seen him a few times and he was growing up nicely. The owner was trying to regroup his program somewhat, though, and felt secure that the colt had gone to a good home. That was the last I had heard of Gusto until I saw the horrible post on ridecamp.
Needless to say, the keyboard started humming here! I contacted Gail Garrett (whose post Michelle had forwarded) and was eventually routed to RoseAnn Nemes of Arabian Horse Rescue Network. It has been a real privilege to work with RoseAnn over the past ten days to get Gusto rescued, and I have come to admire her hard work and professionalism. Normally, it is RoseAnn`s policy to geld stallions that she rescues, which I applaud. (Lord knows there are plenty of good geldings out there masquerading as stallions!) However, RoseAnn was impressed with Gusto and really did her homework checking into his background. She found folks that I have never heard of (as well as several who I know) who told her that Gusto`s CMK lines were being preserved by many of us, and not to be in a big hurry to geld this boy if she could place him in the right hands. I will be eternally grateful to those folks for their advice to her. I was also impressed at how carefully RoseAnn checks out her adoptive homes. If you are not already acquainted with what this lady does, check her out at her web site (www.ahrn.org). She works on a pretty tight budget, and can always use donations.
To make a long story short, I just returned home from a 2000-mile round trip to bring Gusto home for good. He is a bit thin and has a case of ringworm around one eye, but otherwise does not seem too much the worse for wear. (I found out during my various e-mail and telephone conversations that his odyssey started approximately two months ago when he went through a sale in Pomona; he later went through another sale in Bakersfield before ending up at the lot where RoseAnn was eventually able to rescue him.) He is friendly and was definitely looking for a person; about the third time I climbed up on the fender well to check on him, I started to see "ears" and recognition, beginning to hope that perhaps I would be a permanent fixture that he could depend on. He is a gentleman, hauled well, ate and drank well in the trailer, and is at this moment chowing down in my isolation paddock. (RoseAnn forewarned me that the feedlot where he was is notorious for strangles, so he will stay isolated until he is past the incubation period--we will all keep our fingers crossed, but he seems healthy other than his ringworm.) He even seemed grateful for the attention when I stopped at a drug store on the way home for a tube of miconazole to start treating the ringworm--must have felt good having it applied!
I owe a debt of gratitude to Michelle and Gail, who I have never met but whose posts brought Gusto`s plight to my attention, as well as to RoseAnn for helping me get this wonderful horse back where he belongs.
Heidi Smith, DVM--Sagehill Arabians (Oregon)
100 Mile Rides
The following questions were asked, and various responses from riders were given.
Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?
NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.
Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?
Do you tail?, and why?
What does it take to make that leap, or is it just a bigggg step?
In response to Roger`s questions:
Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?
I mostly post but sometimes stand in the stirrups. When standing (2 point) I try to relax my hip joints and allow them to absorb the up and down motion of the horse. This is a centered riding technique. Sometimes I`m successfull at doing it but when fatigued I unfortunately can be all over the place. I don`t sit the trot in an endurance ride. Sometimes when fatigue is setting in, I get off and walk or jog to try to loosen up and use other muscles.
NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.
One of the comments that Donna Snyder-Smith has had about this is when you are slightly up and out of the saddle you have all of your weight in the stirrups. Therefore your weight is all on the stirrup bars, two small spots on the saddle.
Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?
Sort of, but not intentionally. By the end of a 100 miler I`m usually beat. I`ve only completed three but they weren`t very easy and I was very tired at the end. I`m sure that my riding by that time is pretty sloppy. Ideally I would like to be riding as balanced at the end of a ride as I was at the beginning (wouldn`t we all?).
Do you tail?, and why?
I have done some tailing but one reason I haven`t done a lot is my own physical condition. When I did Tevis in 1993, I was only off the horse on downhills. With the heat, terrain, distance, and time on the trail (4:00 am finish), I knew that Warpaint could handle the trail better than I could. If I had tried to tail up some of those canyons I don`t think I would have finished the ride. As it was, I was throwing up from Francisco`s on in and was able to make it because I didn`t have a headache along with my sick stomach. (I can tolerate a lot, but that combo would have done me in). I am planning on doing a lot more tailing in the future and have been working on my own physical fitness to achieve this. I believe it has to be easier on the horse to not deal with the extra weight and imbalances of a rider.
What does it take to make that leap, or is it just a bigggg step?
I don`t know why I want to do 100s. When I`m out there I think I`m nuts. When I`m done and my horse is looking good, I feel like we`ve really accomplished something (I don`t know if Warpaint cares but I do know he likes to go). One thing I find in myself that it takes to do 100s is an attitude about finishing. I don`t quit. If there is a problem with the horse I don`t have any problem stopping, but if I`m tired of riding or just plain sleepy I ignore it. I think "I didn`t come this far and invest this much effort to give up now". The first 100 I did at Mt. Diablo in Ca., I was the last rider to finish. I spent the last 20 miles in the dark (overcast, no moonlight), wondering why I wanted to do this, thinking no way did I want to try Tevis and throwing up my Chinese food dinner that I had wanted so badly at the last vet check. But as crappy as I felt, there was no way I would have quit because then I would had suffered for nothing. When I finally finished at 1:00 am (with the drag truck practically pushing me down the trail), I told the vets that if they didn`t give us a completion, I was real sorry but I`d have to kill them. The horse looked great. In our team, I am the weak link (I`m trying to fix this). If you are going to take that leap, I would suggest finding a fairly easy 100 and someone to ride with. Riding with someone through the night makes a big difference. Take care of yourself (hydration, food, etc) as well as you take care of your horse. If you are interested you should at least try it once!
Judy Long
Hayward, California
Roger -
My first hundred was wonderful!! You should try it!! At about 80 miles the vet asked how things were going and I replied, "Great, this is so much fun!" and with a twinkle in his eye he mumbled "As if you had good sense..." Doing a 100-miler is all in the attitude (and of course the conditioned horse...but we`re just talking the rider`s mentality here). I ride from one check to the next, never thinking about how far the entire ride is. Focus may be a good word. Focus on the now and what you can do to help your horse and yourself every step of the way. I get so focused it is all over before I know it! (Except it was hard to focus at 11 pm when my batteries went dead on my headlamp! It was a bit spooky out there, as a matter of fact. Sure glad my friend`s light worked!)
I ride mostly 2-point, occassionaly post for a little variety. I practice centered riding and loose in the joints, hips, knees, ankles to help absorb the shock rather than pounding on the horse`s back. Donna Snyder-Smith is fabulous at getting lessons across and has helped me tremendously.
Tailing wakes up your own muscles - you know how they can become numb and stiff. Tailing is rewarding - especially after you manage to struggle back up on your horse after a long haul up a hill.
If my horse needs to walk (because of terrain or to rest a little) I get off and walk. It helps me stay alert. It rejuvenants the rider`s body.
GenieSS
Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?
I post at the trot most of the time. It seems easier on me and the horse. Standing in the stirrups cuts off the circulation to the bottom of your feet. Depending on what type of saddle you ride, standing in the stirrups puts more pressure behind the wither area where your stirrup leathers attach. I certainly don`t sit the trot, not on my horse.
NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.
At the walk I do sit the horse. Years ago (I have been at this since 1972) everyone was taught to stand (slightly) at the walk, trot or canter. I do find that I am very uncomfortable standing all of the time, not to mention I don`t think it is good for the horse. You are rigid and not going with the horse`s motion (at walk). You can be "light in the saddle" without standing or being slightly out of the saddle. The more we learn, the better riders we become.
Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?
I do not change my riding style during a 100 miler. I have ridden and completed the Tevis four times and the Nevada All State once. I sure learned as I went. Plenty of fluids, electrolytes, water and good nourishment along the way. I ride the hundreds the same way I ride NATRC. On the Tevis your ATTITUDE is very important. It is more of a mental ride than anything. I look forward to this ride every year (six more times, then we will re-evaluate). The scenery is beautiful. I have met some wonderful people on the trail. I actually prefer to ride alone, just me and my horse. We have a great time together, even in the dark. Preriding the last ten or fifteen miles is helpful. As the day comes to an end, when the horse realizes where he/she is, they will pick up more momentum. They know home isn`t far away. I do ride the whole way, only getting off to stretch my legs occasionally. Also a good crew is essential. I have had the crew from hell, but we survived in spite of them. And I have the best crew. That makes it a joy to come into a stop knowing everyone knows what to do.
Do you tail?, and why?
I don`t tail. Probably because I am not in shape to walk up those hills (to Devil`s Thumb/American River Canyon) on the Tevis. I am inclined to think that you would lose a few IQ points. Tailing does save the horse, but you have to be in shape to do it. You don`t do the horse any good if you are wiped out after tailing.
What does it take to make that leap, or is it just a bigggg step?
I rode CP NATRC on this horse for the first year, then open for a year, then some 50s and then Tevis (100 miler). Just ride it like you do an Open NATRC ride and you will do fine.
If you need further info, e-mail me at sleeeker@garlic.com
Actually, I did the Big Creek 70 and a two day hundred before I tried a 1 day 100. It would be a good way to go. A 70 or 75 would give you some experience riding at night (depending on your speed) and an idea of how you and your horse would do. It would also make it a smaller leap! A 2 day 100 isn`t quite as close to the experience of a 1 day 100 as a 70 is but it is a good test of what you and your horse can do.
I think the Big Creek is currently scheduled for the middle of May. It is a tough ride when the weather is cool. I guess last year it was moved to June and had some terribly hot weather and a variety of disasters. Hopefully the weather will be good this year.
Judy Long
Hayward, California
Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?
All the above. But we actally don`t trot that much and Misty`s trot is so smooth I usuall just sit. As one poster pointed out earlier, I don`t really stand I come up slightly out of the saddle and rest on the endside of my thights with little weight in the stirrups. At the gallop I move with the horse or sit depending on the speed.
As far as tailing - only if Misty is tired and needs the break. I pretty much play that by the HRM. At the Big South Fork last Oct I tailed up the hill into the third vet check at 42 miles. We had just gallop most of the last 10 miles so I thought she needed the rest - should have looked at the monitor first. We got to the plateau on the climb and I wanted to get back on. Now getting on a 16-2 horse is always a treat, but one that wants to "get on with it" so she can cover ground is not my idea of a good time. So we spent about 10 minutes of her wanting to go and me wanting her to stand still so I could get on. Alas, after 10 minutes I just gave up and did my best "cowboy flying mount" and we were off again.
Truman
Tailing--only if the hill is really, really, really steep or really steep and really, really long. (The key here is 3 really`s, and keep in mind I ride in Colorado and Wyoming). If it`s not a hill that`s going to plumb tucker your horse out, you`ll have a hard time getting back on at the top. If you`re a featherweight rider you shouldn`t bother getting off on the uphill. I get off much more often on the downhill than on the uphill.
Standing--I think is a no-no. I define standing as putting all your weight in the stirups. However, a balanced two-point, with your center over and not forward of the horse`s center and your weight distributed from thigh through calf is good on the uphill. Not on the flat.
Posting--Most definately--if you do it right. Keep your calf on, stay centered and balanced and don`t use the stirups as weight bearing objects.
Linda Van Ceylon
lvanceylon@vines.colostate.edu
phone: 970-226-1099
Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?
I tend to post the big trots, stand the rough ground trots and sit the easy trots.
NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.
I still get up and out on really steep up and rough terrain. I don`t feel good staying down but I`m not completely out of the saddle either.
Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?
Haven`t done one so I don`t know. The longest I`ve done is a 2 day 100+ mile ride in NATRC. (years ago before the distances changed.) I rode the same way both days.
Oogie McGuire - oogiem@dsrtweyr.com
Weyr Associates - Multimedia and Web Authoring Services & Consulting
Desert Weyr - CMK Arabian horses & saddle mules for endurance and show
http://www.dsrtweyr.com/~desertweyr/
Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?
NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.
Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?
Do you tail?, and why?
What does it take to make that leap, or is it just a bigggg step?
In response to Roger`s questions:
Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?
I mostly post but sometimes stand in the stirrups. When standing (2 point) I try to relax my hip joints and allow them to absorb the up and down motion of the horse. This is a centered riding technique. Sometimes I`m successfull at doing it but when fatigued I unfortunately can be all over the place. I don`t sit the trot in an endurance ride. Sometimes when fatigue is setting in, I get off and walk or jog to try to loosen up and use other muscles.
NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.
One of the comments that Donna Snyder-Smith has had about this is when you are slightly up and out of the saddle you have all of your weight in the stirrups. Therefore your weight is all on the stirrup bars, two small spots on the saddle.
Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?
Sort of, but not intentionally. By the end of a 100 miler I`m usually beat. I`ve only completed three but they weren`t very easy and I was very tired at the end. I`m sure that my riding by that time is pretty sloppy. Ideally I would like to be riding as balanced at the end of a ride as I was at the beginning (wouldn`t we all?).
Do you tail?, and why?
I have done some tailing but one reason I haven`t done a lot is my own physical condition. When I did Tevis in 1993, I was only off the horse on downhills. With the heat, terrain, distance, and time on the trail (4:00 am finish), I knew that Warpaint could handle the trail better than I could. If I had tried to tail up some of those canyons I don`t think I would have finished the ride. As it was, I was throwing up from Francisco`s on in and was able to make it because I didn`t have a headache along with my sick stomach. (I can tolerate a lot, but that combo would have done me in). I am planning on doing a lot more tailing in the future and have been working on my own physical fitness to achieve this. I believe it has to be easier on the horse to not deal with the extra weight and imbalances of a rider.
What does it take to make that leap, or is it just a bigggg step?
I don`t know why I want to do 100s. When I`m out there I think I`m nuts. When I`m done and my horse is looking good, I feel like we`ve really accomplished something (I don`t know if Warpaint cares but I do know he likes to go). One thing I find in myself that it takes to do 100s is an attitude about finishing. I don`t quit. If there is a problem with the horse I don`t have any problem stopping, but if I`m tired of riding or just plain sleepy I ignore it. I think "I didn`t come this far and invest this much effort to give up now". The first 100 I did at Mt. Diablo in Ca., I was the last rider to finish. I spent the last 20 miles in the dark (overcast, no moonlight), wondering why I wanted to do this, thinking no way did I want to try Tevis and throwing up my Chinese food dinner that I had wanted so badly at the last vet check. But as crappy as I felt, there was no way I would have quit because then I would had suffered for nothing. When I finally finished at 1:00 am (with the drag truck practically pushing me down the trail), I told the vets that if they didn`t give us a completion, I was real sorry but I`d have to kill them. The horse looked great. In our team, I am the weak link (I`m trying to fix this). If you are going to take that leap, I would suggest finding a fairly easy 100 and someone to ride with. Riding with someone through the night makes a big difference. Take care of yourself (hydration, food, etc) as well as you take care of your horse. If you are interested you should at least try it once!
Judy Long
Hayward, California
Roger -
My first hundred was wonderful!! You should try it!! At about 80 miles the vet asked how things were going and I replied, "Great, this is so much fun!" and with a twinkle in his eye he mumbled "As if you had good sense..." Doing a 100-miler is all in the attitude (and of course the conditioned horse...but we`re just talking the rider`s mentality here). I ride from one check to the next, never thinking about how far the entire ride is. Focus may be a good word. Focus on the now and what you can do to help your horse and yourself every step of the way. I get so focused it is all over before I know it! (Except it was hard to focus at 11 pm when my batteries went dead on my headlamp! It was a bit spooky out there, as a matter of fact. Sure glad my friend`s light worked!)
I ride mostly 2-point, occassionaly post for a little variety. I practice centered riding and loose in the joints, hips, knees, ankles to help absorb the shock rather than pounding on the horse`s back. Donna Snyder-Smith is fabulous at getting lessons across and has helped me tremendously.
Tailing wakes up your own muscles - you know how they can become numb and stiff. Tailing is rewarding - especially after you manage to struggle back up on your horse after a long haul up a hill.
If my horse needs to walk (because of terrain or to rest a little) I get off and walk. It helps me stay alert. It rejuvenants the rider`s body.
GenieSS
Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?
I post at the trot most of the time. It seems easier on me and the horse. Standing in the stirrups cuts off the circulation to the bottom of your feet. Depending on what type of saddle you ride, standing in the stirrups puts more pressure behind the wither area where your stirrup leathers attach. I certainly don`t sit the trot, not on my horse.
NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.
At the walk I do sit the horse. Years ago (I have been at this since 1972) everyone was taught to stand (slightly) at the walk, trot or canter. I do find that I am very uncomfortable standing all of the time, not to mention I don`t think it is good for the horse. You are rigid and not going with the horse`s motion (at walk). You can be "light in the saddle" without standing or being slightly out of the saddle. The more we learn, the better riders we become.
Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?
I do not change my riding style during a 100 miler. I have ridden and completed the Tevis four times and the Nevada All State once. I sure learned as I went. Plenty of fluids, electrolytes, water and good nourishment along the way. I ride the hundreds the same way I ride NATRC. On the Tevis your ATTITUDE is very important. It is more of a mental ride than anything. I look forward to this ride every year (six more times, then we will re-evaluate). The scenery is beautiful. I have met some wonderful people on the trail. I actually prefer to ride alone, just me and my horse. We have a great time together, even in the dark. Preriding the last ten or fifteen miles is helpful. As the day comes to an end, when the horse realizes where he/she is, they will pick up more momentum. They know home isn`t far away. I do ride the whole way, only getting off to stretch my legs occasionally. Also a good crew is essential. I have had the crew from hell, but we survived in spite of them. And I have the best crew. That makes it a joy to come into a stop knowing everyone knows what to do.
Do you tail?, and why?
I don`t tail. Probably because I am not in shape to walk up those hills (to Devil`s Thumb/American River Canyon) on the Tevis. I am inclined to think that you would lose a few IQ points. Tailing does save the horse, but you have to be in shape to do it. You don`t do the horse any good if you are wiped out after tailing.
What does it take to make that leap, or is it just a bigggg step?
I rode CP NATRC on this horse for the first year, then open for a year, then some 50s and then Tevis (100 miler). Just ride it like you do an Open NATRC ride and you will do fine.
If you need further info, e-mail me at sleeeker@garlic.com
Actually, I did the Big Creek 70 and a two day hundred before I tried a 1 day 100. It would be a good way to go. A 70 or 75 would give you some experience riding at night (depending on your speed) and an idea of how you and your horse would do. It would also make it a smaller leap! A 2 day 100 isn`t quite as close to the experience of a 1 day 100 as a 70 is but it is a good test of what you and your horse can do.
I think the Big Creek is currently scheduled for the middle of May. It is a tough ride when the weather is cool. I guess last year it was moved to June and had some terribly hot weather and a variety of disasters. Hopefully the weather will be good this year.
Judy Long
Hayward, California
Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?
All the above. But we actally don`t trot that much and Misty`s trot is so smooth I usuall just sit. As one poster pointed out earlier, I don`t really stand I come up slightly out of the saddle and rest on the endside of my thights with little weight in the stirrups. At the gallop I move with the horse or sit depending on the speed.
