I have a question. I just returned from a 3
day ride, did 3 days of LD. My horse was doing very well for the first 2
days. On day 3, she had been EDPP-ing, the pace was very slow (we were at
the OT and up to our ears in rocks!). She seemed a little tired going into
the vet check - I poured my water bottles on her about a mile before the check
because she seemed hot - got off and walked her in - and she took two
good drinks on the way in. One was from a creek, another at the VC
itself. She was pulsed down to 60 when she walked in. The check
was in sand, and she wanted to roll (not unusual for her in nice sand).
After I pulled her saddle and brought her hay, she parked out and didn't want to
eat (very odd for her). My first thought from how she was standing parked
was colic - I took her right to the vet. On the way over, she did another
big stretch - one of those dog stretches that is deep in front, with her rump up
in the air. That was also weird - she will do that before a ride, but I
have never seen her do it mid-ride. She still wanted to roll. Pulse
was OK, gut was OK, Sharon helped me pour more water on her and cool her out
fast. My mare did not seem to have any cramping/quivering going
on. FWIW, she had been electrolyted in the a.m. with a 1/2 dose
followed by a couple of syringes of apple sauce.
The hold was an hour, she ate, didn't drink much
more (not unusual for her). The vet checked her a few times, and I walked
her a little and let her eat whatever she wanted (hay, BP, etc.). I had
the choice to pull or continue on as all the metabolic indicators were good
(pulse was down to 36, hydration & gut were OK, etc.). Vet had me trot
her out under saddle and she seemed good. Camp was about 10 miles away, so
I opted to walk her the rest of the way in. I had emergency contact info
in case of trouble. We walked in, and she drank and ate alot on the way in
and finished strong.
My question is, has anyone had a horse do this sort
of thing, and how do I know if it's a mini-crash or just her? We have
about 400 miles of NATRC (mostly 2 day Open rides of 50 total miles - no slower
than the pace we went at OT) and after this LD, about 150 LD miles. I
would like to finish the season with a slow 50.
