Ridecamp: RE: [RC] Protecting Horses / vet checks

OK Roger:

Try this argument; we seldom see problems on the trail. No,
I am not saying we do not have problems on the trail but
they are of the minority. The problems seem to occur when
the horse is in the process of descending from the
adrenaline high they have been running on.

So, you get to the pulse stop and 10 minutes into the stop
your horse shows signs of having a problem. NO VET! SICK
HORSE! MANAGEMENT IN TROUBLE!

If you have the control you must have the support for that
control.

Now, in a regular stop with a vet in attendance you ALWAYS
have the second opinion of a professional when there is a
question about pulse. There have been times I have had to
resort to this second opinion in order to continue on in the
ride. Non-Vets do not have the experience to make the go-no
go decisions. How many thousand horses have I pulsed over
the years? But I still do not have the experience/authority
to say a horse is not fit to continue.

Bob

Bob Morris
Morris Endurance Enterprises
Boise, ID

-----Original Message-----
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Roger
Rittenhouse
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2002 12:54 PM
To: ridecamp
Subject: RE: [RC] Protecting Horses / vet checks


FROM   Roger Rittenhouse
 I could buy off on the PULSE STOP and GO   or just a PULSE
CHECK.
Not a real VC. IF the policy was defined before the ride and
the vet in
charge stated this was 'approved'  I do not see this against
the rules
- as Bob has suggested.
Step - this suggestion could be acceptable to replace my
'hard line'
for two or more VC per 50 miles.

This away pulse station would be staffed with Pulse personal
only -
 out on trail.

I would think it MAY be a suitable for those rides where
logistics
prevent placing a full VC  - staff  crews vets etc, since
many rides
with ONE VC only use 1 or at most 2 vets.
I would think this could be easily done someplace between
the first VC
and the finish at almost all the rides - The RM may have to
work out
getting a single truck in to the area but I bet it could be
done.
The Pulse ONLY check would NOT have crews - should have
water for
horses.  Would be proper to provide hay if no grass was at
the site.
OR RM take rider junk out there, done all the time.

I would REALLY like to a few RM  who only use ONE VC on a 50
give this
  concept a test run.

If a horse fails to recover to pulse of xx -I prefer 64-
 in the time defined   - 30 minutes - which is the time set
for a normal VC, the horse is considered out of
competition -based on
the current rules of a VC,  then he gets taken back to camp
where a vet
reviews the status of the horses.  This could be a gate to
hold  -
ashort hold 15 minutes? -
preferred to allow for better timing control rather then
pulse gate and go

I do NOT see this option as a problem with our rules.
However a
section could be added by the Rules Comm to offer this
protocol as an
option to a second VC.
I would really like to  this tested and would like to see it
used
certainly in the one VC 50 milers.- even in the SE  we
could drop a VC ( on a 3 VC ride) and just add this. The
horses are stopped - cooled
watered and rested and allowed for a recovery point.
At those rides with loops back to camp  - the riders could
then go to
a vet if there was a problem.

This may also help with the vet overload situation on the
biggie rides
with 200 riders.  Reduce the VC pileup.
Here is a loop suggestion 50 milers only  depends on mileage
points
Loop 1 Full VC
Loop 2 Pulse check hold and go
Loop 3 Full VC
Finish

See - I can compromise when good workable ideas are
proposed.

Truman - you think we could get a few rides in the SE to try
this
idea?

Roger Rittenhouse



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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
 Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=