As far as tailing - only if Misty is tired and needs the break. I pretty much play that by the HRM. At the Big South Fork last Oct I tailed up the hill into the third vet check at 42 miles. We had just gallop most of the last 10 miles so I thought she needed the rest - should have looked at the monitor first. We got to the plateau on the climb and I wanted to get back on. Now getting on a 16-2 horse is always a treat, but one that wants to "get on with it" so she can cover ground is not my idea of a good time. So we spent about 10 minutes of her wanting to go and me wanting her to stand still so I could get on. Alas, after 10 minutes I just gave up and did my best "cowboy flying mount" and we were off again.
Truman
Tailing--only if the hill is really, really, really steep or really steep and really, really long. (The key here is 3 really`s, and keep in mind I ride in Colorado and Wyoming). If it`s not a hill that`s going to plumb tucker your horse out, you`ll have a hard time getting back on at the top. If you`re a featherweight rider you shouldn`t bother getting off on the uphill. I get off much more often on the downhill than on the uphill.
Standing--I think is a no-no. I define standing as putting all your weight in the stirups. However, a balanced two-point, with your center over and not forward of the horse`s center and your weight distributed from thigh through calf is good on the uphill. Not on the flat.
Posting--Most definately--if you do it right. Keep your calf on, stay centered and balanced and don`t use the stirups as weight bearing objects.
Linda Van Ceylon
lvanceylon@vines.colostate.edu
phone: 970-226-1099
Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?
I tend to post the big trots, stand the rough ground trots and sit the easy trots.
NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.
I still get up and out on really steep up and rough terrain. I don`t feel good staying down but I`m not completely out of the saddle either.
Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?
Haven`t done one so I don`t know. The longest I`ve done is a 2 day 100+ mile ride in NATRC. (years ago before the distances changed.) I rode the same way both days.
Oogie McGuire - oogiem@dsrtweyr.com
Weyr Associates - Multimedia and Web Authoring Services & Consulting
Desert Weyr - CMK Arabian horses & saddle mules for endurance and show
http://www.dsrtweyr.com/~desertweyr/
Easy Boots
Four more hints on using easyboots:
1- Be careful if using the little strap that comes with the boot to hold it on to the horses leg. (like an idiot strap on old snow skis) I have heard of horses who lose the boot, then go berserk when the loose boot is flopping around attached to their legs.
2- To put them on quickly, loop a piece of sturdy string around the little heel strap of the boot before you set the toe in. Then use the string to pull the heel strap up over the back of the hoof. This is a lot easier than trying to fight with that little strap, especially when the horse is moving around. When the boot is on, pull the string out and stick it in your pocket. Make sure the string is strong enough to not break!
3- If your horse needs a wedge pad to correct a low heel, (like Warpaint) the Easyboot people provide a nice 1,2,or 3 degree wedge pad that slips inside the easyboot to correct the hoof angle. You have to order them for each size easyboot. IE- 1 or 2 degree pad for size 2 boot, etc.
4- Get the easyboots sized and tried on at home when you are getting your horses shod, not during the ride. They will most likely need to be trimmed, and the length of the heel strap needs to be adjusted. (with screws and a screw driver). Use locktite on those little screws, or they can come loose, and that easy boot is not staying on for anything.
We have not yet tried the easyfoam, but we have some, and I hear it works well. We have used easyboots a lot, and they have saved at least 3 or 4 rides on Judy`s horse. Nick Warhol
My tack room looks like an equine shoe store! I have four boots each in at least three different sizes....
I find that it is easier if I trim the back of the boot down first. Some of my friends prefer to have their farriers fit the easy boots to their horses. I have found a little trick when putting them on (it`s probably in the instructions, but I`ll tell you anyway), ; use a good strong string about two foot long, and loop it thru the strap in the back of the boot. Put the boot on, and once you have it where you want it, pull the string (it will be doubled around the strap) up and pull that strap up over the back of the horses heal. I learned that from another ER at a ride last year, and since I have been doing that I have never lost a boot! (even in the mud)
Also, beware - if you horse is low in the heel (this happened to me, unfortunately), you need to pay extra careful attention to the back of the bulb on the heel to make sure the easy boot strap doesn`t rub too much, otherwise the horses foot could abscess. I have one horse that I can`t use easy boots on for more than two hours at a time or else this happens. I have another horse who can go days and hundreds of miles in them without any problems.
Are you interested in purchasing Easy Boots at the best price? I have been ordering them for around $24 each. If anybody knows someplace I can get them for less than that I`d like to find out. I`d be happy to let anybody who wants the information on where I get mine from, just E-Mail me at: ZHBF15A@prodigy.com
You have to measure across the horses foot...WITH SHOES ON if you plan to put the Easyboots on over shoes. Measure from side to side. The sizes are as follows:
2 3/4" to 3 1/4" Pony Size
3 1/4" to 3 7/8" OOO
3 7/8" to 4 1/4" OO
4 1/2" to 4 7/8" O
4 7/8" to 5 1/4" 1
5 1/4" to 5 3/4" 2
5 3/4" to 6 1/4" 3
1- Be careful if using the little strap that comes with the boot to hold it on to the horses leg. (like an idiot strap on old snow skis) I have heard of horses who lose the boot, then go berserk when the loose boot is flopping around attached to their legs.
2- To put them on quickly, loop a piece of sturdy string around the little heel strap of the boot before you set the toe in. Then use the string to pull the heel strap up over the back of the hoof. This is a lot easier than trying to fight with that little strap, especially when the horse is moving around. When the boot is on, pull the string out and stick it in your pocket. Make sure the string is strong enough to not break!
3- If your horse needs a wedge pad to correct a low heel, (like Warpaint) the Easyboot people provide a nice 1,2,or 3 degree wedge pad that slips inside the easyboot to correct the hoof angle. You have to order them for each size easyboot. IE- 1 or 2 degree pad for size 2 boot, etc.
4- Get the easyboots sized and tried on at home when you are getting your horses shod, not during the ride. They will most likely need to be trimmed, and the length of the heel strap needs to be adjusted. (with screws and a screw driver). Use locktite on those little screws, or they can come loose, and that easy boot is not staying on for anything.
We have not yet tried the easyfoam, but we have some, and I hear it works well. We have used easyboots a lot, and they have saved at least 3 or 4 rides on Judy`s horse. Nick Warhol
My tack room looks like an equine shoe store! I have four boots each in at least three different sizes....
I find that it is easier if I trim the back of the boot down first. Some of my friends prefer to have their farriers fit the easy boots to their horses. I have found a little trick when putting them on (it`s probably in the instructions, but I`ll tell you anyway), ; use a good strong string about two foot long, and loop it thru the strap in the back of the boot. Put the boot on, and once you have it where you want it, pull the string (it will be doubled around the strap) up and pull that strap up over the back of the horses heal. I learned that from another ER at a ride last year, and since I have been doing that I have never lost a boot! (even in the mud)
Also, beware - if you horse is low in the heel (this happened to me, unfortunately), you need to pay extra careful attention to the back of the bulb on the heel to make sure the easy boot strap doesn`t rub too much, otherwise the horses foot could abscess. I have one horse that I can`t use easy boots on for more than two hours at a time or else this happens. I have another horse who can go days and hundreds of miles in them without any problems.
Are you interested in purchasing Easy Boots at the best price? I have been ordering them for around $24 each. If anybody knows someplace I can get them for less than that I`d like to find out. I`d be happy to let anybody who wants the information on where I get mine from, just E-Mail me at: ZHBF15A@prodigy.com
You have to measure across the horses foot...WITH SHOES ON if you plan to put the Easyboots on over shoes. Measure from side to side. The sizes are as follows:
2 3/4" to 3 1/4" Pony Size
3 1/4" to 3 7/8" OOO
3 7/8" to 4 1/4" OO
4 1/2" to 4 7/8" O
4 7/8" to 5 1/4" 1
5 1/4" to 5 3/4" 2
5 3/4" to 6 1/4" 3
Crewing - Kimberly
As a "novice" crew member for Susie Hayes, #3 on the Tevis 1996, I thought I would share a few things I learned to other Novices. I know this list has a lot of experienced endurance riders out there who already know this stuff, so this is directed at some of the new endurance people, like me!
Preride Planning
1. Write down what that rider wants you to do, where he/she wants you to be at what times. This includes meeting them on the trail with buckets of water, where to set up equipment to cool and feed the horse, (ie: near the in-time P&R or out-time) exactly what assignments you are to do for the rider/horse. By writing it down the information is there in case you or anyone else can`t remember it. During sleep deprevation and excitment it is very easy to forget details.
Cooling the Horse
1. Buckets of water with a scraper. Meet your rider and he/she rides in and start cooling immediately. Crew members can ensure the water is not too cold by drawing it ahead of time and putting the buckets in the sun. Ask first before putting any water on the flanks.
2. Ice boots. Put in cooler of ice and water as preparation.
3. Cooling "dowel" ?? on horses head. I never saw one of these before and if anyone on the list can help me with what it is really called and where I can buy one, I would be most grateful... :)
Feeding the horse
1. Find out what the horse is to be fed ahead of time and prepare it accordingly before the horse gets there. Give him/her some time without fusing over him/her to just enjoy eating and relaxing. This, of course, applies to the one hour holds.
2. Have the electrolite mixture ready and waiting before the rider comes in.
We also rubbed the horse`s muscles to keep them loose and relaxed. Checked his feet and shoes. Checked heart rate and gut sounds throughout the holds.
I thought this was a great experienced. My thanks to Susie Hayes for letting me crew for her. Her mother Ann was simply wonderful with her stories, sense of humor and energy. Thank you to Sue Flagg (who is not a novice, just says she is!). Its been a long time since I stayed awake 26 hours in a row but well worth the experience. Congratulations to Susie and Kootie her Morab. He is a wonderful well behaved horse and in excellent shape from Susie`s deligent care. You are all an inspiration to me!
Kimberly (&Mystery The Morab)
Petaluma, CA
Preride Planning
1. Write down what that rider wants you to do, where he/she wants you to be at what times. This includes meeting them on the trail with buckets of water, where to set up equipment to cool and feed the horse, (ie: near the in-time P&R or out-time) exactly what assignments you are to do for the rider/horse. By writing it down the information is there in case you or anyone else can`t remember it. During sleep deprevation and excitment it is very easy to forget details.
Cooling the Horse
1. Buckets of water with a scraper. Meet your rider and he/she rides in and start cooling immediately. Crew members can ensure the water is not too cold by drawing it ahead of time and putting the buckets in the sun. Ask first before putting any water on the flanks.
2. Ice boots. Put in cooler of ice and water as preparation.
3. Cooling "dowel" ?? on horses head. I never saw one of these before and if anyone on the list can help me with what it is really called and where I can buy one, I would be most grateful... :)
Feeding the horse
1. Find out what the horse is to be fed ahead of time and prepare it accordingly before the horse gets there. Give him/her some time without fusing over him/her to just enjoy eating and relaxing. This, of course, applies to the one hour holds.
2. Have the electrolite mixture ready and waiting before the rider comes in.
We also rubbed the horse`s muscles to keep them loose and relaxed. Checked his feet and shoes. Checked heart rate and gut sounds throughout the holds.
I thought this was a great experienced. My thanks to Susie Hayes for letting me crew for her. Her mother Ann was simply wonderful with her stories, sense of humor and energy. Thank you to Sue Flagg (who is not a novice, just says she is!). Its been a long time since I stayed awake 26 hours in a row but well worth the experience. Congratulations to Susie and Kootie her Morab. He is a wonderful well behaved horse and in excellent shape from Susie`s deligent care. You are all an inspiration to me!
Kimberly (&Mystery The Morab)
Petaluma, CA
Mud fever (aka scratches, grease heel, rainrot, rain scald)
.. is caused by Dermatophilous congolensis - a gram positive, facultative anaerobic actinomycete (easiest to think of it as a higher bacteria - not quite a fungus). It is part of the normal flora on horse skin, and does not cause problems until the skin is damaged and moisture is present. Moisture then causes the bacteria to release motile zoospores that invade damaged skin and initiates the characteristic skin lesions. Treatment guidelines:
1) many cases spontaneously cure if the area can be kept dry
2) keeping the skin dry is very important
3) crust removal and topical therapy is very useful. I`ve had good success with nitrofurazone ointment alone or in combination with corticosteroids for swollen, painful lesions. On legs, it speeds up recovery to keep the affected areas covered to provide a continuous contact of the ointment and to keep the lesions dry.
4) systemic treatment may be necessary in severe cases. Since this is a higher bacteria, it will respond to antibiotics. Penicillin is recommended in most texts, but for those who don`t like injecting their horses, in my clinical experience, Trimethoprim/sulfas are equally effective.
Some horses are far more prone to flare ups than others. One can keep lubricating things on the pasterns to prevent chapping and cracking of the skin from wet pastures - vaseline, mineral oil, etc work well. Avoid washing muddly legs - brush dry instead.
Trisha Dowling, DVM, MS, Dip ACVIM,ACVCP
Associate Professor, Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
comments from Lynn Crespo
We have 2 horses that are highly susceptible to rainrot and both have developed severe cases over the last year because of the incredible rain we have here. At some point, both required antibiotics and corticosteroids for the infection and inflammation. Since the rain persists and I am adamantly opposed to long term antibiotic and steroid therapy I put on my thinking cap, asked a zillion more questions and have found a very simple, but effective treatment that has worked wonders for us.
Baby oil and Vinegar (half and half). After cleaning and thoroughly drying the area I spray the solution and work it into the area. The baby oil lubricates the skin to prevent cracking and flaking and the vinegar, which is acidic, changes the pH of the skin to make it inhospitable for the bacteria to grow. Acutally, vinegar is an excellent antiseptic. It is commonly used to sterilize respiratory equipment used in the home. We use it daily on my son`s nebulizer. It is a little smelly, but it cleared up the rainrot in 4 days.
I now apply it every night on our 2 problem horses, because it can rain at any given minute. The oil also adds a protective barrier for the skin and the water just beads up and runs off!
L. M. Crespo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Pharmacology
Nova-Southeastern University
lynn@alpha.acast.nova.edu
1) many cases spontaneously cure if the area can be kept dry
2) keeping the skin dry is very important
3) crust removal and topical therapy is very useful. I`ve had good success with nitrofurazone ointment alone or in combination with corticosteroids for swollen, painful lesions. On legs, it speeds up recovery to keep the affected areas covered to provide a continuous contact of the ointment and to keep the lesions dry.
4) systemic treatment may be necessary in severe cases. Since this is a higher bacteria, it will respond to antibiotics. Penicillin is recommended in most texts, but for those who don`t like injecting their horses, in my clinical experience, Trimethoprim/sulfas are equally effective.
Some horses are far more prone to flare ups than others. One can keep lubricating things on the pasterns to prevent chapping and cracking of the skin from wet pastures - vaseline, mineral oil, etc work well. Avoid washing muddly legs - brush dry instead.
Trisha Dowling, DVM, MS, Dip ACVIM,ACVCP
Associate Professor, Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
comments from Lynn Crespo
We have 2 horses that are highly susceptible to rainrot and both have developed severe cases over the last year because of the incredible rain we have here. At some point, both required antibiotics and corticosteroids for the infection and inflammation. Since the rain persists and I am adamantly opposed to long term antibiotic and steroid therapy I put on my thinking cap, asked a zillion more questions and have found a very simple, but effective treatment that has worked wonders for us.
Baby oil and Vinegar (half and half). After cleaning and thoroughly drying the area I spray the solution and work it into the area. The baby oil lubricates the skin to prevent cracking and flaking and the vinegar, which is acidic, changes the pH of the skin to make it inhospitable for the bacteria to grow. Acutally, vinegar is an excellent antiseptic. It is commonly used to sterilize respiratory equipment used in the home. We use it daily on my son`s nebulizer. It is a little smelly, but it cleared up the rainrot in 4 days.
I now apply it every night on our 2 problem horses, because it can rain at any given minute. The oil also adds a protective barrier for the skin and the water just beads up and runs off!
L. M. Crespo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Pharmacology
Nova-Southeastern University
lynn@alpha.acast.nova.edu
Mud fever (aka scratches, grease heel, rainrot, rain scald)
.. is caused by Dermatophilous congolensis - a gram positive, facultative anaerobic actinomycete (easiest to think of it as a higher bacteria - not quite a fungus). It is part of the normal flora on horse skin, and does not cause problems until the skin is damaged and moisture is present. Moisture then causes the bacteria to release motile zoospores that invade damaged skin and initiates the characteristic skin lesions. Treatment guidelines:
1) many cases spontaneously cure if the area can be kept dry
2) keeping the skin dry is very important
3) crust removal and topical therapy is very useful. I`ve had good success with nitrofurazone ointment alone or in combination with corticosteroids for swollen, painful lesions. On legs, it speeds up recovery to keep the affected areas covered to provide a continuous contact of the ointment and to keep the lesions dry.
4) systemic treatment may be necessary in severe cases. Since this is a higher bacteria, it will respond to antibiotics. Penicillin is recommended in most texts, but for those who don`t like injecting their horses, in my clinical experience, Trimethoprim/sulfas are equally effective.
Some horses are far more prone to flare ups than others. One can keep lubricating things on the pasterns to prevent chapping and cracking of the skin from wet pastures - vaseline, mineral oil, etc work well. Avoid washing muddly legs - brush dry instead.
Trisha Dowling, DVM, MS, Dip ACVIM,ACVCP
Associate Professor, Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
comments from Lynn Crespo
We have 2 horses that are highly susceptible to rainrot and both have developed severe cases over the last year because of the incredible rain we have here. At some point, both required antibiotics and corticosteroids for the infection and inflammation. Since the rain persists and I am adamantly opposed to long term antibiotic and steroid therapy I put on my thinking cap, asked a zillion more questions and have found a very simple, but effective treatment that has worked wonders for us.
Baby oil and Vinegar (half and half). After cleaning and thoroughly drying the area I spray the solution and work it into the area. The baby oil lubricates the skin to prevent cracking and flaking and the vinegar, which is acidic, changes the pH of the skin to make it inhospitable for the bacteria to grow. Acutally, vinegar is an excellent antiseptic. It is commonly used to sterilize respiratory equipment used in the home. We use it daily on my son`s nebulizer. It is a little smelly, but it cleared up the rainrot in 4 days.
I now apply it every night on our 2 problem horses, because it can rain at any given minute. The oil also adds a protective barrier for the skin and the water just beads up and runs off!
L. M. Crespo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Pharmacology
Nova-Southeastern University
lynn@alpha.acast.nova.edu
1) many cases spontaneously cure if the area can be kept dry
2) keeping the skin dry is very important
3) crust removal and topical therapy is very useful. I`ve had good success with nitrofurazone ointment alone or in combination with corticosteroids for swollen, painful lesions. On legs, it speeds up recovery to keep the affected areas covered to provide a continuous contact of the ointment and to keep the lesions dry.
4) systemic treatment may be necessary in severe cases. Since this is a higher bacteria, it will respond to antibiotics. Penicillin is recommended in most texts, but for those who don`t like injecting their horses, in my clinical experience, Trimethoprim/sulfas are equally effective.
