Re: [RC] colic at rides--LONG--part 3 - Heidi Smith
Part 3:
We've done a good
job of selecting horses for cardiovascular capability. We've done a lousy
job of selecting horses with tough guts. We seem to have this idea that if
we just feed "Super Goo" or buy the right kind of e-lytes or get the right feed
mix that we can somehow manage these finicky guts. And we are
wrong. It just so happens that on horses with less-than-admirable guts, it
is the gut that goes first when they are overridden.
But are they
overridden? Absolutely. Overriding is riding more than the given
horse can tolerate on that given day. And most times, he tries somehow to
tell us about it first, if we will only listen. Darolyn's horse Adios
tried to tell her that he didn't belong on a Pan-Am squad when he had problems
drinking at a prior ride. Unfortunately Darolyn didn't understand
what he had told her until it was too late. But she had the clues right
there in her hands in the history that she shared with us. We
unfortunately don't have the detailed history on other horses that have died in
this public forum to see where they told their riders the same thing. But
most times they do--somewhere, somehow. The signs are not always the
same from horse to horse or from case to case. But our job is to listen,
and to pay attention to what they are trying to tell
us.
Although I am not
a fan of making necropsies mandatory, I do think that in most colic cases, a
necropsy is necessary to get any answers. (And sometimes it is a relief to
the rider to know when the colic IS due to a pre-existing condition!!) I
do think that we need to develop a protocol such as the one Barney has in mind
with regard to having a packet in the hands of ride veterinarians that can be
sent to referral facilities when the need arises, that first provides a
form for the referral facility to fill out and return to AERC with the medical
findings in the case, and secondly assures the veterinarian on the case that if
the horse dies, AERC will stand good the charges for a necropsy (and how to bill
and report). If we need to fund such a thing, I know I've done the math
before, and a $1 rider fee would pretty well cover the costs to the
organization. I for one would be more than happy to add this to my entry
fees for the sake of knowing what happens when horses die after rides. Not
only can we find out WHICH ones are likely overridden, but we can also remove
the burden of guilt in many cases from the rider who rode wisely and had an
unforeseeable situation happen anyway.
