At the risk of really embarrassing myself I am going to ask
thee most basic question there is:
Do I have the order of events correct at a ride? Yes,
I have volunteered at a ride but was only the time in/out person along with
many others and yes I have done 1 LD but I had the most wonderful crew folks
(hubby and Susan Reid) that you could imagine so I didn’t even have to
think for myself. So, even though it is in the handbook, it is in the
information packet for the ride AND I have first had experience I still want to
make sure I have it right in my pea brain.
Arrive at camp receive a ‘vet card’
Take my horse to the vets for a initial ‘exam’
where they determine my horse is in condition to compete
The ride begins
We ride a loop and come back to camp (or wherever the
vetting is), I get the vet card I am carrying with me marked by someone to say
this is the time I rode back into camp
I now have 30 minutes to get my horse presentable for the
vet with the biggest concern being the heart rate /CRI, in this situation 60
bpm
I untack my horse, and sponge her down and assuming her
heart rate is over 60 I don’t let her eat or drink just yet.
Her heart rate is 60, it is within 30 minutes of coming into
camp, I take her to the vet and he/she checks heart rate, respiration etc, I
trot her out and back they check heart rate again etc.
Assuming all is good I can now stay as long or short a time
as I want in camp feeding/watering my horse and myself knowing that the minutes
are ticking away from the maximum allowed time I have to complete so I can stay
as long or short AFTER I have the horse vetted
I leave camp and do the second loop
I come back in repeat the above check in and vetting process.
Assuming it is within 6 hours (yes I am referring to a LD ride) that the vet
has given my horse the ok I now have a completion.
I know this seems like old hat to most of you but for folks
just starting there is a lot to remember when you are getting ready to pack,
camp, ride etc. etc.
One of the reasons I ask is that I had an OT on my first
ride which is fine, great learning experience but what determines an OT versus
a disqualification? That I vetted ok within 30 minutes but my overall
ride time was over 6 hours?