Some horses are far more prone to flare ups than others. One can keep lubricating things on the pasterns to prevent chapping and cracking of the skin from wet pastures - vaseline, mineral oil, etc work well. Avoid washing muddly legs - brush dry instead.
Trisha Dowling, DVM, MS, Dip ACVIM,ACVCP
Associate Professor, Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
comments from Lynn Crespo
We have 2 horses that are highly susceptible to rainrot and both have developed severe cases over the last year because of the incredible rain we have here. At some point, both required antibiotics and corticosteroids for the infection and inflammation. Since the rain persists and I am adamantly opposed to long term antibiotic and steroid therapy I put on my thinking cap, asked a zillion more questions and have found a very simple, but effective treatment that has worked wonders for us.
Baby oil and Vinegar (half and half). After cleaning and thoroughly drying the area I spray the solution and work it into the area. The baby oil lubricates the skin to prevent cracking and flaking and the vinegar, which is acidic, changes the pH of the skin to make it inhospitable for the bacteria to grow. Acutally, vinegar is an excellent antiseptic. It is commonly used to sterilize respiratory equipment used in the home. We use it daily on my son`s nebulizer. It is a little smelly, but it cleared up the rainrot in 4 days.
I now apply it every night on our 2 problem horses, because it can rain at any given minute. The oil also adds a protective barrier for the skin and the water just beads up and runs off!
L. M. Crespo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Pharmacology
Nova-Southeastern University
lynn@alpha.acast.nova.edu
Conditioning, adaptation and drugs - Truman
Several years ago one of my horses caught a nasty respiratory virus which he proceeded to give to all the other horses. The two followed this up with a secondary infection which the vet was having a hard time clearing up. After a tracheal wash it was determined that a antibiotic resistance strain was causing the infection (this is truly scary) and he mixed up an antibiotic that did work. All of this caused the horse to develop allergies. The vet said it could be temporary or chronic - and suggested the use of low levels of dexamethasone - a synthetic glucocorticoid. Glucocorticoids are produced by the adrenal cortex. His theory was that higher levels would decrease the inflammation and as such may keep the allergy reaction from becoming chronic.
After a month or so the vet decided that we should take the horse off of dex. He gave me a "weaning schedule". The horse had to be weaned since there was the real possibility that the adrenal cortex had become lazy and would not be able to produce the necessary amounts if we went cold turkey. That is what we did.
What is the moral of this? There is more to conditioning an endurance horse than conditioning the legs, heart, lungs, etc. Biological systems are controlled by hormones. Hormones are those substances, usually a peptide or steroid, produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity, such as growth or metabolism. Yes the hormonal system is critical for the performance of an endurance horse. Hormones cause the heart rate to rise in response to exercise or fright. Hormones control the movement of the gut.
An aside, one of the effects of over training is to overly stress the hormonal system so that it cannot do its job. Here is an superbly conditioned athlete whose performance as fallen off for no apparent reason. In many cases it is because the hormonal system cannot keep pace with the physical demands placed on it by the training regiment.
The hormonal system has to also be conditioned to respond to the stress of exercise. For a horse in tip top shape then the hormonal system is capable of controlling the heart rate, the oxygenation of the muscles, the metabolism of energy, etc. The production of these necessary will be sufficient for perk performance of that particular horse once the hormonal system has been trained. I don`t know how long this process takes, I`ll let one of the vets respond here - but I would suspect that it takes several years of conditioning.
Now what happens when we interfere with this conditioning and acclimation process by adding all sorts of "nutrients" - MSM, DMG, etc. Are we really helping or are we inhibiting (with all good intentions) the natural acclimation process brought on by exercise?
As far as PSGAG`s (Adequan and Cosequin), it is a nutrient that supports the regeneration of the cartilage matrix and supports the production of hyaluronic acid. Since the effect of PSGAG is to provide the nutrient for the body to regenerate the cartilage it should not be required be provide on a continuous. Many people use a regiment of an Adequan shot on a periodic basis (say every three months). At any rate it is hard to conceive that the "withdrawal " of Cosequin for a period prior to a ride should cause any harm on the horse. Jeannie Waldorn, DVM has a good article in the 1994 Feb-March EN on this subject.
Of course we have to provide a balanced ration to our horses which means testing for missing minerals and providing these. This biological system called the horse is an incredibly complex system and the ability to adapt to exercise is truly amazing - but there are no short cuts. My concern of using many of these nutricuticals is they may be providing a crutch and minimizing the adaptation to exercise of the biological system as a whole. Thinking that we need to use DMG, MSM, etc. or our horses can not do a ride may very well be (as Dane said) "the only person we are fooling is the person in the mirror".
Truman
After a month or so the vet decided that we should take the horse off of dex. He gave me a "weaning schedule". The horse had to be weaned since there was the real possibility that the adrenal cortex had become lazy and would not be able to produce the necessary amounts if we went cold turkey. That is what we did.
What is the moral of this? There is more to conditioning an endurance horse than conditioning the legs, heart, lungs, etc. Biological systems are controlled by hormones. Hormones are those substances, usually a peptide or steroid, produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity, such as growth or metabolism. Yes the hormonal system is critical for the performance of an endurance horse. Hormones cause the heart rate to rise in response to exercise or fright. Hormones control the movement of the gut.
An aside, one of the effects of over training is to overly stress the hormonal system so that it cannot do its job. Here is an superbly conditioned athlete whose performance as fallen off for no apparent reason. In many cases it is because the hormonal system cannot keep pace with the physical demands placed on it by the training regiment.
The hormonal system has to also be conditioned to respond to the stress of exercise. For a horse in tip top shape then the hormonal system is capable of controlling the heart rate, the oxygenation of the muscles, the metabolism of energy, etc. The production of these necessary will be sufficient for perk performance of that particular horse once the hormonal system has been trained. I don`t know how long this process takes, I`ll let one of the vets respond here - but I would suspect that it takes several years of conditioning.
Now what happens when we interfere with this conditioning and acclimation process by adding all sorts of "nutrients" - MSM, DMG, etc. Are we really helping or are we inhibiting (with all good intentions) the natural acclimation process brought on by exercise?
As far as PSGAG`s (Adequan and Cosequin), it is a nutrient that supports the regeneration of the cartilage matrix and supports the production of hyaluronic acid. Since the effect of PSGAG is to provide the nutrient for the body to regenerate the cartilage it should not be required be provide on a continuous. Many people use a regiment of an Adequan shot on a periodic basis (say every three months). At any rate it is hard to conceive that the "withdrawal " of Cosequin for a period prior to a ride should cause any harm on the horse. Jeannie Waldorn, DVM has a good article in the 1994 Feb-March EN on this subject.
Of course we have to provide a balanced ration to our horses which means testing for missing minerals and providing these. This biological system called the horse is an incredibly complex system and the ability to adapt to exercise is truly amazing - but there are no short cuts. My concern of using many of these nutricuticals is they may be providing a crutch and minimizing the adaptation to exercise of the biological system as a whole. Thinking that we need to use DMG, MSM, etc. or our horses can not do a ride may very well be (as Dane said) "the only person we are fooling is the person in the mirror".
Truman
Outlaw Rider - Equestrian adventure is test of endurance - Wynne Brown
Stories by Wynne Brown - News-Sentinel staff writer
Photos by Wynne Brown and Hedley Bond
(reproduced courtesy of The Knoxville News-Sentinel)
Introduction:
In September my husband, Hedley Bond, and I hauled our horse to Utah so I could do the Outlaw Historical Endurance Ride. The five-day 265-mile event goes through the Aquarius Plateau, the Escalante River canyon, Little Desert and part of the new Escalante-Grand Staircase Monument recently set aside by President Clinton.
This endurance ride is not like most. According to the brochure, the trail offers an experience that is "way beyond the comfort zone." For many of the riders who come from around the world, the primary goal is to be an "Outlaw": one rider who completes all five days on the same horse.
My goal was to ride as much as Salazar could handle without being overstressed - be it one day or five. He`s 15 and is a particularly easygoing Arabian with 11 years of endurance riding experience. He travels well: he unloaded willingly every four to five hours all the way cross-country and camped in a corral that attaches to the trailer. The front of the trailer has living quarters for us.
Arriving
The last 50 miles to Teasdale winds across the great red spine of the Escalante mountains, up and down deep scarlet clefts, through patches of aspens just turning gold at 9,500 feet. It`s glorious -- and a valuable sneak preview of this rugged high country I`m about to ride.
Endurance riding is partly about overcoming fear. Fear of falling off a cliff. Fear of getting lost for hours -- or maybe days. Fear of skulking home and having to say, "I couldn`t do it."
I sure hope Salazar and I are ready for this.
At noon, we pull onto a windy hilltop in Teasdale and see a banner announcing the "Outlaw Historical Endurance Ride." We immediately run into the only other Southeastern riders, Jim Barnett and his son, Duane. Twelve states are represented, and top international riders are here from Brazil, Hungary, Germany, France and Canada.
any endurance riders take a crew who helps them at vet checks. I like riding "solo," which pleases Hedley who says he is Not a Horse Person. (He is, however, a long-distance bike rider and an ex-marathon runner.) At the Outlaw Ride, each day`s route ends in a different place, and Hedley`s role is to get our rig to each new camp.
I get checked and vetted in and scramble around preparing for a 6 a.m. pre-dawn departure. There`s also a dusting of new snow on the mountain behind camp.
At the ride briefing that evening Crockett Dumas talks about the area`s history and the local outlaws (including Butch Cassidy). He and his wife Sharon are from Vadito, M.M., and have been running this ride since 1977, and they advertise it as the "Ultimate Endurance Adventure." President Clinton`s decision to change this area to wilderness may mean the last year for the ride in this location, which adds a special poignancy.
Sharon goes over the trail, reminding us that there`s no access for emergency vehicles. The veterinarians warn riders with low-altitude horses to monitor our animals carefully. We`ll leave at 6 a.m. following Crockett at a controlled trot. Once it`s light enough to see the trail markings (chalk marks on rocks or branches), riders can go at their own pace. The group breaks up, and camp is quiet soon after dark.
Day 1
Five a.m. comes quickly and we head out single file an hour later. I spend the day riding with Marilyn Bickley from Park City, Utah. From the pinon-juniper habitat, we climb steadily until we`re in aspens, leaves scattered underfoot like gold coins and deep blue lakes far below us. The "Rim Trail" is well-named: We`re on a shelf, safe enough, but the trees below are such small specks that my stomach lurches a little every time I look. We soon run out of "big" words: "magnificent" and "vast" seem flat.
The trail gets steeper, and I get off to "tail," unhooking one rein and hanging onto Salazar`s tail as he marches over the rocks so fast I`m almost at a jog. I have no signs of altitude sickness, but I`m out of breath. The trail becomes skinnier, steeper, and there`s snow under trees and in rock crevices.
The last pull to Boulder Top is a mile-long slope of jumbled rock. Salazar takes it at an even pace, always on-trail, with me hanging on to his tail for all I`m worth.
The top is a series of flat meadows, some four or five miles long and two miles wide, all edged with spiky-looking dark firs. The wind whistles around my helmet -- I`m grateful for Polartec.
In late afternoon Hedley meets us, having run 10 miles. The trail drops off the mountain down a rocky escarpment, and Salazar has to pick his way through jagged boulders being careful not to jam a hoof. I need both hands for balance. In an act of ultimate trust, I toss the rein over the saddle, and we work our way down the mountain with him in front picking his way and me several yards behind him.
Back into aspens the trail becomes a mudslide. Salazar tucks his hindquarters and calmly skis down. I try the same thing and end up on my butt.
The vet check finally appears on top of another cold windy hill. Salazar dives into the hay, apples, carrots and bran, provided by ride management. The vet checks our horses and says they both look great.
Ten miles to go. We climb back on, cold, stiff and ready for camp. It`s getting close to dark. At last the Chriss Lake camp is in sight, and the horses perk up. We cross the finish line 12.5 hours after starting. Salazar`s back is sore, but he`s fine to go out again the next day. Aside from a headache and being bone-tired, the rider half of the team seems OK. By 10, all three of us are asleep.
Day 2
It`s COLD and pitch-dark at 5 a.m.-- but I`m surprisingly limber and ready to ride. We cover 6-8 miles of mostly flat terrain with ankle-deep red sand. Everyone chats and grizzles good-naturedly about yesterday`s trail.
The trail becomes several miles of the dreaded "slick rock," which isn`t slick at all but is creamy-yellow sheets and rolls of sandstone with the texture of sand paper. It looks scary, but the horses` feet can grip well enough to trot and even canter.
More miles of sand and juniper to the vet check, which is in the Boulder motel parking lot. Hedley says tourists have been intrigued all morning ("an endurance what??").
The vet checks Salazar`s back: "Looks real good" - relief! Jim Barnett and I head out to cross 20 more miles of slick rock. An incredible area: An almost alien landscape with yellow-white gullies and towers stretching to a backdrop of red-orange mountains that fade to blue. We slither down into canyons and clamber back out for more miles of the same, alternately riding, tailing, leading.
There is little vegetation, so the trail is marked with piles of rocks. The sun beats down off the cliff faces, and it`s warm in a T-shirt. All I can hear is the wind, which never stops, and the grating of Salazar`s shoes on the soft rock. Fear? No -- I am deeply, purely happy, and my face hurts from smiling. After three or four hours, we slide down a rutted crevice into the Escalante River canyon.
Dark red cliffs now tower above us. Flash floods came through last week, wiping out the trail and leaving thickets of Russian olive, armed with inch-long thorns. Wading down the riverbed seems easiest, if circuitous, but that route loses its appeal early on when Jim`s horse disappears to the belly in quicksand. They flounder out, unhurt, and we eye the water route suspiciously from then on. After an hour or two, we catch up with other riders, some bleeding, one missing his glasses, all of us wondering: How much more? My smile is gone.
More hours and the canyon walls fade to grayish-brown. The river bottom widens to a road. Jim is burnt bright red, my lips feel permanently chapped and we drain my fourth water bottle. But the horses seem to know we`re almost done, and they trot strongly through town, now more alien to us than the slick rock.
The finish line is on the race track of Escalante Desert Downs, and Hedley has camp all set up. The vets say Salazar is "a little stiff in front, his back is better than yesterday, and otherwise he`s fine." I`m so thrilled I forget I`m tired. We eat our spaghettii dinner in the grandstand with Marilyn, who spent the day recovering from a cold, and her friend Moone Willetts, whose momentos from the river include a gashed nose, two blackening eyes and a bruised chin.
We laugh, swap tales, drink and eat some more. The moon, one day from full, rises over the valley in the half-light of dusk. What a day. What a horse!
Day 3
Today starts with a silent 4-mile ride through the Little Desert, honoring endurance riders and horses who have died. "Ghost Riders in the Sky" plays softly as we leave the racetrack. Sparks jump as the horses` shoes strike the pavement. We head up a stony ridge until the first lights of Escalante are below us. The eastern sky begins to gleam, spotlit by Venus. All is silent except for the swish of hooves through sand, the occasional clink of a metal shoe against rock. Salazar trots strong. The sun appears, and we try to get our antsy horses to stand still for a Kodak moment -- and another picture is filled with equine eartips.
The group spreads out, and we climb and climb back up into the aspens and open slopes. The chalk marks have washed off in last week`s rain, and Duane Barnett and I take a couple of wrong turns. Then we realize his mare is lame. He urges me to go on without him, but we stay together to Griffin Top, another 11,200 plateau where the markings are few and far between, the wind rips - and it`s sleeting at the vet check.
Salazar gets the OK to go, and Judy Saunders and Ron Savard, from Ontario, and Janin Cameron from California welcome another pair of eyes to help hunt for markers. Twenty miles to go.
As the afternoon goes on, I have a sneaking feeling that Salazar isn`t quite sound. We alternate between riding, tailing and leading as the trail rollercoasts along the spines of six long red ridges dotted with white rock outcrops and bristlecone pines. In the distance are vast miles of more red rock country. Finally, there`s the Canadian crew : "Only three miles to go!" they tell us.
We trot a flat sandy trail that winds through the rabbitbrush, and within several yards I know something`s wrong. Salazar is eager but short-strided. I make him walk (marvelling that he wants to trot after 165 miles), worrying, but also relishing the solitude, the silence, the evening light. About a mile from camp Hedley meets us, and we finish in a time of 11 hours. Once in camp, I realize Salazar has "scratches," a form of dermatitis, above his hoofs. Although the vet says we can go out the next day, I smear on Desitin and decide on a day off. Salazar`s done three hard travel days, followed by three hard riding days back-to-back. Besides ... I`d really like to hike Bryce Canyon with Hedley.
Day 4
We`re camped at Widstoe, a ghost town settled by Mormons who were "droughted out." At 5 a.m., there`s ice on the water buckets. The riders mill around, illuminated by lanterns and the occasional headlights, then leave in a cloud of dust. Hedley and I retreat to the warm camper and a real breakfast. We pack up, drive to the next night`s campsite and get Salazar settled in.
Bryce Canyon is only 30 minutes - and a world - away. After the solitude and athleticism of the last three days, the busloads of overweight tourists make us feel like some weird other species. But the canyon itself is magnificent. Hedley and I walk down past layer upon layer of spires, towers and "hoodoos" that almost glow in the early afternoon light -- well worth missing a day of riding.
We head back to camp where Salazar paws the ground impatiently. I`d say he`s ready to go out again - and the vet agrees. After dinner, we all stand around a welcome fire, laughing, chatting and taking in the lunar eclipse.
Day 5
Today is an easy day, so we don`t leave until a leisurely 7 a.m. The moon sinks in front of us as the sun rises behind. Many horses get stronger on a multi-day ride, and Salazar is no exception. Once we reach the Pahrea River Canyon, I linger, wanting this final day to last. We cross and re-cross the ankle-deep river -- fortunately free of quicksand.
The Barnetts catch up and we ride slowly together for several miles, enjoying the day. Salazar feels too good to walk, so we trot on alone. The canyon widens out, the cliffs turn from tan to pink, then shrink to hills. We cross the river one last time to the vet check. As I trot him out, the vet comments, "Who`s leading who?" Twelve and a half miles to go. We come to the old Pahria Movie Set where "The Outlaw Josey Wales" was filmed. A handful of tourists look disappointed that I`m not wearing chaps and cowboy hat. I tip my helmet and trot on through. Salazar asks to canter. I`m so proud of both of us it brings tears.
Seven or eight miles later, a lone form appears. Who else would be out here in the desert on foot? Salazar nickers and, after a celebratory picture (Kodak should sponsor this ride), the three of us trot on, Hedley in the lead. We pass the two French riders and then a Brazilian, and then, after 210 miles in five days, Salazar breaks into a canter and we cross the finish line, accompanied by cheers from the waiting crowd. I`m in tears again.
Eight weeks later and the spell of the Outlaw Trail is still with me. Visualizing those sandstone cliffs, still hearing the wind`s whistle at Griffin Top, feeling Salazar asking to canter that last mile -- all those memories help put the tribulations, and yes, the fears, of "Real Life" into perspective.Many events fail to live up to their billing. But the Outlaw Ride, for me, was truly the "Ultimate Endurance Adventure." Next year is Hedley`s year to pick a trip and I`ll crew for him. But after that? My calendar`s marked for Outlaw `98.
