Re: TEVIS, GUESTS, AND REPLY TO MERRYBEN

["Eric & Gail Hought" <hought@humboldt1.com>]

I was curious how this idea got started.   I saw it on some earlier post
too.

"The reported high number of treatments were allegedly due to an unexpected
number of back of the pack myositis"

I rode and finished the Tevis, was caught in the vet check at PSM.  There
was a totally of 3 vets there, one treating the horse.  I think the vet that
runs this check always does it more as a full vet check, even though it is
considered a trot by.   Dr. Jamie Kerr mentioned it on Friday night at the
pre-ride talk.   I gather it's because we are going off into the 1st big
canyon.  I managed to get back above the cut-off times(though not by much),
because I'd been there before and my horse is a real strong uphill horse and
he was pulsing down so fast.  This is a ride that you almost always have to
rush on.  As someone pointed out to me that only 6 hours separating the 1st
and last horse.  That's much on a 100 mile ride.

The impression I had is that most of horses needing treatment were early in
the ride.  The farther you went, even though there were horses being
pulled(by vets or riders), they were just standing around waiting for a
ride, not really looking in trouble.

Not to step on anyone's toes it seems like there are a lot of arm chair
quarterbacks, that haven't even crewed or ridden the Tevis that have some
pretty strong opinions about this years Tevis.   It is a real tough ride,
like non other, but I love it and you get a real since of accomplishment
when you and your horse can finish it.  It makes me in awe of my
horse.(Don't tell him, he already thinks he's hot stuff.)

Gail Hought & Shaq(Kings Flash)
www.hought.com
hought@humboldt1.com