Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Metabolic failure

>     We were having the same conversation here tonight....  overriding or
> undetected defects in the horses that are causing deaths?  Can any of the
> endurance vets maybe put a percentage breakdown on what their experience
has
> been (like 50% health defects and 50% overriding/rider error) over the
> years.  I'm just wondering how common the death from health issues are and
> what portion they are accounting for.

Unfortunately, not all horses have been thoroughly posted following deaths
at rides.  I'd venture a guess that the deaths I've seen personally have
been at least 50% relative to preexisting conditions (mind you, they
probably wouldn't have died "that day" if they had not been on a ride, but
they were time bombs waiting to go off) and less than that due to rider
error.  Among the rider error deaths, I can also say that several were back
in earlier times when we were still more apt to let someone go on
provisionally, and then that person directly disobeyed a vet's orders.  I
can distinctly remember one woman who one of the outvets held for nearly an
hour, and finally let her continue with orders to walk into camp.  I was
forewarned by one of the volunteers who left the check soon after, and who
had been able to see parts of the trail from the road as she drove back to
camp--she took me aside and related the previous vet's orders, and said that
as soon as the woman got out of sight of the vet, she started flogging her
horse to gallop.  This horse literally quit on the hill above camp and had
to be practically carried the last several yards, and even though we
instituted treatment and were able to get him quickly on to an outstanding
hospital facility, he was literally dead on his feet and died a couple of
days later.  This was about 20 years ago, and the veterinary community (with
quite a bit of support from the riding community) has pretty much quit
allowing provisional progression now, as this wasn't the only time the vets
and the horse got burned as a result.  Bottom line--there ARE folks out
there who just pure and simple don't give a damn about their horses, and who
WILL do this sort of thing.  The good news is that this woman, to the best
of my knowledge, never rode another endurance ride.

>     And another question.. I have yet to hear of a horse having metabolic
> problems in training, only at rides.   Are we just not hearing about it or
> are we riding that much harder at rides that these conditions show up?

That's just because you don't hear about them.  Yes, problems can show up in
training--but unless the rider is someone "famous" or is someone who happens
to report the problem publicly, there is no reason one would  hear about it.

>     Tonight we were told about a neighbor that was trying to load a QH
mare
> in a trailer a couple days ago and she broke her leg.   From what I
> understand it was a bunch of the "good old boys" wrestling and pulling her
> in that caused it.  I guess I just bring this up to remind people to train
> for loading and unloading so that the horse does it calmly.

I know of one horse that was euthanized at a ride when he quite calmly
unloaded but stepped on a slippery spot on the trailer ramp with a hind foot
and subsequently slipped off, with his hind leg going under the ramp.  In
struggling to right himself, he shattered his rear cannon bone.  He was
coming out calmly, and was an experienced horse--no wrestling involved.
Accidents can happen, even to the best.

Heidi


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