Photos by Wynne Brown and Hedley Bond
(reproduced courtesy of The Knoxville News-Sentinel)
Introduction:
In September my husband, Hedley Bond, and I hauled our horse to Utah so I could do the Outlaw Historical Endurance Ride. The five-day 265-mile event goes through the Aquarius Plateau, the Escalante River canyon, Little Desert and part of the new Escalante-Grand Staircase Monument recently set aside by President Clinton.
This endurance ride is not like most. According to the brochure, the trail offers an experience that is "way beyond the comfort zone." For many of the riders who come from around the world, the primary goal is to be an "Outlaw": one rider who completes all five days on the same horse.
My goal was to ride as much as Salazar could handle without being overstressed - be it one day or five. He`s 15 and is a particularly easygoing Arabian with 11 years of endurance riding experience. He travels well: he unloaded willingly every four to five hours all the way cross-country and camped in a corral that attaches to the trailer. The front of the trailer has living quarters for us.
Arriving
The last 50 miles to Teasdale winds across the great red spine of the Escalante mountains, up and down deep scarlet clefts, through patches of aspens just turning gold at 9,500 feet. It`s glorious -- and a valuable sneak preview of this rugged high country I`m about to ride.
Endurance riding is partly about overcoming fear. Fear of falling off a cliff. Fear of getting lost for hours -- or maybe days. Fear of skulking home and having to say, "I couldn`t do it."
I sure hope Salazar and I are ready for this.
At noon, we pull onto a windy hilltop in Teasdale and see a banner announcing the "Outlaw Historical Endurance Ride." We immediately run into the only other Southeastern riders, Jim Barnett and his son, Duane. Twelve states are represented, and top international riders are here from Brazil, Hungary, Germany, France and Canada.
any endurance riders take a crew who helps them at vet checks. I like riding "solo," which pleases Hedley who says he is Not a Horse Person. (He is, however, a long-distance bike rider and an ex-marathon runner.) At the Outlaw Ride, each day`s route ends in a different place, and Hedley`s role is to get our rig to each new camp.
I get checked and vetted in and scramble around preparing for a 6 a.m. pre-dawn departure. There`s also a dusting of new snow on the mountain behind camp.
At the ride briefing that evening Crockett Dumas talks about the area`s history and the local outlaws (including Butch Cassidy). He and his wife Sharon are from Vadito, M.M., and have been running this ride since 1977, and they advertise it as the "Ultimate Endurance Adventure." President Clinton`s decision to change this area to wilderness may mean the last year for the ride in this location, which adds a special poignancy.
Sharon goes over the trail, reminding us that there`s no access for emergency vehicles. The veterinarians warn riders with low-altitude horses to monitor our animals carefully. We`ll leave at 6 a.m. following Crockett at a controlled trot. Once it`s light enough to see the trail markings (chalk marks on rocks or branches), riders can go at their own pace. The group breaks up, and camp is quiet soon after dark.
Day 1
Five a.m. comes quickly and we head out single file an hour later. I spend the day riding with Marilyn Bickley from Park City, Utah. From the pinon-juniper habitat, we climb steadily until we`re in aspens, leaves scattered underfoot like gold coins and deep blue lakes far below us. The "Rim Trail" is well-named: We`re on a shelf, safe enough, but the trees below are such small specks that my stomach lurches a little every time I look. We soon run out of "big" words: "magnificent" and "vast" seem flat.
The trail gets steeper, and I get off to "tail," unhooking one rein and hanging onto Salazar`s tail as he marches over the rocks so fast I`m almost at a jog. I have no signs of altitude sickness, but I`m out of breath. The trail becomes skinnier, steeper, and there`s snow under trees and in rock crevices.
The last pull to Boulder Top is a mile-long slope of jumbled rock. Salazar takes it at an even pace, always on-trail, with me hanging on to his tail for all I`m worth.
The top is a series of flat meadows, some four or five miles long and two miles wide, all edged with spiky-looking dark firs. The wind whistles around my helmet -- I`m grateful for Polartec.
In late afternoon Hedley meets us, having run 10 miles. The trail drops off the mountain down a rocky escarpment, and Salazar has to pick his way through jagged boulders being careful not to jam a hoof. I need both hands for balance. In an act of ultimate trust, I toss the rein over the saddle, and we work our way down the mountain with him in front picking his way and me several yards behind him.
Back into aspens the trail becomes a mudslide. Salazar tucks his hindquarters and calmly skis down. I try the same thing and end up on my butt.
The vet check finally appears on top of another cold windy hill. Salazar dives into the hay, apples, carrots and bran, provided by ride management. The vet checks our horses and says they both look great.
Ten miles to go. We climb back on, cold, stiff and ready for camp. It`s getting close to dark. At last the Chriss Lake camp is in sight, and the horses perk up. We cross the finish line 12.5 hours after starting. Salazar`s back is sore, but he`s fine to go out again the next day. Aside from a headache and being bone-tired, the rider half of the team seems OK. By 10, all three of us are asleep.
Day 2
It`s COLD and pitch-dark at 5 a.m.-- but I`m surprisingly limber and ready to ride. We cover 6-8 miles of mostly flat terrain with ankle-deep red sand. Everyone chats and grizzles good-naturedly about yesterday`s trail.
The trail becomes several miles of the dreaded "slick rock," which isn`t slick at all but is creamy-yellow sheets and rolls of sandstone with the texture of sand paper. It looks scary, but the horses` feet can grip well enough to trot and even canter.
More miles of sand and juniper to the vet check, which is in the Boulder motel parking lot. Hedley says tourists have been intrigued all morning ("an endurance what??").
The vet checks Salazar`s back: "Looks real good" - relief! Jim Barnett and I head out to cross 20 more miles of slick rock. An incredible area: An almost alien landscape with yellow-white gullies and towers stretching to a backdrop of red-orange mountains that fade to blue. We slither down into canyons and clamber back out for more miles of the same, alternately riding, tailing, leading.
There is little vegetation, so the trail is marked with piles of rocks. The sun beats down off the cliff faces, and it`s warm in a T-shirt. All I can hear is the wind, which never stops, and the grating of Salazar`s shoes on the soft rock. Fear? No -- I am deeply, purely happy, and my face hurts from smiling. After three or four hours, we slide down a rutted crevice into the Escalante River canyon.
Dark red cliffs now tower above us. Flash floods came through last week, wiping out the trail and leaving thickets of Russian olive, armed with inch-long thorns. Wading down the riverbed seems easiest, if circuitous, but that route loses its appeal early on when Jim`s horse disappears to the belly in quicksand. They flounder out, unhurt, and we eye the water route suspiciously from then on. After an hour or two, we catch up with other riders, some bleeding, one missing his glasses, all of us wondering: How much more? My smile is gone.
More hours and the canyon walls fade to grayish-brown. The river bottom widens to a road. Jim is burnt bright red, my lips feel permanently chapped and we drain my fourth water bottle. But the horses seem to know we`re almost done, and they trot strongly through town, now more alien to us than the slick rock.
The finish line is on the race track of Escalante Desert Downs, and Hedley has camp all set up. The vets say Salazar is "a little stiff in front, his back is better than yesterday, and otherwise he`s fine." I`m so thrilled I forget I`m tired. We eat our spaghettii dinner in the grandstand with Marilyn, who spent the day recovering from a cold, and her friend Moone Willetts, whose momentos from the river include a gashed nose, two blackening eyes and a bruised chin.
We laugh, swap tales, drink and eat some more. The moon, one day from full, rises over the valley in the half-light of dusk. What a day. What a horse!
Day 3
Today starts with a silent 4-mile ride through the Little Desert, honoring endurance riders and horses who have died. "Ghost Riders in the Sky" plays softly as we leave the racetrack. Sparks jump as the horses` shoes strike the pavement. We head up a stony ridge until the first lights of Escalante are below us. The eastern sky begins to gleam, spotlit by Venus. All is silent except for the swish of hooves through sand, the occasional clink of a metal shoe against rock. Salazar trots strong. The sun appears, and we try to get our antsy horses to stand still for a Kodak moment -- and another picture is filled with equine eartips.
The group spreads out, and we climb and climb back up into the aspens and open slopes. The chalk marks have washed off in last week`s rain, and Duane Barnett and I take a couple of wrong turns. Then we realize his mare is lame. He urges me to go on without him, but we stay together to Griffin Top, another 11,200 plateau where the markings are few and far between, the wind rips - and it`s sleeting at the vet check.
Salazar gets the OK to go, and Judy Saunders and Ron Savard, from Ontario, and Janin Cameron from California welcome another pair of eyes to help hunt for markers. Twenty miles to go.
As the afternoon goes on, I have a sneaking feeling that Salazar isn`t quite sound. We alternate between riding, tailing and leading as the trail rollercoasts along the spines of six long red ridges dotted with white rock outcrops and bristlecone pines. In the distance are vast miles of more red rock country. Finally, there`s the Canadian crew : "Only three miles to go!" they tell us.
We trot a flat sandy trail that winds through the rabbitbrush, and within several yards I know something`s wrong. Salazar is eager but short-strided. I make him walk (marvelling that he wants to trot after 165 miles), worrying, but also relishing the solitude, the silence, the evening light. About a mile from camp Hedley meets us, and we finish in a time of 11 hours. Once in camp, I realize Salazar has "scratches," a form of dermatitis, above his hoofs. Although the vet says we can go out the next day, I smear on Desitin and decide on a day off. Salazar`s done three hard travel days, followed by three hard riding days back-to-back. Besides ... I`d really like to hike Bryce Canyon with Hedley.
Day 4
We`re camped at Widstoe, a ghost town settled by Mormons who were "droughted out." At 5 a.m., there`s ice on the water buckets. The riders mill around, illuminated by lanterns and the occasional headlights, then leave in a cloud of dust. Hedley and I retreat to the warm camper and a real breakfast. We pack up, drive to the next night`s campsite and get Salazar settled in.
Bryce Canyon is only 30 minutes - and a world - away. After the solitude and athleticism of the last three days, the busloads of overweight tourists make us feel like some weird other species. But the canyon itself is magnificent. Hedley and I walk down past layer upon layer of spires, towers and "hoodoos" that almost glow in the early afternoon light -- well worth missing a day of riding.
We head back to camp where Salazar paws the ground impatiently. I`d say he`s ready to go out again - and the vet agrees. After dinner, we all stand around a welcome fire, laughing, chatting and taking in the lunar eclipse.
Day 5
Today is an easy day, so we don`t leave until a leisurely 7 a.m. The moon sinks in front of us as the sun rises behind. Many horses get stronger on a multi-day ride, and Salazar is no exception. Once we reach the Pahrea River Canyon, I linger, wanting this final day to last. We cross and re-cross the ankle-deep river -- fortunately free of quicksand.
The Barnetts catch up and we ride slowly together for several miles, enjoying the day. Salazar feels too good to walk, so we trot on alone. The canyon widens out, the cliffs turn from tan to pink, then shrink to hills. We cross the river one last time to the vet check. As I trot him out, the vet comments, "Who`s leading who?" Twelve and a half miles to go. We come to the old Pahria Movie Set where "The Outlaw Josey Wales" was filmed. A handful of tourists look disappointed that I`m not wearing chaps and cowboy hat. I tip my helmet and trot on through. Salazar asks to canter. I`m so proud of both of us it brings tears.
Seven or eight miles later, a lone form appears. Who else would be out here in the desert on foot? Salazar nickers and, after a celebratory picture (Kodak should sponsor this ride), the three of us trot on, Hedley in the lead. We pass the two French riders and then a Brazilian, and then, after 210 miles in five days, Salazar breaks into a canter and we cross the finish line, accompanied by cheers from the waiting crowd. I`m in tears again.
Eight weeks later and the spell of the Outlaw Trail is still with me. Visualizing those sandstone cliffs, still hearing the wind`s whistle at Griffin Top, feeling Salazar asking to canter that last mile -- all those memories help put the tribulations, and yes, the fears, of "Real Life" into perspective.Many events fail to live up to their billing. But the Outlaw Ride, for me, was truly the "Ultimate Endurance Adventure." Next year is Hedley`s year to pick a trip and I`ll crew for him. But after that? My calendar`s marked for Outlaw `98.
Thumps - Synchronous Diaphragmatic Flutter - Mike Tomlinson DVM
The following postings are from a response to a question about thumps in endurance horses.
Mike Tomlinson, DVM
"Thumps" (SDF) is a problem that we have had problems dealing with for many years. In some horses it indicates impending doom in others it is as significant as a slight cough.
We know what causes thumps, we know how to treat thumps, we can do some things to prevent thumps, but no one can tell you the severity of every case of thumps. The worst are easy to agree, the very slight most agree upon, but the vast majority in between are an enigma as to the true consequences in the middle of a ride.
The descision to pull for thumps is just as infinitely variable. Fifteen years ago everybody pulled every horse that even thought of thumping. Ten years ago the west coast decided that a little thumping was not all that worrysome and quit pulling. Five years ago it was decided for the sake of uniformity that everyone would once agian pull all thumping horses. (Dates are very approximate and gross generalities only).
I have personally known horses that thumped on every ride and did very well (during the time that thumpers were allowed to continue on). I have seen horses that eventually died start by just slightly thumping.
Veterinarians that have a thorough knowledge of physiology, anatomy and endurance may be able to evaluate the level of danger that the thumps indicate. Notice I say "may be able" not "are able".
It is my personal opinion, though, that thumping horses, due to the inability of the average person observing to evaluate the severity of the problem, should not be awarded BC and should not be allowed to continue out of any vet check if thumping.
Mike Tomlinson
Tomlinson Equine
CMikeT@AOL.com
Mike@Tomlinson.com
Dane Frazier, DVM dfrazier@services.dese.state.mo.us
There have been some excellent comments about synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (thumps) posted to which I have little to add. It might be of some interest to the group if they considered what the function of calcium is in the body.
Firstly, the roles calcium plays are beyond memorization. The following is only the most important of an incomplete list.
Intuitively, we know that the bones contain calcium (and phosphorus) to mineralize the collegen matrix thereby contributing to the tensile strength of bone. What is underrecognized and mostly underaprreciated is the other important roles calcium plays.
Nerves communicate with muscles via a chemical conversation involving neurotransmitters (acetylcholine). The release of the neurotransmitter from the nerve endings is dependent upon calcium moving into the nerve. In other species (cattle), calcium deficiency causes paralysis; although man, the dog, and the horse present differently.
The endocrine system (by releasing hormones into the blood) along with the nervous system provides the control and cooridination of other body systems. SOME hormones have their effect on target tissues by activating a "second messenger" within the cell that results in the effect of the hormone. Calcium is a "second messenger" in some of these very important control cycles. (The action of insulin to cause cells to take glucose out of the blood is dependent upon calcium as a second messenger.)
The instigation of all muscle contraction is dependent upon calcium being released from its protein bound storage sites in the muscle cell into its ionic (Ca++) form. Likewise, muscle relaxation requires that ionic calcium must be rebound. Speculatively, some forms of early tying up syndrome may be the result of an aberration of this process.
The blood levels of calcium also effect the STRENGTH of the heart muscle contraction, not necessarily its rate under less than normal circumstances. Note: In the veterinary check points on an endurance ride, its the rate that sets the "gate" for the horse to be examined. We do not have any good horseside parameters on endurance rides to assess strength of contraction.
Blood calcium deficiency results in an increased irritability of neuro-muscular tissue, since calcium blocks sodium gates in normal circumstances in these tissues. (Physiologist say that the nerve is closer to threshold). Because the nerve is more likely to "fire" with calcium deficiency, irritation to the phrenic nerves that course over the base of the heart by the spontaneous depolarization of the sinoatrial node (the pacemaker of the heart) results in the "firing" of the nerve. The contraction of the abdominal muscles timed to the beating of the heart is the classical presenting clinical signs of calcium deficiency in the horse. We can see and measure this horseside at endurance rides. The other effects listed above go by without notice.
SHOULD A THUMPING HORSE BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE IN AN ENDURANCE RIDE?
Recognize that a thumping horse is contending with more than a non painful jerking of its flanks. The horse is in the throws of a metabolic state whose effects occur at the cellular and the subcellular level and whose effects can not be measured easliy.
If the ride is being run under AERC rules, then the horse must be fit to continue which involves three parameters:
1. Not consistently lame at the trot
2. Recovery to a preset heart rate
3. Metabolically stable
At many, many rides these parameters must be met within 30 minutes of arrival at the veterinary examination point.
Therefore, a thumpimg horse that continues to thump past the 30 minutes of entry into the check should be eliminated under our rules in order to maintain an even playing field across the country.
SHOULD A THUMPING HORSE BE CONSIDERED FOR BEST CONDITION?
As synchronous diaphragmatic flutter is by definition an unstable metabolic state, they should not be considered for an award recognizing superior conditioning and performance. I agree with Dr. Tomlinson that if the thumper is the best of those available for consideration, the award should not be given at that ride.
Diane
Greg Meyer - gmeyer@cvmmdl2.msstate.edu
Thumps are caused by an electrolyte imbalance. As a result of the inbalance the cells that make up the phrenic nerve (as well as other nerves) are not repolarized to the same level as in a normal animal. The result of this is the nerve cells are very near their firing treshold and can spontainsly fire or fire with very little stimulation. In electrolite inbalance, the phrenic nerve can be stimulated to fire by the physical and / or electrical activity of the heart. The phrenic nerve runs in very close proximity to the heart. When a stimulis is transmited by the phrenic nerve (the nerve fires) the diaphragm contracts, this is why the the diaphragm flutters in unison with the beating of the heart.
The electrolyte imbalance(s) seen in thumps is usually hypocalcemia,hypochloremia, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia. This can come about from a variety of reasons one of them being prolonged exercise. Feeds high in calcium (alphala for example) may predispose a horse to thumps because these feeds renders the animal less able to liberate Ca from their bone stores. Treatment is by electrolite replacement.
Greg
Mike Tomlinson, DVM
"Thumps" (SDF) is a problem that we have had problems dealing with for many years. In some horses it indicates impending doom in others it is as significant as a slight cough.
We know what causes thumps, we know how to treat thumps, we can do some things to prevent thumps, but no one can tell you the severity of every case of thumps. The worst are easy to agree, the very slight most agree upon, but the vast majority in between are an enigma as to the true consequences in the middle of a ride.
The descision to pull for thumps is just as infinitely variable. Fifteen years ago everybody pulled every horse that even thought of thumping. Ten years ago the west coast decided that a little thumping was not all that worrysome and quit pulling. Five years ago it was decided for the sake of uniformity that everyone would once agian pull all thumping horses. (Dates are very approximate and gross generalities only).
I have personally known horses that thumped on every ride and did very well (during the time that thumpers were allowed to continue on). I have seen horses that eventually died start by just slightly thumping.
Veterinarians that have a thorough knowledge of physiology, anatomy and endurance may be able to evaluate the level of danger that the thumps indicate. Notice I say "may be able" not "are able".
