Susan, you didn't mention speed
at all in your post and I think it would be very relevant to your
situation. I went to the AERC website and reviewed your horse's history
and the one thing that stands out to me is the speed of the rides you have
done. Your first 50 was completed in 6 hours riding time, your second 50
was 5 hours riding time and your third 50 was 5 1/2 hours ride time.
When has your horse had a chance to learn to drink and eat on the trail?
I'm not going to comment on diet because I am no expert on that however I do
have some experience starting new horses in endurance and putting miles on
my horses. I also have a horse that doesn't have the best gut sounds
and requires good management and if all goes according to my plans he will reach
3,000 miles this season. If you look at my Koztarr's ride record you will
see that his speed isn't going to break any records but I have learned to ride
him the way he needs to be ridden. The rider has to be the brains of the
team and it is the rider's fault, and no one else's, when the team isn't able to
finish a ride. I have had two metabolic pulls with this horse, even though
one of them is listed as a lameness, and each one was due to my mistakes,
not the weather, diet, vets, etc and I learned a lot from these experiences and
haven't repeated the mistakes. Weather, diet, camping arrangements, etc,
may all play a part in the pull experience but ultimately it is what the rider
does with all these factors that affects the outcome of the ride.
With all the talk about horse deaths I think the best advice that can
be given is to slow down and do a few 8 to 10 hour 50 mile rides and see what
your horse can learn on the trail.
