Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Please Reply to: Debbie Ager dager@xxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
==========================================

I would like to address an issue that came up at the Old Glory TERA Benefit 
ride this year in Texas, and then was brought up again in the TERA newsletter 
and also in the Endurance News.  The issue is the length of the first loop 
before a hold.  There has lately been a trend in Texas in which the first loop 
has become 20 to 25 miles long, before any sort of a hold.  The thinking behind 
this trend has been to get half of the trail out of the way before the Texas 
heat sets in, which seems to make sense, on the surface.

There are many people who support this opinion, and I have heard various 
defenses for it which I will address individually later on in this letter.  I 
would first like to assert that I disagree with the opinion that having a 20-25 
mile loop before the first hold in a 50-55 mile ride is in the best interest of 
the welfare of the horse, for two reasons.  First, such a long loop is 
detrimental to the metabolic health of most horses, as I will explain, and 
secondly, leaving the option to ?take a break? while on the clock to see to the 
horses needs potentially rewards those who don?t take care of their horses with 
higher place ranking.

One of the reasons I was given (by a veterinarian) in support of the long first 
loop was that it is better for the horse to complete the first half of the 
course before the main heat of the day sets in, since most of the horses seem 
to have more trouble along about the third loop.  My contention is that this is 
not necessarily true for the following reasons:
1.      It is generally much more humid in the early morning which makes it 
more difficult for the horse to cool itself through evaporation.
2.      Horses are less likely to drink on the first loop, due to the 
excitement, and the longer the loop, the longer it will be before the horse 
relaxes enough to drink.  Such a horse would not show the signs of this early 
dehydration until later in the day when it catches up with him, giving the 
false impression that it was the heat that dehydrated it rather that the first 
25 miles without water.
3.      There is a greater chance that a less fit horse under a less 
experienced rider will get pulled along with the front runners for the entire 
25 miles, becoming exhausted and increasing the chances that it will have 
metabolic distress.

Another person supporting the long loop said that those people whose horses 
need a break are welcome to take one anywhere along way to care for their 
horses.  This, to me, is just plain ridiculous.  After all, an endurance ride 
is a competitive event, even if not everyone is competitive who participates, 
and such an attitude penalizes those who take better care of their horses with 
added time and lower place ranking.  If we truly wish to promote the welfare of 
the horse, it makes more sense to reward those people, rather than give them a 
time penalty.

I would like to propose an alternative that I believe would protect the horses 
while still keeping everyone out of the worst of the heat.   I propose a pulse 
down into a 10-15 minute hold at 10-15 miles, preferably (although not 
necessarily) at camp.  This would benefit the horses in the following ways:
1.      It would separate those horses who are fit enough to run up front from 
those getting pulled along earlier in the course.
2.      It would give the rider an opportunity to check recovery and administer 
electrolytes without a time penalty.
3.      It would give the horses a chance to relax and get a drink of water 
early enough in the ride to help avoid extreme dehydration.
4.      It would give the rider a chance to evaluate his horse earlier than the 
mid-point of a 50 mile event to detect any problems that might be masked by the 
excitement of being on trail the first loop.

Another defender of the 25 mile first loop said that in 100 mile rides, 20-25 
mile first loops are common.  I would like to point out here that many people 
ride in 50?s because they are not mounted on 100 mile horses.  When my horse is 
ready for the challenges posed by a 100 mile ride, I?ll move up to 100?s, but 
there is a definite step there.

Obviously, multi-day rides are a different story.  When you are planning to 
ride your horse 150+ miles in three days, your ride plan is entirely different 
than it is for a one-day 50.  Most people ride very conservatively, and 25 mile 
first loops are common and ?par for the course?, so to speak.  But many one-day 
50?s are races, and there is nothing wrong with that, so long as the horses are 
cared for.  My proposal is not a new idea, and it allows for the competitive 
aspect of the sport without either sacrificing the horse, or penalizing those 
who take the necessary time to care for him.

In fact, the only negative aspect of my proposal is that it could means more of 
hassle for ride management.  However, if the hold were in camp, sufficient 
volunteers could probably be rounded up to do the pulsing in without causing 
too much of a back-up.  I think that the prospect of fewer metabolic and 
dehydration-related problems would likely outweigh this inconvenience.

Just my opinion as a (sometimes) competitive rider and (always) horse-lover.

Debbie Ager
AERC#  M20186


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-