It is my personal opinion, though, that thumping horses, due to the inability of the average person observing to evaluate the severity of the problem, should not be awarded BC and should not be allowed to continue out of any vet check if thumping.
Mike Tomlinson
Tomlinson Equine
CMikeT@AOL.com
Mike@Tomlinson.com
Dane Frazier, DVM dfrazier@services.dese.state.mo.us
There have been some excellent comments about synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (thumps) posted to which I have little to add. It might be of some interest to the group if they considered what the function of calcium is in the body.
Firstly, the roles calcium plays are beyond memorization. The following is only the most important of an incomplete list.
Intuitively, we know that the bones contain calcium (and phosphorus) to mineralize the collegen matrix thereby contributing to the tensile strength of bone. What is underrecognized and mostly underaprreciated is the other important roles calcium plays.
Nerves communicate with muscles via a chemical conversation involving neurotransmitters (acetylcholine). The release of the neurotransmitter from the nerve endings is dependent upon calcium moving into the nerve. In other species (cattle), calcium deficiency causes paralysis; although man, the dog, and the horse present differently.
The endocrine system (by releasing hormones into the blood) along with the nervous system provides the control and cooridination of other body systems. SOME hormones have their effect on target tissues by activating a "second messenger" within the cell that results in the effect of the hormone. Calcium is a "second messenger" in some of these very important control cycles. (The action of insulin to cause cells to take glucose out of the blood is dependent upon calcium as a second messenger.)
The instigation of all muscle contraction is dependent upon calcium being released from its protein bound storage sites in the muscle cell into its ionic (Ca++) form. Likewise, muscle relaxation requires that ionic calcium must be rebound. Speculatively, some forms of early tying up syndrome may be the result of an aberration of this process.
The blood levels of calcium also effect the STRENGTH of the heart muscle contraction, not necessarily its rate under less than normal circumstances. Note: In the veterinary check points on an endurance ride, its the rate that sets the "gate" for the horse to be examined. We do not have any good horseside parameters on endurance rides to assess strength of contraction.
Blood calcium deficiency results in an increased irritability of neuro-muscular tissue, since calcium blocks sodium gates in normal circumstances in these tissues. (Physiologist say that the nerve is closer to threshold). Because the nerve is more likely to "fire" with calcium deficiency, irritation to the phrenic nerves that course over the base of the heart by the spontaneous depolarization of the sinoatrial node (the pacemaker of the heart) results in the "firing" of the nerve. The contraction of the abdominal muscles timed to the beating of the heart is the classical presenting clinical signs of calcium deficiency in the horse. We can see and measure this horseside at endurance rides. The other effects listed above go by without notice.
SHOULD A THUMPING HORSE BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE IN AN ENDURANCE RIDE?
Recognize that a thumping horse is contending with more than a non painful jerking of its flanks. The horse is in the throws of a metabolic state whose effects occur at the cellular and the subcellular level and whose effects can not be measured easliy.
If the ride is being run under AERC rules, then the horse must be fit to continue which involves three parameters:
1. Not consistently lame at the trot
2. Recovery to a preset heart rate
3. Metabolically stable
At many, many rides these parameters must be met within 30 minutes of arrival at the veterinary examination point.
Therefore, a thumpimg horse that continues to thump past the 30 minutes of entry into the check should be eliminated under our rules in order to maintain an even playing field across the country.
SHOULD A THUMPING HORSE BE CONSIDERED FOR BEST CONDITION?
As synchronous diaphragmatic flutter is by definition an unstable metabolic state, they should not be considered for an award recognizing superior conditioning and performance. I agree with Dr. Tomlinson that if the thumper is the best of those available for consideration, the award should not be given at that ride.
Diane
Greg Meyer - gmeyer@cvmmdl2.msstate.edu
Thumps are caused by an electrolyte imbalance. As a result of the inbalance the cells that make up the phrenic nerve (as well as other nerves) are not repolarized to the same level as in a normal animal. The result of this is the nerve cells are very near their firing treshold and can spontainsly fire or fire with very little stimulation. In electrolite inbalance, the phrenic nerve can be stimulated to fire by the physical and / or electrical activity of the heart. The phrenic nerve runs in very close proximity to the heart. When a stimulis is transmited by the phrenic nerve (the nerve fires) the diaphragm contracts, this is why the the diaphragm flutters in unison with the beating of the heart.
The electrolyte imbalance(s) seen in thumps is usually hypocalcemia,hypochloremia, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia. This can come about from a variety of reasons one of them being prolonged exercise. Feeds high in calcium (alphala for example) may predispose a horse to thumps because these feeds renders the animal less able to liberate Ca from their bone stores. Treatment is by electrolite replacement.
Greg
Electrolytes and "Thumps" - Lynn Crespo
Hi Everybody! I have been enjoying the discussions from the wings for a while now but since Truman Prevatt hinted that I am shy regarding the work I have been doing, I decided to prove him wrong and offer some of what I have been studying with the rest of you.
My background is that I have a Ph.D. in Pharmacology, specializing in renal and cardiovascular,and have been teaching Medical school for 8 years now. My husband, Carlos, and I got involved with endurance 2 years ago; He rides and I crew. We have 2 boys Daniel, 9, who also rides with his father, and Scott, 5 who helps Mom. Our most recent accomplishment where we "field tested" some of my knowledge was the Old Dominion, where Carlos and Cody were 1 of the 10 to finish the race. Cody`s recovery rates at all the vet checks were 2 minutes or less, with no need to sponge him for cooling, even though the temperatures were in the 90`s and humidity was the same. Much of the success is due to the fact that Cody is a remarkable horse, and we like to think that our planning and program helped with the rest.
Just a little background on electrolytes to begin with. The major electrolytes that are of importance in the endurance situation are sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), chloride (Cl-) and magnesium (Mg2+). Of all of these, K+ is the most crucial to maintain in order to avoid most of the metabolic problems, such as "thumps" and cramping and "tying-up".
Without going in to a complete lecture, the body is extremely efficient at reabsorbing Na+ in the kidneys in order to reabsorb water during periods of dehydration. This Na+ reabsorption and water reabsorption is done at the expense of K+ losses. In other words, when the horse starts to become dehydrated his kidneys will filter the blood and reabsorb almost 99% of the Na+ in it. Whenever Na+ is reabsorbed back into the bloodstream water will follow so that the urine output is decreased and the animal conserves water. The downfall is that as the kidneys reabsorb this Na+ back into the blood, they are eliminating K+. Therefore the urine contains a lot of K+ and little Na+.
This K+ loss in the urine is compounded by extreme K+ losses in the sweat. K+ may be concentrated in horse sweat 10-20x greater than in the blood.
Other factors causing K+ depletion in these horses are alkalosis, which results from the horses breathing rapidly, epinephrine (adrenaline - which is really flowing at the beginning of the race!) and insulin release, which occurs most when the animals are fed sugary concoctions.
So what`s the big deal about K+? K+ is the electrolyte in the body that is responsible for setting the "resting membrane potential" of all electrically active tissues; which includes the heart, the entire nervous system, and the response of muscle tissue to contract. The "resting membrane potential" is going to determine
1) How sensitive the tissue is to electrical stimulation.
2) Whether that tissue will react, or whether it will relax.
3) How fast the tissue will react.
4) Whether the tissue can react a second time, or does it becomes refractory.
For those who don`t care about all the background, the bottom line is that K+ depletion will lead to:
1) Vasoconstriction and reduced blood flow to the muscles. This will result in cramping, tying-up and the breakdown of muscle tissue. When muscle tissue breaks down (known as rhabdomyolysis) it releases a protein called myoblobin. Myoglobin is toxic to the kidney - resulting in damage and reduced ability of the kidneys to compensate for further dehydration and reduced ability to rehydrate after the race.
2) Increased sensitivity of the nerve that controls the diaphragm and therefore respiration rate. When this nerve (the phrenic nerve) becomes sensitive it begins to respond to the electrical impulses coming from the pacemaker of the heart and will fire and cause the diaphragm to contract in synchrony with every heartbeat. This is "thumps" - or medically known as synchronized diaphragmatic flutter.
Treatment of thumps usually entails the administration of electrolyte solutions containing extra calcium. The calcium itself will suppress electrical activity, therefore it will decrease the sensitivity of the nerve to the diaphragm so that it does not respond to the heartbeat. However, calcium alone does not treat the underlying cause of the problem, which is potassium depletion (compounded by alkalosis). Thumps can be avoided by maintaining K+ to begin with.
So the question of the day is "How much K+ is needed to avoid these problems?" Obviously there is much research aimed at just this question. The point is, that a 2 oz. dose of standard electrolytes is nowhere near sufficient to make up for what the horses are losing. In addition, some calcium is essential to balance what is happening electrically in the animals.
The electrolyte formula that I used for our horse at the Old Dominion was 4 oz of the powdered Equilytes (which would be 1420 mg of K+) plus an additional teaspoon of KCl (which is an additional 2240 mg of K+) mixed in unsweetened applesauce. We administer this every 10-15 miles, which often means between vetchecks. In addition, early in the race I add 600 mg of Ca2+ with Vitamin D to the electrolyte mixture.
A few words about calcium. No matter what form it is in, the absorption of calcium out of the gut into the bloodstream is absolutely dependent on vitamin D. In horses fed routine diets of alfalfa which contains high amounts of calcium and phosphorous, these animals have shut down the production of the hormone that is responsible for signalling the manufacture of vitamin D. Therefore they do not absorb calcium when it is presented to them orally in electrolyte solutions. The calcium then remains in the gut and will suppress electrical and muscle activity in the gut and can lead to suppression of gut motility, colic and impactions. Even if the horses do not receive alfalfa in their diets, too much orally administered calcium may reduce gut motility. If gut sounds are not normal, I do not add extra calcium to the electrolyte solution. However, I always give calcium with VITAMIN D.
Now as you can all see, I am never short of words so I would like to dispel the myth that I am "shy". I hope this will help some of you understand the overall importance and "why" we give electrolytes. Let me finish by saying that I have not had the opportunity to do the necessary blood tests on a large number of horses to absolutely document our results. I do know that under the most extreme conditions our horse had unbelievable recoveries (1-2 minutes) and never showed any indications of cramping or metabolic problems. His pulse after trotting him out for the CRI was many times lower than the initial reading. This is a young 6 year old gelding who has less than 500 total miles.
I would love to hear anybody else`s opinions or answer any questions you might have. You know where to find me!
(continuation of electrolyte discussion with emphasis on thumps)
I am pleased to know that some of you found my first article on electrolytes helpful. Stephanie Teeter let me know that in can be found on the endurance homepage along with other articles by Dane Frazier, Mike Tomlinson and Greg Meyer.
With regards to the article by Dane Frazier and the importance of Calcium in the development of "thumps"-SDF, I would like to express my agreement with his review of the role of calcium as a second messenger in many cell physiological processes. Calcium is an absolutely essential electrolyte and the number of roles that it plays can not be completely listed to this date. However, even the cellular concentration of calcium is linked to potassium. For any of you biochemists out there:
1) The intracellular concentrations of Na+ and K+ are main- tained by an energy requiring pump known as the Na+/K+ ATPase.
2) The Na+/K+ ATPase pumps Na+ out of cells and K+ into cells. Therefore, intracellular Na+ concentrations are low and K+ concentrations are high, with respect to outside the cells.
3) The rate at which the Na+/K+ ATPase works is dependent on how much K+ is available on the outside of the cell. When extra- cellular K+ is low the pump slows down, leading to an increase in the amount of Na+ that is inside the cell. The cells must somehow get rid of this Na+,
4) Na+ is then eliminated through 2 alternate routes. The first is through Na+/Ca2+ exchange. So that intracellular Ca2+ may actually increase, as intracellular Na+ is returned to normal. The second alternate pathway for Na+ is in exchange for protons (H+). This results in a movement of H+ into the cells, making them acidic, but leaving a deficit of H+ outside the cells, possibly(?) adding to the alkalosis of the plasma.
5) The extra calcium that is brought in through Na/Ca2+ exchange must be stored inside the cells, because if it is free, "floating" around it starts to turn on many biochemical processes as it works as a second messenger. This could be spontaneous muscle contractions (from tremors to cramping), or contraction of the smooth muscle of blood vessels, reducing blood flow and leading to further muscle cramping. In the heart it can lead to many different forms of arrhythmias and can be life threatening.
I do not want to be misinterpreted as down playing the role of calcium in the development of thumps - SDF. Normal extracellular calcium is essential for maintaining the integrity of cell membranes, for stabilizing the electrical charges across membranes, and also extracellular calcium helps modulate how much Na+ enters cells during action potentials (when the nerve fires and tells the muscles to contract). When extracellular Ca2+ is low the nerve cells become "irritable" and fire more easily. But because K+ is low, they are also more "irritable", since K+ determines where those cells are at rest. It is really a combination of many factors that leads to thumps.
I haven`t even addressed what part alkalosis (low plasma H+ concentration) plays. To make a very long story short, during alkalosis the connections between the nerve cells all down the length of the nerve fiber are called gap junctions. In order for a signal to be transmitted down the entire length of a nerve fiber the electrical impulse must pass from one cell to the next through gap junctions. When these gap junctions are narrowed, it is difficult for the signal to continue - it is meeting a high degree of resistance. When they are opened, electrical impulses can travel easily since resistance is low. Alkalosis opens gap junctions and lowers the resistance to electrical activity. Therefore, even a very small impulse can travel farther, recruit more channels and activity and lead to firing of the nerve. This is most likely also involved in thumps. By the way, alkalosis will also cause the kidneys to eliminate more potassium - complicating everything starting from ground zero. Conversely, potassium depletion (like from dehydration) will cause alkalosis, leading to decreased resistance to electrical activity. A double whammy!
I think that`s enough for tonight. There is no simple explanation of what is occuring in the endurance horses. Although I do not ride, I always crew. Electrophysiology and cardiovascular pharmacology are my obsessions. If you are interested I can supply references regarding the basics of what I have been discussing. My personal opinion regarding thumps in the endurance horse, is that it is an extremely unpredictable condition and the thumping horse should not continue. There is absolutely no way at a vet check for a veterinarian to know what plasma K+ levels, Ca2+ levels and pH of blood are. Electrolyte supplements may temporarily suppress the situation, but what is going to happen over the next 10 miles. Calcium alone may suppress the problem, but the underlying causes are very involved. I do not feel it is worth risking the horse. I would be interested in others opinions.
Lynn Crespo
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Pharmacology
Nova-Southeastern University
My home is in Davie, FL!
lynn@alpha.acast.nova.edu
My background is that I have a Ph.D. in Pharmacology, specializing in renal and cardiovascular,and have been teaching Medical school for 8 years now. My husband, Carlos, and I got involved with endurance 2 years ago; He rides and I crew. We have 2 boys Daniel, 9, who also rides with his father, and Scott, 5 who helps Mom. Our most recent accomplishment where we "field tested" some of my knowledge was the Old Dominion, where Carlos and Cody were 1 of the 10 to finish the race. Cody`s recovery rates at all the vet checks were 2 minutes or less, with no need to sponge him for cooling, even though the temperatures were in the 90`s and humidity was the same. Much of the success is due to the fact that Cody is a remarkable horse, and we like to think that our planning and program helped with the rest.
Just a little background on electrolytes to begin with. The major electrolytes that are of importance in the endurance situation are sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), chloride (Cl-) and magnesium (Mg2+). Of all of these, K+ is the most crucial to maintain in order to avoid most of the metabolic problems, such as "thumps" and cramping and "tying-up".
Without going in to a complete lecture, the body is extremely efficient at reabsorbing Na+ in the kidneys in order to reabsorb water during periods of dehydration. This Na+ reabsorption and water reabsorption is done at the expense of K+ losses. In other words, when the horse starts to become dehydrated his kidneys will filter the blood and reabsorb almost 99% of the Na+ in it. Whenever Na+ is reabsorbed back into the bloodstream water will follow so that the urine output is decreased and the animal conserves water. The downfall is that as the kidneys reabsorb this Na+ back into the blood, they are eliminating K+. Therefore the urine contains a lot of K+ and little Na+.
This K+ loss in the urine is compounded by extreme K+ losses in the sweat. K+ may be concentrated in horse sweat 10-20x greater than in the blood.
Other factors causing K+ depletion in these horses are alkalosis, which results from the horses breathing rapidly, epinephrine (adrenaline - which is really flowing at the beginning of the race!) and insulin release, which occurs most when the animals are fed sugary concoctions.
So what`s the big deal about K+? K+ is the electrolyte in the body that is responsible for setting the "resting membrane potential" of all electrically active tissues; which includes the heart, the entire nervous system, and the response of muscle tissue to contract. The "resting membrane potential" is going to determine
1) How sensitive the tissue is to electrical stimulation.
2) Whether that tissue will react, or whether it will relax.
3) How fast the tissue will react.
4) Whether the tissue can react a second time, or does it becomes refractory.
For those who don`t care about all the background, the bottom line is that K+ depletion will lead to:
1) Vasoconstriction and reduced blood flow to the muscles. This will result in cramping, tying-up and the breakdown of muscle tissue. When muscle tissue breaks down (known as rhabdomyolysis) it releases a protein called myoblobin. Myoglobin is toxic to the kidney - resulting in damage and reduced ability of the kidneys to compensate for further dehydration and reduced ability to rehydrate after the race.
2) Increased sensitivity of the nerve that controls the diaphragm and therefore respiration rate. When this nerve (the phrenic nerve) becomes sensitive it begins to respond to the electrical impulses coming from the pacemaker of the heart and will fire and cause the diaphragm to contract in synchrony with every heartbeat. This is "thumps" - or medically known as synchronized diaphragmatic flutter.
Treatment of thumps usually entails the administration of electrolyte solutions containing extra calcium. The calcium itself will suppress electrical activity, therefore it will decrease the sensitivity of the nerve to the diaphragm so that it does not respond to the heartbeat. However, calcium alone does not treat the underlying cause of the problem, which is potassium depletion (compounded by alkalosis). Thumps can be avoided by maintaining K+ to begin with.
So the question of the day is "How much K+ is needed to avoid these problems?" Obviously there is much research aimed at just this question. The point is, that a 2 oz. dose of standard electrolytes is nowhere near sufficient to make up for what the horses are losing. In addition, some calcium is essential to balance what is happening electrically in the animals.
The electrolyte formula that I used for our horse at the Old Dominion was 4 oz of the powdered Equilytes (which would be 1420 mg of K+) plus an additional teaspoon of KCl (which is an additional 2240 mg of K+) mixed in unsweetened applesauce. We administer this every 10-15 miles, which often means between vetchecks. In addition, early in the race I add 600 mg of Ca2+ with Vitamin D to the electrolyte mixture.
