Re: Leaving after ride

[CMKSAGEHIL <CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com>]

Although Angie's points are excellent, I have to agree that when the
temperatures plummet, the horses are usually BETTER OFF to leave camp!  I vet
several high desert rides in the spring and fall, and if horses are AT ALL
questionable after the ride, I either SEND them home (if they are close) or
arrange somewhere in town for them to stay the night.  Many marginal horses
perk right up once they get into a warm place without a 30-mile-an-hour wind
blowing in sub-freezing temperatures.  Our desert temperatures can be 70 or 80
degrees in the daytime this time of year, and horses may not be shed out--they
may be overheated and damp, as well as fatigued, and that drop below freezing
with the night wind can be devastating.  

Also, if you have ever tried to effectively TREAT a horse in circumstances
like that, it is a nightmare beyond all proportion.  Had a mare go down on the
trail at one of these rides a few years ago at the base of a cinder butte--she
was about a quarter of a mile from where we could get a vehicle, and it was
already getting dark.  We formed a human chain of fluid-carriers, warmed
fluids in the defroster vent of a truck and had people carry them down to the
mare under their shirts.  I worked by flashlight and damn near froze my
fingers off.  We got her up, got her over the hill and down another half-mile
to where we could get a trailer, and you'd better believe I sent her home (25
miles) instead of back to ride camp (5 miles)!!  She recovered wonderfully
once she got out of the elements, and went on to more successful seasons.

I agree absolutely that the health of the horses comes first, but that often
means getting him the heck OUT of camp as quickly as possible.  Every
situation must be evaluated based on its own unique facts.

Heidi Smith, DVM--Sagehill Arabians (Oregon)