Re: Leasing for Cosequin Challenge Ride?

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

I guess I have to weigh in on the other side of the lease issue.  I was the
team vet for Denmark at the World Championship in Kansas.  We put together an
entire squad (with one exception) of leased horses, and were in the lead for
the bronze team medal until a pull at the next-to-last check.  One of our team
horses was pulled due to a very mild colic (really more just a long absence of
gut sounds) early on that really wasn't anyone's fault.  The horse's owner was
part of the crew, and conferred with the rider, and although the horse was
cleared eventually to leave the check, all parties agreed to pull.  Ray
Randall was great, and worked with us on holding off a decision to pull for a
long period of time until we were really sure that was what the horse needed.
We still had three team horses and two individual horses running well.  The
horse that pulled at vet check 5 just wasn't moving right--nothing we could
really put our fingers on, except that his sides were sore.  Although I had
seen this horse for years at rides, we had no idea that he was under regular
chiropractic care until we actually got to Kansas with him and his owner piped
up and requested that we get him adjusted.  (I knew he had had some problems
in the past, but thought that he was over them.)  Then we sent him into the
ride with a type of saddle that had previously caused him problems, but we did
not have that information, either.  To make matters worse, we had other
saddles available, and could easily have switched.  Turned out that the saddle
had rubbed the horse in the sides so badly that the next day he actually had
edema and weeping skin in the area of the billets.  I don't blame the owner,
as she had a lot on her mind with her own ride there, and likely did not
realize that these small details were important, but there was a definite
communication breakdown, and had we known the facts about this horse, we could
have managed him differently and come home with a team medal.  He is truly a
wonderful horse, and could have easily done the job with different tack.  The
horse suffered no ill effects other than discomfort for a couple of days, but
the team had put a lot of time, effort, and money into traveling to the
Worlds, did an outstanding job as a whole, and for want of a few details from
the owner, had their efforts stymied.  The lease situation is a two-way
street--I would never lease a horse to someone I did not trust completely, but
by the same token, I would never lease a horse FROM someone I did not trust
completely, either.

Heidi Smith, DVM