A few words about calcium. No matter what form it is in, the absorption of calcium out of the gut into the bloodstream is absolutely dependent on vitamin D. In horses fed routine diets of alfalfa which contains high amounts of calcium and phosphorous, these animals have shut down the production of the hormone that is responsible for signalling the manufacture of vitamin D. Therefore they do not absorb calcium when it is presented to them orally in electrolyte solutions. The calcium then remains in the gut and will suppress electrical and muscle activity in the gut and can lead to suppression of gut motility, colic and impactions. Even if the horses do not receive alfalfa in their diets, too much orally administered calcium may reduce gut motility. If gut sounds are not normal, I do not add extra calcium to the electrolyte solution. However, I always give calcium with VITAMIN D.
Now as you can all see, I am never short of words so I would like to dispel the myth that I am "shy". I hope this will help some of you understand the overall importance and "why" we give electrolytes. Let me finish by saying that I have not had the opportunity to do the necessary blood tests on a large number of horses to absolutely document our results. I do know that under the most extreme conditions our horse had unbelievable recoveries (1-2 minutes) and never showed any indications of cramping or metabolic problems. His pulse after trotting him out for the CRI was many times lower than the initial reading. This is a young 6 year old gelding who has less than 500 total miles.
I would love to hear anybody else`s opinions or answer any questions you might have. You know where to find me!
(continuation of electrolyte discussion with emphasis on thumps)
I am pleased to know that some of you found my first article on electrolytes helpful. Stephanie Teeter let me know that in can be found on the endurance homepage along with other articles by Dane Frazier, Mike Tomlinson and Greg Meyer.
With regards to the article by Dane Frazier and the importance of Calcium in the development of "thumps"-SDF, I would like to express my agreement with his review of the role of calcium as a second messenger in many cell physiological processes. Calcium is an absolutely essential electrolyte and the number of roles that it plays can not be completely listed to this date. However, even the cellular concentration of calcium is linked to potassium. For any of you biochemists out there:
1) The intracellular concentrations of Na+ and K+ are main- tained by an energy requiring pump known as the Na+/K+ ATPase.
2) The Na+/K+ ATPase pumps Na+ out of cells and K+ into cells. Therefore, intracellular Na+ concentrations are low and K+ concentrations are high, with respect to outside the cells.
3) The rate at which the Na+/K+ ATPase works is dependent on how much K+ is available on the outside of the cell. When extra- cellular K+ is low the pump slows down, leading to an increase in the amount of Na+ that is inside the cell. The cells must somehow get rid of this Na+,
4) Na+ is then eliminated through 2 alternate routes. The first is through Na+/Ca2+ exchange. So that intracellular Ca2+ may actually increase, as intracellular Na+ is returned to normal. The second alternate pathway for Na+ is in exchange for protons (H+). This results in a movement of H+ into the cells, making them acidic, but leaving a deficit of H+ outside the cells, possibly(?) adding to the alkalosis of the plasma.
5) The extra calcium that is brought in through Na/Ca2+ exchange must be stored inside the cells, because if it is free, "floating" around it starts to turn on many biochemical processes as it works as a second messenger. This could be spontaneous muscle contractions (from tremors to cramping), or contraction of the smooth muscle of blood vessels, reducing blood flow and leading to further muscle cramping. In the heart it can lead to many different forms of arrhythmias and can be life threatening.
I do not want to be misinterpreted as down playing the role of calcium in the development of thumps - SDF. Normal extracellular calcium is essential for maintaining the integrity of cell membranes, for stabilizing the electrical charges across membranes, and also extracellular calcium helps modulate how much Na+ enters cells during action potentials (when the nerve fires and tells the muscles to contract). When extracellular Ca2+ is low the nerve cells become "irritable" and fire more easily. But because K+ is low, they are also more "irritable", since K+ determines where those cells are at rest. It is really a combination of many factors that leads to thumps.
I haven`t even addressed what part alkalosis (low plasma H+ concentration) plays. To make a very long story short, during alkalosis the connections between the nerve cells all down the length of the nerve fiber are called gap junctions. In order for a signal to be transmitted down the entire length of a nerve fiber the electrical impulse must pass from one cell to the next through gap junctions. When these gap junctions are narrowed, it is difficult for the signal to continue - it is meeting a high degree of resistance. When they are opened, electrical impulses can travel easily since resistance is low. Alkalosis opens gap junctions and lowers the resistance to electrical activity. Therefore, even a very small impulse can travel farther, recruit more channels and activity and lead to firing of the nerve. This is most likely also involved in thumps. By the way, alkalosis will also cause the kidneys to eliminate more potassium - complicating everything starting from ground zero. Conversely, potassium depletion (like from dehydration) will cause alkalosis, leading to decreased resistance to electrical activity. A double whammy!
I think that`s enough for tonight. There is no simple explanation of what is occuring in the endurance horses. Although I do not ride, I always crew. Electrophysiology and cardiovascular pharmacology are my obsessions. If you are interested I can supply references regarding the basics of what I have been discussing. My personal opinion regarding thumps in the endurance horse, is that it is an extremely unpredictable condition and the thumping horse should not continue. There is absolutely no way at a vet check for a veterinarian to know what plasma K+ levels, Ca2+ levels and pH of blood are. Electrolyte supplements may temporarily suppress the situation, but what is going to happen over the next 10 miles. Calcium alone may suppress the problem, but the underlying causes are very involved. I do not feel it is worth risking the horse. I would be interested in others opinions.
Lynn Crespo
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Pharmacology
Nova-Southeastern University
My home is in Davie, FL!
lynn@alpha.acast.nova.edu
Probiotics and Feeding - Susan Evans
OK, here`s the basic version of Adventures in Digestion, sorry if it`s mostly stuff you know. Or, if I "pontificate"! :-> Better too thorough than not thorough enough...
As you know, food is broken down through chewing and chemical action (enzymes and hydrochloric acid) in the mouth and stomach, in order to make the nutrients more available for absorption. After food leaves the horse`s stomach, it passes into the small intestine, followed by the cecum and the rest of the hindgut. (The foregut consists of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach and small intestine. The hindgut consists of the cecum, large colon, small colon, rectum and anus.) The small intestine absorbs the majority (though not all) of the soluble nutrients, such as sugars, starches, proteins, pectin and fats. What`s left over at this point is mostly fiber from the plant cell walls which are made up of structural carbohydrates (hemi-cellulose and cellulose), lignin, silica, maybe some protein that`s tied up in the cell walls and the inorganic material such as minerals. All of this ingesta moves from the small intestine into the cecum, which is a big, closed ended bag holding around 7-8 gallons of food, depending on the size of the horse.
At this point the carbohydrates in the fiber is tied up in a form that isn`t particularly easy to utilize. In the cecum, there is a population of microbes ("bugs") that ferment and break down the fiber so that the nutrients in it can be absorbed. The structural carbohydrates from plant cell walls that are made available through this fermentation are absorbed from the cecum in the form of volatile fatty acids, as are hopefully whatever is left of the soluble carbohydrates that didn`t get picked up in the small intestine. These VFA`s are then utilized for energy production. The microbes also produce B vitamins. There is some thought that other vitamins and amino acids may also be produced and absorbed in the hindgut, but so far no one really knows and for the most part, protein absorption is thought to be pretty low. All this microbial action also produces quite a bit of heat, which is why feeding more hay on a cold day will keep the horse warmer than will feeding more grain, which is primarily soluble carbohydrate (and therefore absorbed in the small intestine, without producing heat of digestion).
After leaving the cecum, the ingesta then goes through the large colon, where vitamins and water are absorbed while yet more fermentation and energy (VFA) absorption goes on (not as much, though). Eventually, the ingesta goes through the small colon and rectum and what`s left over is what your friend leaves for you on his stall floor.
One of the things to remember about equine digestion (or any other animal for that matter) is that`s it`s not 100% efficient. There`s always going to be nutrients left over in the manure---enough, as a matter of fact, to raise a pig to close to market weight without having to supplment the pig. I know, gross. This is the kind of weird stuff you get in Animal Science. It used to be (may still be) a common practice in the UK and Europe to let pigs "follow" grain-fed cattle and horses after they`d been on a pasture for awhile.
Anyway, to finally get to probiotics. The whole point of feeding probiotics is to try and raise the feed efficiency as much as possible. There are other management practices that will help do this as well (ie feed a consistent ration, in small, frequent meals, processing some of the hard grains, keeping the teeth floated, etc.) but the idea behind probiotics is to keep the microbial population at an optimum level. The more bugs that are present in the cecum when a load of fiber comes through, the more "workers" there are available to break down the fiber and extract as much nutrition as possible before the ingesta travels on down the road. The rate of passage through the digestive tract is controlled by hormones and blood supply, etc., things other than the microbes themselves. Therefore, if a supply of food leaves the cecum and colon before the microbes have had a chance to fully digest it, then it just doesn`t get digested, and those nutrients still remaining are just wasted and excreted in the manure. This is why keeping an optimum population of bugs in the cecum contributes to feed efficiency.
Hmmmm. It would be really neat to see what the difference in heat production is between a horse with a full load of microbes on board vs. a horse with a low population of bugs, huh? Hey, Gayle, got a metabolic chamber we can borrow???? (And maybe some funding?)
A few years ago, Michael Glade at Northwestern did a bunch of work on probiotics (specifically a yeast culture called Yea-Sacc 1040) in horses and also found out that growth was better in weanlings and yearlings fed probiotics, had less incidences of bone disorders, horses at work held their weight better and lactating mares had a higher butterfat content in their milk. The same stuff has been used for years in the dairy and pork industry for those reasons. Nifty stuff, huh?
Anyway, I`ve used several different brands on the market, as sometimes our supply around here isn`t consistent and I`ve had good results with pretty much all of them. Someone at Kentucky Research told me once that Forco is a different product and doesn`t act the same way, but I don`t know the details. Whenever I can, I use the Yea-Sacc, just cuz that was the strain that was utilized in all the research, and you know how I love statistics.
Anyway, the bottom line on probiotics is that it does not replace good nutrition, it just helps the horse get everything he can out of it when he is fed a good diet. As everyone has been saying for the past week or so, the fancy stuff should be used as a supplement to, not a replacement for, just plain ol` good horsemanship.
I hope I got all this right, it`s still a little early in the day and I`m kinda winging it on some of this. If any of the vets or physiologists lurking in the bushes can correct me on boo-boos, I`d appreciate it.
Susan Evans suendavid@worldnet.att.net
As you know, food is broken down through chewing and chemical action (enzymes and hydrochloric acid) in the mouth and stomach, in order to make the nutrients more available for absorption. After food leaves the horse`s stomach, it passes into the small intestine, followed by the cecum and the rest of the hindgut. (The foregut consists of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach and small intestine. The hindgut consists of the cecum, large colon, small colon, rectum and anus.) The small intestine absorbs the majority (though not all) of the soluble nutrients, such as sugars, starches, proteins, pectin and fats. What`s left over at this point is mostly fiber from the plant cell walls which are made up of structural carbohydrates (hemi-cellulose and cellulose), lignin, silica, maybe some protein that`s tied up in the cell walls and the inorganic material such as minerals. All of this ingesta moves from the small intestine into the cecum, which is a big, closed ended bag holding around 7-8 gallons of food, depending on the size of the horse.
At this point the carbohydrates in the fiber is tied up in a form that isn`t particularly easy to utilize. In the cecum, there is a population of microbes ("bugs") that ferment and break down the fiber so that the nutrients in it can be absorbed. The structural carbohydrates from plant cell walls that are made available through this fermentation are absorbed from the cecum in the form of volatile fatty acids, as are hopefully whatever is left of the soluble carbohydrates that didn`t get picked up in the small intestine. These VFA`s are then utilized for energy production. The microbes also produce B vitamins. There is some thought that other vitamins and amino acids may also be produced and absorbed in the hindgut, but so far no one really knows and for the most part, protein absorption is thought to be pretty low. All this microbial action also produces quite a bit of heat, which is why feeding more hay on a cold day will keep the horse warmer than will feeding more grain, which is primarily soluble carbohydrate (and therefore absorbed in the small intestine, without producing heat of digestion).
After leaving the cecum, the ingesta then goes through the large colon, where vitamins and water are absorbed while yet more fermentation and energy (VFA) absorption goes on (not as much, though). Eventually, the ingesta goes through the small colon and rectum and what`s left over is what your friend leaves for you on his stall floor.
One of the things to remember about equine digestion (or any other animal for that matter) is that`s it`s not 100% efficient. There`s always going to be nutrients left over in the manure---enough, as a matter of fact, to raise a pig to close to market weight without having to supplment the pig. I know, gross. This is the kind of weird stuff you get in Animal Science. It used to be (may still be) a common practice in the UK and Europe to let pigs "follow" grain-fed cattle and horses after they`d been on a pasture for awhile.
Anyway, to finally get to probiotics. The whole point of feeding probiotics is to try and raise the feed efficiency as much as possible. There are other management practices that will help do this as well (ie feed a consistent ration, in small, frequent meals, processing some of the hard grains, keeping the teeth floated, etc.) but the idea behind probiotics is to keep the microbial population at an optimum level. The more bugs that are present in the cecum when a load of fiber comes through, the more "workers" there are available to break down the fiber and extract as much nutrition as possible before the ingesta travels on down the road. The rate of passage through the digestive tract is controlled by hormones and blood supply, etc., things other than the microbes themselves. Therefore, if a supply of food leaves the cecum and colon before the microbes have had a chance to fully digest it, then it just doesn`t get digested, and those nutrients still remaining are just wasted and excreted in the manure. This is why keeping an optimum population of bugs in the cecum contributes to feed efficiency.
Hmmmm. It would be really neat to see what the difference in heat production is between a horse with a full load of microbes on board vs. a horse with a low population of bugs, huh? Hey, Gayle, got a metabolic chamber we can borrow???? (And maybe some funding?)
A few years ago, Michael Glade at Northwestern did a bunch of work on probiotics (specifically a yeast culture called Yea-Sacc 1040) in horses and also found out that growth was better in weanlings and yearlings fed probiotics, had less incidences of bone disorders, horses at work held their weight better and lactating mares had a higher butterfat content in their milk. The same stuff has been used for years in the dairy and pork industry for those reasons. Nifty stuff, huh?
Anyway, I`ve used several different brands on the market, as sometimes our supply around here isn`t consistent and I`ve had good results with pretty much all of them. Someone at Kentucky Research told me once that Forco is a different product and doesn`t act the same way, but I don`t know the details. Whenever I can, I use the Yea-Sacc, just cuz that was the strain that was utilized in all the research, and you know how I love statistics.
Anyway, the bottom line on probiotics is that it does not replace good nutrition, it just helps the horse get everything he can out of it when he is fed a good diet. As everyone has been saying for the past week or so, the fancy stuff should be used as a supplement to, not a replacement for, just plain ol` good horsemanship.
I hope I got all this right, it`s still a little early in the day and I`m kinda winging it on some of this. If any of the vets or physiologists lurking in the bushes can correct me on boo-boos, I`d appreciate it.
Susan Evans suendavid@worldnet.att.net
Pulse Info, Etc...
To take a pulse, place the stethescope on the left side of the horse, in front of the girth and behind the elbow. If you need to, move the stethescope around a bit till you can hear the heart rate. If the horse has a strong slow rate, you should be able to hear a "lub-a-dub" sort of sound. If the heart rate is a bit faster or not so strong you`ll only hear "lub-dub". A trained vet will still hear the 3-beat.
Look at your watch, (I like to start on a 15 second interval to help my poor brain), at exactly 00 seconds (or whenever) listen for a heart beat. If the heart beats at exactly the 00, don`t count it. Start with the first beat after 00. This may be a quarter second or a full second or more. Count the beats till the watch says 15 seconds are up. If the heart beats at the 15 second mark, count that beat. Multiply times four for a full minute rate.
As mentioned last week, the "normal" heart rate varies with each horse, breed, condition and age. For the "average" endurance horse, you should have a rate near 40 beats per minute. Or 10 beats in 15 seconds. Your horse may have a rate of 8 or 15. Don`t concern yourself with the normal or average until you have listened to your horse`s rate for several weeks and know what is normal for him. The horse`s rate will increase or decrease with level of activity and excitement. I watched a horse "fail" the vet check-in because the mare was in heat and the previous horse to check-in was a stallion strutting his stuff. The vet asked the rider to bring the mare back in the morning.
I`m going to use some averages and normals here. Don`t worry if you don`t meet the exact numbers. Let`s say that Drake (my horse) has a resting rate of 9 (I`m also going to reduce my numbers to the 15 second interval). Once I saddle up and get ready to ride, he may be at 12. I`ll work him a bit, and expect him to be at 15, with a quickly lowering to 12 if I stop work. Then, I`ll do some real work and he may go up to 20. Race up a hill, jump off and take the pulse and he could be 40, which will drop quickly to 20, then taper off to 15. After long hard work out, I should be able to get him down to 15 very quickly, and back to 10 within half an hour.
Some one sent me the follow rates for their horse. They were using a heart rate monitor.
6 mph trot from 105 - 115 bpm
extended trot - 10 mph? 135 bpm
canter 140-155 bpm
sprint up at 100 foot rise hill in 1/8 mile peaks at 220 bpm.
it is back below 100 bpm in less than 60 sec
At a ride, the criteria will be set some where between 16 and 18 beats in 15 seconds (64 to 72). When you come into the vet check, you`ll have about 1/2 hour to get the horse`s heart rate down. After that, if the horse is not down, you probably have a problem. Most horses will come down (if ridden within the horse`s capacity) within a couple of minutes. If you walk into the vet check, many horses will be at criteria as soon as they come in the gate.
At a vet check, the vet looks for many factors in determining if the horse is fit to continue. There is a standard "card" for riders which lists these factors.
Heart rate, respiration rate. Respiration should be less than heart rate unless it is hot/humid, or the horse pants. Also, resp, should not count the pants, only the deep breaths.
Hydration. Usually done with a skin pinch test. Take pinch of skin at the shoulder. Pull and release. The skin should snap back immediately. A dehydrated horse may have skin tenting for several seconds.
Gut sounds. The horse should always have "gurrguling" in his guts.
Capilary refill. Take your hand and squeeze hard into a fist. Hold then release. Look at your palm. It will take a couple seconds for the white skin to get color back. The capilaries are refilling with blood. The longer it takes the more stress is being placed on the system. For the horse, lift the upper lip, press with a finger on the horse`s gum for a couple of seconds. Watch the color come back. This should happen in a second or two. You should do this at home just to see what is normal for you horse. This test is a good one to know if your horse is sick - you can tell the vet, heart rate, resp rate, cp rate, guts sounds, over the phone and the vet will be able to judge just how fast he has to get to your place.
Muscle tone, annal tone, attitude, general impression, and a few other items are noted.
CRI - Cardiac Recovery Index. The vet takes the heart rate. One minute later the vet takes the rate again. During that one minute, you must trot out the horse 100 feet (I think that`s the distance) and back. The heart rate at the end must still be at or lower than citeria. (Rider`s heart rate is not counted.)
Trot out - Also during the CRI, the vet will be inspecting the horse for lameness. If the horse appears a bit off, the vet may ask to trot the horse again, this time in a circle left and right. Depending on the ride and location, any lameness may be grounds for being pulled. The Tevis ride will pull even the slightest lameness at a couple of checks because if the rider were to continue, a couple miles further on, there is no way to get the horse off the trail. At most rides, a grade one lameness is allowed to continue. A grade two will probably be pulled. A grade three will always be pulled.
