Shatirr tied up at some point before the lunch vet the Western States 50
(Bath Road) two years ago, and I had no idea that he's even tied up. That
still bothers me. This horse had a history, 4 years before, of tying up,
I know what the signs are, and am overly protective of him. The only
indication was a sudden spike in his heart monitor reading, which I assumed
was an electrode problem. I dismounted and fiddled with his girth and wires,
remounted and rode on. He seemed fine. His heart rate was back to normal.
We rode 5 files into the next vet in 18th place, which was slightly faster
than we usually go. I was planning on riding Tevis that year, and was
keeping a close watch on everything!
We vetted in, got "A"s on everything but impulsion, which was his normal
"B", and, as we walked away, he squatted and pee'd a dark stream of urine.
We went back to the same vet (a guy I have tons of respect for) who was
as stumped as I was. I had blood drawn and pulled from the ride. When the
results came back I was really glad. He had definitely had a serious tie-up
episode. I forget what his CPK was, but it was definitely abnormal.
I've since talked to several vets who have said that yes, this does happen,
and that there are some riders that have tie-up problems during rides and
will only pull if required to. I've also heard of "strategies" for getting
a horse through "an attack" and back out on the trail to finish the ride.
I have no idea what the long term impact is to the soundness of the horse,
but my guess is, not good.
Linda Cowles
Gilroy, Ca.