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[RC] Our First 100 - Todd HezeauI have a sort of technical question/problem/issue, whatever you wish to call
it. This may be a bit long but I'm looking for some input. My mare and I
attempted our first 100 miler this past weekend at Bluebonnet and I had to pull
her at the 55 mile hold. She was doing wonderful as far as the ride went in my
opinion and she was full of energy as I was having to hold her back on the
first 2 loops to the speed I thought we should be going not the speed she
thought she should be going (that has gotten us in trouble before). The first
three loops were a 25 mile, and 2 - 15 mile loops with an hour hold after the
25 and 30 minutes after the 2 - 15's. She was eating everything in site and
drinking very well. At the holds she would clean her feed pan. On the last loop
she seemed to settle down and I wasn't having to fight her to keep her back.
She did not drink on the last 3 water stops that we stopped at but was still
eating well. We got back to camp and she had
refused to drink and had stopped eating. Red light went up. We got through the
vet check and there was nothing of concern except what I had just mentioned.
She had pulsed down quite quickly and her CRI was 16/14 with all other vet
scores being an A except her gut sound which were a B- (Vet told me that gut
sounds were weak on alot of horses that day). She was not dehydrated either
(that was the vets opinion as well as mine). Everything appeared normal. I took
her back to her pen and she started to paw the ground and went down to roll.
Now she likes to roll at holds so I wanted to see if this was a pain roll or a
"feel good" roll. I know her well enough to know this was not a "feel good"
roll. Took her back to the vets and pulled. She did not get any better and was
administered Banamine and Dipan (sp?). About 30 minutes after that she was
eating and feeling better.
I had started her on a new mix in her elytes which consisted of Perform and
Win, which I have used for a long while with very good luck. The new stuff
introduced was ProBios (which I have given to her at rides only not mixed with
the elytes), BCAA, and calcium all mixed in with the elytes and served in a
60cc syringe with plain yogurt. The weather was not terribly hot (upper 70's)
in my opinion (we've competed in alot hotter weather with no issues although
she doesn't do great in hot weather) and the humidity was about normal for this
time of the year in Texas.
I guess what I'm looking for is what I could've done to maybe prevent this or
is it just something that "happens". I know horses have bad days like people
but I don't believe things happen for no reason, especially in a living
creature. I know she can do it. She completed a 75 at these same trails in
February with no problems and completed 67 of a 75 at Heart of the Hills ride
in March (pulled because of a sore back). She is probably in the best shape she
has been in since I have owned her and since we are flatlanders, I have taking
her to an aquatread to build up her back muscles(which has been working great
by the way). We rode the ride slow (average 6 to 6.5 MPH according to my GPS).
I tried to do everything I could to prepare her for this ride. The vet at this
ride has a machine that does a blood test on site and that is the next step I
'd like to do to see if there is any imbalances (money at rides being an issue
but that's another post right?)
Any opinions or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long
post.
Safe Riding,
Todd
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