At trot out - your horse should be a loose lead. Don`t hold tight to the head. Don`t pull the horse around. The horse should trot beside you. Don`t block the vet`s view of the horse. Trot straight away from the vet and straight back to him. If you need a whip or crop, take it. Practice at home.
One other citeria you should always be look for is how you think your horse is going. You are with the horse the entire time. You have to be able to sense when something is wrong. If you think some thing is wrong, tell the vet. Don`t worry about being pulled. Some times the vet will look over the problem and tell you not to worry. Other times, the vet may be very happy you told him/her because they wouldn`t have seen the problem. You are the one that knows your horse best. You`ll know if it just isn`t your horse`s day to continue. Always listen to your horse.
Consider the following two situations. At the world chapionships, one rider realized half way through that her horse wasn`t fully up to snuff, she decided to ride for a finish and did so. (The story bit was in an earlier digest). At a ride I was at a few years ago a woman decided her horse was not working as he should, he was being lazy, and she pushed him on and on. At the vet check she was pulled and the horse sent to the hospital. He will never be ridden again because she pushed so hard his heart was damaged. I doubt anyone here would ever push so hard. And I don`t want to scare off the new comers. Just listen to you horse and know you horse. And don`t worry about telling a vet for fear you might be pulled for some little thing. The vets are fair.
Look at your watch, (I like to start on a 15 second interval to help my poor brain), at exactly 00 seconds (or whenever) listen for a heart beat. If the heart beats at exactly the 00, don`t count it. Start with the first beat after 00. This may be a quarter second or a full second or more. Count the beats till the watch says 15 seconds are up. If the heart beats at the 15 second mark, count that beat. Multiply times four for a full minute rate.
As mentioned last week, the "normal" heart rate varies with each horse, breed, condition and age. For the "average" endurance horse, you should have a rate near 40 beats per minute. Or 10 beats in 15 seconds. Your horse may have a rate of 8 or 15. Don`t concern yourself with the normal or average until you have listened to your horse`s rate for several weeks and know what is normal for him. The horse`s rate will increase or decrease with level of activity and excitement. I watched a horse "fail" the vet check-in because the mare was in heat and the previous horse to check-in was a stallion strutting his stuff. The vet asked the rider to bring the mare back in the morning.
I`m going to use some averages and normals here. Don`t worry if you don`t meet the exact numbers. Let`s say that Drake (my horse) has a resting rate of 9 (I`m also going to reduce my numbers to the 15 second interval). Once I saddle up and get ready to ride, he may be at 12. I`ll work him a bit, and expect him to be at 15, with a quickly lowering to 12 if I stop work. Then, I`ll do some real work and he may go up to 20. Race up a hill, jump off and take the pulse and he could be 40, which will drop quickly to 20, then taper off to 15. After long hard work out, I should be able to get him down to 15 very quickly, and back to 10 within half an hour.
Some one sent me the follow rates for their horse. They were using a heart rate monitor.
6 mph trot from 105 - 115 bpm
extended trot - 10 mph? 135 bpm
canter 140-155 bpm
sprint up at 100 foot rise hill in 1/8 mile peaks at 220 bpm.
it is back below 100 bpm in less than 60 sec
At a ride, the criteria will be set some where between 16 and 18 beats in 15 seconds (64 to 72). When you come into the vet check, you`ll have about 1/2 hour to get the horse`s heart rate down. After that, if the horse is not down, you probably have a problem. Most horses will come down (if ridden within the horse`s capacity) within a couple of minutes. If you walk into the vet check, many horses will be at criteria as soon as they come in the gate.
At a vet check, the vet looks for many factors in determining if the horse is fit to continue. There is a standard "card" for riders which lists these factors.
Heart rate, respiration rate. Respiration should be less than heart rate unless it is hot/humid, or the horse pants. Also, resp, should not count the pants, only the deep breaths.
Hydration. Usually done with a skin pinch test. Take pinch of skin at the shoulder. Pull and release. The skin should snap back immediately. A dehydrated horse may have skin tenting for several seconds.
Gut sounds. The horse should always have "gurrguling" in his guts.
Capilary refill. Take your hand and squeeze hard into a fist. Hold then release. Look at your palm. It will take a couple seconds for the white skin to get color back. The capilaries are refilling with blood. The longer it takes the more stress is being placed on the system. For the horse, lift the upper lip, press with a finger on the horse`s gum for a couple of seconds. Watch the color come back. This should happen in a second or two. You should do this at home just to see what is normal for you horse. This test is a good one to know if your horse is sick - you can tell the vet, heart rate, resp rate, cp rate, guts sounds, over the phone and the vet will be able to judge just how fast he has to get to your place.
Muscle tone, annal tone, attitude, general impression, and a few other items are noted.
CRI - Cardiac Recovery Index. The vet takes the heart rate. One minute later the vet takes the rate again. During that one minute, you must trot out the horse 100 feet (I think that`s the distance) and back. The heart rate at the end must still be at or lower than citeria. (Rider`s heart rate is not counted.)
Trot out - Also during the CRI, the vet will be inspecting the horse for lameness. If the horse appears a bit off, the vet may ask to trot the horse again, this time in a circle left and right. Depending on the ride and location, any lameness may be grounds for being pulled. The Tevis ride will pull even the slightest lameness at a couple of checks because if the rider were to continue, a couple miles further on, there is no way to get the horse off the trail. At most rides, a grade one lameness is allowed to continue. A grade two will probably be pulled. A grade three will always be pulled.
At trot out - your horse should be a loose lead. Don`t hold tight to the head. Don`t pull the horse around. The horse should trot beside you. Don`t block the vet`s view of the horse. Trot straight away from the vet and straight back to him. If you need a whip or crop, take it. Practice at home.
One other citeria you should always be look for is how you think your horse is going. You are with the horse the entire time. You have to be able to sense when something is wrong. If you think some thing is wrong, tell the vet. Don`t worry about being pulled. Some times the vet will look over the problem and tell you not to worry. Other times, the vet may be very happy you told him/her because they wouldn`t have seen the problem. You are the one that knows your horse best. You`ll know if it just isn`t your horse`s day to continue. Always listen to your horse.
Consider the following two situations. At the world chapionships, one rider realized half way through that her horse wasn`t fully up to snuff, she decided to ride for a finish and did so. (The story bit was in an earlier digest). At a ride I was at a few years ago a woman decided her horse was not working as he should, he was being lazy, and she pushed him on and on. At the vet check she was pulled and the horse sent to the hospital. He will never be ridden again because she pushed so hard his heart was damaged. I doubt anyone here would ever push so hard. And I don`t want to scare off the new comers. Just listen to you horse and know you horse. And don`t worry about telling a vet for fear you might be pulled for some little thing. The vets are fair.
Interval Training - Wendy L. Milner
The following is a write up of notes I did after attending a talk on Combined Training, specifically, the endurance phase of 3-day.
Each phase of interval training should be done 2 to 3 times per week. The entire work out should last between 1 and 2 hours. In addition, at least once a week, mountain training should be included in the horse`s schedule. In the mountain training, ignore speed. Let the horse pick the pace. Ride 2 to 4 hours.
At each training session, begin by taking the horse`s resting p&r. Do the phase training and immediately take the p&r. When the p&r is below 120/80 (30/20 in 15 seconds) the horse is ready for the next phase. Within 10 minutes, the horse`s p&r should recover to 80/40 (20/10 in 15 seconds). If the p&r does not recover to this level, return to the previous phase.
[I`ve become more conservative in recent years in regards to pulse. While the above rates will work, after a 10 minute rest/cool down, I`d rather see the pulse return to below 15 in 15 seconds.]
The phases consist of a warm up walk, a series of trot sets and a series of canter sets. A trot set is a few minutes of trotting followed by three minutes of walking. A canter set is a few minutes of cantering followed by three minutes of walking. As the horse gets fit, you can eliminate the walking between trots, and change the walking to trotting between canters. The "rest" period remains at three minutes, while the cantering time is increased.
As long as you are traveling along roads, pace the horse at a trot at 10 miles per hour, or 6 minutes per mile. At the canter, go 15 miles per hour, or 4 minutes per mile.
Record the number of miles you travel and the time it takes. Average out the miles per hour. When you can do 10 miles in one hour consistently, your horse can complete a 25 mile course. When you can do 15 miles in one and a half hours consistently, your horse can complete a 50 mile course.
PHASE 1
Take the resting Pulse and Respiration. Record it.
Begin with a 10 minute walk.
Do three three-minute trot sets. That is, 3-minutes trot, 3-minute walk, (set one), 3-minute trot, 3-minute walk, (set two), 3-minute trot, 3-minute walk, (set three).
Do two three-minute canter sets. 3-minute canter, 3-minute walk, 3-minute canter, 3-minute walk.
Do three three-minute trot sets.
Take the Pulse and Respiration. Record it. (120/80 = go to next phase)
Do a 10 minute walk.
Take the Pulse and Respiration. Record it. (100/60 = OK. More = go back a phase)
Cool down the horse, remove the saddle, brush the horse, etc. Take the Pulse and Respiration after 10 minutes. (80/40 = good condition)
INTERVAL TRAINING PHASES
Developed for Eventing horses.
1. 10 walk, 3-3min trots, 2-3min canters, 3-3min trots, 10 walk
2. 10 walk, 3-4min trots, 3-3min canters, 3-4min trots, 10 walk
3. 10 walk, 3-5min trots, 3-4min canters, 3-5min trots, 10 walk
4. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-4min canters, 10 trot, 10 walk
5. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-4min canters (trot between canters rather than walk), 10 trot, 10 walk
6. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-5min canters, 10 trot, 10 walk
Expect 2 to 3 weeks at each phase.
MINE
Developed for conditioning endurance horses. Trotting between canters instead of walking.
1. 10 walk, 10 trot, 2-3 canters, 10 trot, 10 walk
2. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-3 canters, 10 trot, 2-3 canters, 10 trot, 10 walk
3. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-4 canters, 10 trot, 2-3 runs, 10 trot, 10 walk
4. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-5 canters, 10 trot, 2-4 runs, 10 trot, 10 walk
5. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-6 canters, 10 trot, 2-5 runs, 10 trot, 10 walk
6. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-10 canters, 10 trot, 2-6 runs, 10 trot, 10 walk
The first thing you should do when starting is to find out where you are starting from. Heart rate is the easiest and most consistent way to determine this.
Take a resting rate. Before you even tack up, take the pulse. You will probably need a stethescope (or if you have one, a heart rate monitor). The resting rate of the horse (in 15 second intervals) should be around 10. 12 to 8 is normal.
Now go for a "normal" ride. You should be out at least half an hour. An hour is better. Don`t try to do anything more than you have already been doing. As soon as you get home, jump off and take the pulse. The pulse should be around 15. Untack and take the pulse again. It should be around 12. Within 15 minutes of stopping, the heart rate should be back to "normal", or within one beat of resting rate.
Start a log-book. Write down the resting, stopping, and 5 minute pulse. Write down how long it took to get below 15 and how long it took to get back to resting. Also write down you time and mileage, and what you did - hills, roads, ring work, etc.
OK, now you know where you are starting from. It is time to get working. There are several things you need to work on.
1. Behavior and control. I`m putting this first because if you have an uncontrolable horse, it doesn`t matter if the horse could be a world champion, you`ll never get there. So, my suggestion is to=20 take dressage lessons. If that isn`t a possibility, get any kind of trainer and work on the basics of control; stopping when you want, the speed at any gait that you want, having the horse carry himself and not being all strung out, straightness and roundness.
2. Endurance. You are going to be in the saddle for four to 12 hours. Both you and the horse need to be able to keep on going confortably (at least reasonably so) for that length of time. The only way to get this is to ride for long periods of time.
3. Condition. If you ride for six hours and only get 10 miles from home, you won`t make it through an endurance ride. Only conditioning will work.
4. Nutrition. No you don`t have to know everything about nutrition, and you don`t have to follow every subject that has been going on in this forum. What you do have to understand is the basics, and what your horse needs.
I`m not going to address #1 here. Check out equine-l for more on that. And, for now I`m going to skip #4. That leaves us with Endurance and Conditioning. Every horse and every rider will be different. You have the brain of the two (usually:-) so you have to develop your own schedule. What I`m writing here is guidelines for those who don`t know where to start.
Let`s say that you are currently working your horse twice a week, going for an hour ride, and covering 6 miles. Here`s a plan. You`ll need to modify it to meet your specific needs, but you`ll get a general idea.
There are two things you want to work on, distance and time. You do not work on both at the same time. Instead, you increase distance, and then decrease the time it takes to do that distance.
You should be working your horse four or five times per week. Do not work seven days a week. All animals need time to recover - including us. If you only work once a week, it will take a long time to get where you are going.
Measure your distances. If you are riding on roads, drive them or bike them. Mark every mile in your mind. If you are riding on trails, get a good map with distances marked on it. A string works if that is all you have. Better is to hire a biker to mark the distances for you. (It makes for good relationships as well.)
Week 1 - Increase the miles to 10 miles. Maintain the same speed. Ride the distance, 3 times per week. Additionally, add in one day per week of ring work where you spend an hour or so on the basics.
Week 2 - Keep the mileage the same, 10 miles. Decrease the time. Try to do the distance in one hour. So instead of 6 MPH, you are now doing 10 MPH. Do not try to jump from 6 MPH to 10 MPH in one ride. Do it gradually. And listen to your horse. Do this three times per week. Do an hour of ring work - dressage under an instructor is great.
Week 3 (or later. It might take a couple weeks to get to this level.) - Keep the mileage and time the same. 10 miles at 10 MPH. Do this only twice this week. Keep the hour ring work. Add one day of flat interval training. I`ll send an interval training post later.
One word of warning on interval training. If you are working on hard roads, interval training can be hard of the horse`s legs. Ride on the shoulder where the ground should be softer. Better is to find trails where vehicles are not permitted.
Now, how is your horse`s heart rate? At all times, the horse`s heart rate should be down below 15 beats in 15 seconds after a 15 minute rest (15 in 15 after 15. Should be easy to remember). If this is not the case, slow down, back up a week. When your horse comes in from a training session and is already at 15 beats, then you need to increase the training session, either faster or longer. Note that if you do a long slow end to your training session as the cool down (which you should be doing), you should be taking the pulse as soon as you stop the hard work, before you start the cool down.
If instead of starting at 6 miles at 6 MPH, you are only doing 2 miles at 6 MPH (a fast walk with occasional trots), don`t try to jump to the 10 miles immediately. Instead go from 2 miles to 5 miles at the same speed. Then go a bit faster. Then go a bit further, say 8 miles. Then go a bit faster. Then go up to 10 miles.
Week 4 (or when ever you have managed to 10 miles at 10 MPH) One day of mountain work. Don`t worry about distance. Go for two to four hours. One day of ring work. Keep up those lessons, they are good for the mind. Two days of interval training.
Week 5-10. Do the same work as above. Go a bit further and faster on the mountain work each week. Keep up the ring work. Work through the interval training on a week by week basis.
Week 11 - Go do an limited distance endurance ride. Your goal is to finish. Keep track of the pulse. Feel how your horse feels to you. Do not run. Keep to the same pace as your mountain rides. You have 6 hours to finish a 25 mile ride. Don`t rush.
The rest of week 11 is a rest week. You can go out for a short jant if you want, or you can look at your log-book and figure out where you are and where you want to be. Do not work the horse hard. If the horse is in a stall, rather than pasture, you will want to let him out to work the kinks out. Go for a slow walk.
Week 12 - Repeat week 11. Check out how your horse feels. Horse should be feeling great, pulling to go further and faster. Recover times should be down.
Week 12+ - Gradually increase the distances you do on your long rides. Continue with the interval training. Continue with the ring work.
When you can consistently go 15 to 20 miles at a 10 MPH trot, then you might consider trying a 50 mile ride.
What I do - Drake is only 7 this year, so we are going slow.
I`ve got mountains now rather than roads, so interval training is not by a schedule.
Once per week is dressage lessons.
Once per week is a 12-20 mile mountain ride where the mountains are steep, rocky, and over all tough. Our MPH average is about 4.5 to 5 MPH. Week by week, we go faster, from 3 MPH to 4 or 5 MPH.
A couple times per week, we do faster shorter work on my "driveway".
A few miles down and (it seems) longer up. This has a 12 to 14% grade, and gains about a thousand feet in elevation.
When I`m not riding, Drake is out conditioning himself by running up and down mountains, chasing his brothers, and playing in a 40 acre pasture (which has a 600 ft elevation difference).
LSD - long slow distance - What does this mean?
LSD (no, not the drug) is what makes for a long term endurance horse.
A few numbers (Did anyone guess that I`m a bit of an analytical?)
It takes approximately 5 years to build up the bone strength.
It takes approximately 2 years to build up the medium to soft tissues.
It takes approximately 4 months to build up the heart/aerobic condition.
It takes approximately 4 weeks to build up the sweat production.
(If you are moving from a high dry climate, to a low wet climate this last is important.)
What this means to the beginning horse and beginning riders is TAKE IT SLOW.
Now, some of that 5 year build up for the bones will be done by the foal running around in a pasture from the time they are born. By the time you start riding, the bone density is already started. But, to make further changes will still takes years. If you are starting an aged horse (older horse to me is after 20, so aged is still young), that is maybe 10 or young teens, you still need to put the time and slow miles on the horse to improve the bones, tendons, ligaments, muscles, as well as the heart rate.
Long - start with a few miles and increase in small increments (1-2 miles) every other week. Work your way up to 12 to 15 miles.
Slow - A walk is about 4-5 mph. A trot is about 10 mph. A canter is from 15 - 20 mph. These are averages. At a ride, you will be traveling from 5 (walk) to 15 (canter) mph. (Valerie Kanavy once ran the last part of a 100 at closer to 20 mph. Because she could, because her horse was in great condition.) Your overall average might be only 4-5 mph because the vet checks are wait time.
In training, start out at a walk. Slowly increase the speed of your ride. Add in a few minutes of trot, fall back to a walk, then add in a few minutes of trot. Over the weeks, do more trotting than walking. Then add in a few minutes of canter. Other than the warm up and cool down, your average might be 10 mph.
Always start out with a warm up. 10 minutes of walking is very good for the horse. Always end up with a cool down. Another 10 minutes of walking is very good.
In the article I wrote earlier, I set up a schedule. This is not meant to be followed exactly to the letter. It will all depend on your horse, your work schedule, your terrain, your goals. There are three parts to the training.
One day of ring work. This would be an easy day for the heart, and depending on the terrain, a work out for the bones and hard tissues if your ground is hard, or a work out for the soft tissues, ligaments and tendons, if the ground is soft sand.
One day of long slow work. This is your mountain work out. You want to do as much distance as your horse is up to. You want to increase the speed only up to the trot of 10 mph. You`ll be doing some walking, some trotting and maybe some cantering. Over all your speed is 10 mph. This works on all aspects of the horse`s condition. You are stressing the heart a little. (This is where that 15/15/15 comes in.) You are stressing all the muscles, bones, ligaments, etc. as well.
