ridecamp@endurance.net: Story of Woe

Story of Woe

Connie Hoge (pvtevt@msn.com)
Mon, 7 Apr 97 17:59:04 UT

Beautiful weather at Animal House. At the vet in, I was told by the head vet
that my two week old shoes (with shock tamer pads) looked like they might not
hold up to a 50 on hard rocky ground. So, & worked on my easy boots, cutting
them down, & smoothing the edges. The boots were AT LEAST 1" below the cornary
band. Had two experienced riders (i.e wrote a book) check them out, & got a
big O.K. The only concern was that they might not be tight enough.

My husband & I left together, about 10 min. after the start. In 6 mi. Butch
decided that Khaz might calm down better if they were on their own, & told me
to go on.

Jas was wonderful, collected, moving easily, & doing her fantistic trot. At
about 10 mi. we stopped for a potty break (me), & water (her). Checked
everything out, including the boots, & all seemed fine. Came into the 1st.
vet check after 23 mi. & found both front feet cut at the cornary band,
slightly to the outside of center for 1/2 ". Bleeding. We pulled the boots!
Vetted with all A's, & since we had a 45 min. hold, soaked with cold water, &
used blood stop, while she consumed a mash of rice bran, carrots, & oats. She
was eating & drinking well, bleeding had stopped. We were in 8th place. Left
for the next 10.5 mi. Rode with another rider who commented on Jas's
wonderful trot. Back to the stop & go check in 1 hr. 4 min. At the trot off,
the first vet pronounced her slightly off in the left rear. She asked me to
take some extra time, walk her around, & come back. On our next presentation,
we went to the head vet, at that trot off, it was obvious she was off in the
right rear. We pulled. Her card before this point was straight A's. (Can I
say this was a real blow?)

At camp, I had my friend trot her off, & from the rear it was obvious to me
that both rear legs were sore. So for the next two hours I iced, massaged,
used a Arnica (sp) liniment, & we walked every 15 min. After 2 hrs. I took
her back to the Vet, we trotted out, & Jas was pronounced sound. We think two
things happened, but believe me, any positive imput would be appreciated.

1. With her land covering trot, her toe is rocked, & squared to help
breakover, & prevent her from forging. Though her foot was wrapped in vet
wrap & duct tape, the boots might have had enough of a gap at the toe, that it
slid up & made the cuts?

2. She compensated for this by using her rear end more? As the tenderness
was in the stifle area, & inside of her thigh.

My biggest concern is whether these new seperations will prevent us from
competing again this year.

On the Bright Side - Butch & Khaz did Great! Finishing in 16th place, with 1
C in gut sounds, & a B+ in skin tenting, otherwise all A's! Butch did find
out that the Miller's Equi Jeans won't work for that distance. He has raw
knees again - though not as bad. He's looking at Tights!

Connie H.
Arlington, WA

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