One or two days of speed work. This is progressive work on the heart. Your speed will vary between 5 mph for the warm up, to 20 mph fast canter (many weeks into the work), back to 10 mph, then up to 15, ect. It stresses the bones through concussion (as does all the work), and you must be careful not to over due this work. Ride on the soft side of a road, or better, pick a non-vehicle traveled trail. An added feature of interval training is that it "naturally" increases the body`s ability to store glycogens (the energy food). There were articles over the last few months about carbo-loading, and how it affects the ability of the horse to go longer, faster, and with less fatigue. By doing interval training, you get a similar result. You still must watch the nutrition, but the horse adapts more quickly.
Let`s look at a couple of examples -
1> You are starting a 10 year old horse that has only been lightly ridden, some trails, mostly rings. You have unlimited time (I`m dreaming but you get the idea). You also have lots of trails available in your area and a good sand arena. For a couple of weeks, you do trails twice a week, increasing the distance a few miles per week. You also do a day or two of ring work. For this horse, you skip the speed work for the first two months. Instead, you get the horse used to the long distances at slow speeds (5-10 mph). After a couple of months, the horse is really liking to trot out and almost resents being slowed down to the walk. Now you find that perfect soft road, and start interval training. Two months after that, you enter your first limited distance ride and reach all your goals. Your horse flies through all vet checks with A`s, is perfectly sound and willing to go on.
2> You are starting out a six year old horse. He`s a bit flightly, hasn`t been worked other than a few months under saddle a year ago, but has potential. You work five days a week, you have a family, and a life outside of horses (don`t worry, you`ll lose that soon enough:-) On the weekend, do the longest ride you can fit in. This will start slow and short and over the weeks increase in conjuction with the fitness of the horse. You will also schedule a weekly lesson with a dressage trainer who understands and is willing to work with endurance horses. Then in the middle of the week, you do a bit of road work. Starting out slow and gradually increasing the speed. For the young unworked horse, very gradual increases in the interval training. At the first ride, you take your horse, but leave him at the trailer. Instead, you help out the vets at base camp. After the ride is over, you go for a short ride up the trail. You notice all the points that need work on your horse. A month later you enter a ride, start out after all horses have left base camp, and ride conservatively. You win in the most important catagory, you finish on a sound, happy, healthy horse.
3> You have a past endurance horse that has been in pasture for six months due to the owner having a baby. Your job is to recondition the horse. First day out, you notice that this horse seems to be in the same condition as when going out to pasture. Sure enough, horses do not loose conditioning at the same rate as people. As a comparision, a person looses aerobic conditioning at 10% per week and can only get it back at 3-4 % per week. A horse can sit in pasture for several months doing mostly nothing, and loose only 10-20%. After a few years, you will definately notice a difference. So, to recondition this horse, do a few tests on your mountain ride. How far is the horse willing to go? What does a heart check tell you? And how does the horse feel the next day. You`ll want to accellerate the training schedule for this horse. Do four months work, in only two months.
4> You are Valerie Kanavy. You have a horse that you`ve been bringing along for six years. You are ready to move on to bigger things. You evaluate the up coming ride conditions. You plan what the horse needs. And you go and do it. Valerie rides her horses three to four times a week, averaging six miles. She does lots of rides. The rides provide the long distances. All she needs to do is keep her horses ready to go.
5> You are you with your horse. What conditions do you have? What condition is the horse in? What condition are you in?
Each phase of interval training should be done 2 to 3 times per week. The entire work out should last between 1 and 2 hours. In addition, at least once a week, mountain training should be included in the horse`s schedule. In the mountain training, ignore speed. Let the horse pick the pace. Ride 2 to 4 hours.
At each training session, begin by taking the horse`s resting p&r. Do the phase training and immediately take the p&r. When the p&r is below 120/80 (30/20 in 15 seconds) the horse is ready for the next phase. Within 10 minutes, the horse`s p&r should recover to 80/40 (20/10 in 15 seconds). If the p&r does not recover to this level, return to the previous phase.
[I`ve become more conservative in recent years in regards to pulse. While the above rates will work, after a 10 minute rest/cool down, I`d rather see the pulse return to below 15 in 15 seconds.]
The phases consist of a warm up walk, a series of trot sets and a series of canter sets. A trot set is a few minutes of trotting followed by three minutes of walking. A canter set is a few minutes of cantering followed by three minutes of walking. As the horse gets fit, you can eliminate the walking between trots, and change the walking to trotting between canters. The "rest" period remains at three minutes, while the cantering time is increased.
As long as you are traveling along roads, pace the horse at a trot at 10 miles per hour, or 6 minutes per mile. At the canter, go 15 miles per hour, or 4 minutes per mile.
Record the number of miles you travel and the time it takes. Average out the miles per hour. When you can do 10 miles in one hour consistently, your horse can complete a 25 mile course. When you can do 15 miles in one and a half hours consistently, your horse can complete a 50 mile course.
PHASE 1
Take the resting Pulse and Respiration. Record it.
Begin with a 10 minute walk.
Do three three-minute trot sets. That is, 3-minutes trot, 3-minute walk, (set one), 3-minute trot, 3-minute walk, (set two), 3-minute trot, 3-minute walk, (set three).
Do two three-minute canter sets. 3-minute canter, 3-minute walk, 3-minute canter, 3-minute walk.
Do three three-minute trot sets.
Take the Pulse and Respiration. Record it. (120/80 = go to next phase)
Do a 10 minute walk.
Take the Pulse and Respiration. Record it. (100/60 = OK. More = go back a phase)
Cool down the horse, remove the saddle, brush the horse, etc. Take the Pulse and Respiration after 10 minutes. (80/40 = good condition)
INTERVAL TRAINING PHASES
Developed for Eventing horses.
1. 10 walk, 3-3min trots, 2-3min canters, 3-3min trots, 10 walk
2. 10 walk, 3-4min trots, 3-3min canters, 3-4min trots, 10 walk
3. 10 walk, 3-5min trots, 3-4min canters, 3-5min trots, 10 walk
4. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-4min canters, 10 trot, 10 walk
5. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-4min canters (trot between canters rather than walk), 10 trot, 10 walk
6. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-5min canters, 10 trot, 10 walk
Expect 2 to 3 weeks at each phase.
MINE
Developed for conditioning endurance horses. Trotting between canters instead of walking.
1. 10 walk, 10 trot, 2-3 canters, 10 trot, 10 walk
2. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-3 canters, 10 trot, 2-3 canters, 10 trot, 10 walk
3. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-4 canters, 10 trot, 2-3 runs, 10 trot, 10 walk
4. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-5 canters, 10 trot, 2-4 runs, 10 trot, 10 walk
5. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-6 canters, 10 trot, 2-5 runs, 10 trot, 10 walk
6. 10 walk, 10 trot, 3-10 canters, 10 trot, 2-6 runs, 10 trot, 10 walk
The first thing you should do when starting is to find out where you are starting from. Heart rate is the easiest and most consistent way to determine this.
Take a resting rate. Before you even tack up, take the pulse. You will probably need a stethescope (or if you have one, a heart rate monitor). The resting rate of the horse (in 15 second intervals) should be around 10. 12 to 8 is normal.
Now go for a "normal" ride. You should be out at least half an hour. An hour is better. Don`t try to do anything more than you have already been doing. As soon as you get home, jump off and take the pulse. The pulse should be around 15. Untack and take the pulse again. It should be around 12. Within 15 minutes of stopping, the heart rate should be back to "normal", or within one beat of resting rate.
Start a log-book. Write down the resting, stopping, and 5 minute pulse. Write down how long it took to get below 15 and how long it took to get back to resting. Also write down you time and mileage, and what you did - hills, roads, ring work, etc.
OK, now you know where you are starting from. It is time to get working. There are several things you need to work on.
1. Behavior and control. I`m putting this first because if you have an uncontrolable horse, it doesn`t matter if the horse could be a world champion, you`ll never get there. So, my suggestion is to=20 take dressage lessons. If that isn`t a possibility, get any kind of trainer and work on the basics of control; stopping when you want, the speed at any gait that you want, having the horse carry himself and not being all strung out, straightness and roundness.
2. Endurance. You are going to be in the saddle for four to 12 hours. Both you and the horse need to be able to keep on going confortably (at least reasonably so) for that length of time. The only way to get this is to ride for long periods of time.
3. Condition. If you ride for six hours and only get 10 miles from home, you won`t make it through an endurance ride. Only conditioning will work.
4. Nutrition. No you don`t have to know everything about nutrition, and you don`t have to follow every subject that has been going on in this forum. What you do have to understand is the basics, and what your horse needs.
I`m not going to address #1 here. Check out equine-l for more on that. And, for now I`m going to skip #4. That leaves us with Endurance and Conditioning. Every horse and every rider will be different. You have the brain of the two (usually:-) so you have to develop your own schedule. What I`m writing here is guidelines for those who don`t know where to start.
Let`s say that you are currently working your horse twice a week, going for an hour ride, and covering 6 miles. Here`s a plan. You`ll need to modify it to meet your specific needs, but you`ll get a general idea.
There are two things you want to work on, distance and time. You do not work on both at the same time. Instead, you increase distance, and then decrease the time it takes to do that distance.
You should be working your horse four or five times per week. Do not work seven days a week. All animals need time to recover - including us. If you only work once a week, it will take a long time to get where you are going.
Measure your distances. If you are riding on roads, drive them or bike them. Mark every mile in your mind. If you are riding on trails, get a good map with distances marked on it. A string works if that is all you have. Better is to hire a biker to mark the distances for you. (It makes for good relationships as well.)
Week 1 - Increase the miles to 10 miles. Maintain the same speed. Ride the distance, 3 times per week. Additionally, add in one day per week of ring work where you spend an hour or so on the basics.
Week 2 - Keep the mileage the same, 10 miles. Decrease the time. Try to do the distance in one hour. So instead of 6 MPH, you are now doing 10 MPH. Do not try to jump from 6 MPH to 10 MPH in one ride. Do it gradually. And listen to your horse. Do this three times per week. Do an hour of ring work - dressage under an instructor is great.
Week 3 (or later. It might take a couple weeks to get to this level.) - Keep the mileage and time the same. 10 miles at 10 MPH. Do this only twice this week. Keep the hour ring work. Add one day of flat interval training. I`ll send an interval training post later.
One word of warning on interval training. If you are working on hard roads, interval training can be hard of the horse`s legs. Ride on the shoulder where the ground should be softer. Better is to find trails where vehicles are not permitted.
Now, how is your horse`s heart rate? At all times, the horse`s heart rate should be down below 15 beats in 15 seconds after a 15 minute rest (15 in 15 after 15. Should be easy to remember). If this is not the case, slow down, back up a week. When your horse comes in from a training session and is already at 15 beats, then you need to increase the training session, either faster or longer. Note that if you do a long slow end to your training session as the cool down (which you should be doing), you should be taking the pulse as soon as you stop the hard work, before you start the cool down.
If instead of starting at 6 miles at 6 MPH, you are only doing 2 miles at 6 MPH (a fast walk with occasional trots), don`t try to jump to the 10 miles immediately. Instead go from 2 miles to 5 miles at the same speed. Then go a bit faster. Then go a bit further, say 8 miles. Then go a bit faster. Then go up to 10 miles.
Week 4 (or when ever you have managed to 10 miles at 10 MPH) One day of mountain work. Don`t worry about distance. Go for two to four hours. One day of ring work. Keep up those lessons, they are good for the mind. Two days of interval training.
Week 5-10. Do the same work as above. Go a bit further and faster on the mountain work each week. Keep up the ring work. Work through the interval training on a week by week basis.
Week 11 - Go do an limited distance endurance ride. Your goal is to finish. Keep track of the pulse. Feel how your horse feels to you. Do not run. Keep to the same pace as your mountain rides. You have 6 hours to finish a 25 mile ride. Don`t rush.
The rest of week 11 is a rest week. You can go out for a short jant if you want, or you can look at your log-book and figure out where you are and where you want to be. Do not work the horse hard. If the horse is in a stall, rather than pasture, you will want to let him out to work the kinks out. Go for a slow walk.
Week 12 - Repeat week 11. Check out how your horse feels. Horse should be feeling great, pulling to go further and faster. Recover times should be down.
Week 12+ - Gradually increase the distances you do on your long rides. Continue with the interval training. Continue with the ring work.
When you can consistently go 15 to 20 miles at a 10 MPH trot, then you might consider trying a 50 mile ride.
What I do - Drake is only 7 this year, so we are going slow.
I`ve got mountains now rather than roads, so interval training is not by a schedule.
Once per week is dressage lessons.
Once per week is a 12-20 mile mountain ride where the mountains are steep, rocky, and over all tough. Our MPH average is about 4.5 to 5 MPH. Week by week, we go faster, from 3 MPH to 4 or 5 MPH.
A couple times per week, we do faster shorter work on my "driveway".
A few miles down and (it seems) longer up. This has a 12 to 14% grade, and gains about a thousand feet in elevation.
When I`m not riding, Drake is out conditioning himself by running up and down mountains, chasing his brothers, and playing in a 40 acre pasture (which has a 600 ft elevation difference).
LSD - long slow distance - What does this mean?
LSD (no, not the drug) is what makes for a long term endurance horse.
A few numbers (Did anyone guess that I`m a bit of an analytical?)
It takes approximately 5 years to build up the bone strength.
It takes approximately 2 years to build up the medium to soft tissues.
It takes approximately 4 months to build up the heart/aerobic condition.
It takes approximately 4 weeks to build up the sweat production.
(If you are moving from a high dry climate, to a low wet climate this last is important.)
What this means to the beginning horse and beginning riders is TAKE IT SLOW.
Now, some of that 5 year build up for the bones will be done by the foal running around in a pasture from the time they are born. By the time you start riding, the bone density is already started. But, to make further changes will still takes years. If you are starting an aged horse (older horse to me is after 20, so aged is still young), that is maybe 10 or young teens, you still need to put the time and slow miles on the horse to improve the bones, tendons, ligaments, muscles, as well as the heart rate.
Long - start with a few miles and increase in small increments (1-2 miles) every other week. Work your way up to 12 to 15 miles.
Slow - A walk is about 4-5 mph. A trot is about 10 mph. A canter is from 15 - 20 mph. These are averages. At a ride, you will be traveling from 5 (walk) to 15 (canter) mph. (Valerie Kanavy once ran the last part of a 100 at closer to 20 mph. Because she could, because her horse was in great condition.) Your overall average might be only 4-5 mph because the vet checks are wait time.
In training, start out at a walk. Slowly increase the speed of your ride. Add in a few minutes of trot, fall back to a walk, then add in a few minutes of trot. Over the weeks, do more trotting than walking. Then add in a few minutes of canter. Other than the warm up and cool down, your average might be 10 mph.
Always start out with a warm up. 10 minutes of walking is very good for the horse. Always end up with a cool down. Another 10 minutes of walking is very good.
In the article I wrote earlier, I set up a schedule. This is not meant to be followed exactly to the letter. It will all depend on your horse, your work schedule, your terrain, your goals. There are three parts to the training.
One day of ring work. This would be an easy day for the heart, and depending on the terrain, a work out for the bones and hard tissues if your ground is hard, or a work out for the soft tissues, ligaments and tendons, if the ground is soft sand.
One day of long slow work. This is your mountain work out. You want to do as much distance as your horse is up to. You want to increase the speed only up to the trot of 10 mph. You`ll be doing some walking, some trotting and maybe some cantering. Over all your speed is 10 mph. This works on all aspects of the horse`s condition. You are stressing the heart a little. (This is where that 15/15/15 comes in.) You are stressing all the muscles, bones, ligaments, etc. as well.
One or two days of speed work. This is progressive work on the heart. Your speed will vary between 5 mph for the warm up, to 20 mph fast canter (many weeks into the work), back to 10 mph, then up to 15, ect. It stresses the bones through concussion (as does all the work), and you must be careful not to over due this work. Ride on the soft side of a road, or better, pick a non-vehicle traveled trail. An added feature of interval training is that it "naturally" increases the body`s ability to store glycogens (the energy food). There were articles over the last few months about carbo-loading, and how it affects the ability of the horse to go longer, faster, and with less fatigue. By doing interval training, you get a similar result. You still must watch the nutrition, but the horse adapts more quickly.
Let`s look at a couple of examples -
1> You are starting a 10 year old horse that has only been lightly ridden, some trails, mostly rings. You have unlimited time (I`m dreaming but you get the idea). You also have lots of trails available in your area and a good sand arena. For a couple of weeks, you do trails twice a week, increasing the distance a few miles per week. You also do a day or two of ring work. For this horse, you skip the speed work for the first two months. Instead, you get the horse used to the long distances at slow speeds (5-10 mph). After a couple of months, the horse is really liking to trot out and almost resents being slowed down to the walk. Now you find that perfect soft road, and start interval training. Two months after that, you enter your first limited distance ride and reach all your goals. Your horse flies through all vet checks with A`s, is perfectly sound and willing to go on.
2> You are starting out a six year old horse. He`s a bit flightly, hasn`t been worked other than a few months under saddle a year ago, but has potential. You work five days a week, you have a family, and a life outside of horses (don`t worry, you`ll lose that soon enough:-) On the weekend, do the longest ride you can fit in. This will start slow and short and over the weeks increase in conjuction with the fitness of the horse. You will also schedule a weekly lesson with a dressage trainer who understands and is willing to work with endurance horses. Then in the middle of the week, you do a bit of road work. Starting out slow and gradually increasing the speed. For the young unworked horse, very gradual increases in the interval training. At the first ride, you take your horse, but leave him at the trailer. Instead, you help out the vets at base camp. After the ride is over, you go for a short ride up the trail. You notice all the points that need work on your horse. A month later you enter a ride, start out after all horses have left base camp, and ride conservatively. You win in the most important catagory, you finish on a sound, happy, healthy horse.
3> You have a past endurance horse that has been in pasture for six months due to the owner having a baby. Your job is to recondition the horse. First day out, you notice that this horse seems to be in the same condition as when going out to pasture. Sure enough, horses do not loose conditioning at the same rate as people. As a comparision, a person looses aerobic conditioning at 10% per week and can only get it back at 3-4 % per week. A horse can sit in pasture for several months doing mostly nothing, and loose only 10-20%. After a few years, you will definately notice a difference. So, to recondition this horse, do a few tests on your mountain ride. How far is the horse willing to go? What does a heart check tell you? And how does the horse feel the next day. You`ll want to accellerate the training schedule for this horse. Do four months work, in only two months.
4> You are Valerie Kanavy. You have a horse that you`ve been bringing along for six years. You are ready to move on to bigger things. You evaluate the up coming ride conditions. You plan what the horse needs. And you go and do it. Valerie rides her horses three to four times a week, averaging six miles. She does lots of rides. The rides provide the long distances. All she needs to do is keep her horses ready to go.
5> You are you with your horse. What conditions do you have? What condition is the horse in? What condition are you in?
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