Taking Care of Rider (was Summer Breeze)

["April" <adlee@mailandnews.com>]

Hi, Betty,

I was taking care of myself in the heat long before I had to worry about
taking care of a horse in the heat and humidity.  I drink tons of water and
gatorade and sponge myself off almost as often as I sponge my horse.  (And I
usually shove the water off with my hands so I don't get that insulation
happening on me).  One advantage (?) of riding bareback is that my legs get
rinsed off as I sponge my horse.  Then I just sponge the rest of me off and
go.  Sure, I'm soaked, but I'd rather be soaked in water than in sweat!  It
can also be a little dirty when I get into a muddy creek.  Oh, well, nobody
said endurance was easy!!  I also wear tight fitting keds without socks.
Allows the water to go into my shoes and back out again.

My problem is remembering to eat enough.  Did you know that you burn 350-400
calories PER HOUR of riding horseback (at a trot).  That's a lot of calories
to replace (even for 25 milers).  I can't drink enough gatorade to get all
those calories (starts to taste bad after awhile, like somebody said, once I
don't need the electrolytes, I don't like the taste anymore.  When I need
more, I crave the taste.  Weird, but true.) and I forget that I should try
to eat a granola bar or cereal bar or something every half hour.   Not to
mention something a little more substantial at the vet check.  Then my blood
sugar drops dangerously and I get light-headed and very grouchy.

Funny how I spend hours working out a feeding regime and shoeing schedule
for my horse, but forget to eat.  LOL.  Funny April.  :)  I will have to sit
down and work out the same thing for me (not the shoeing schedule!).
Especially for rides.  If I already have a plan before I leave, I'm more
likely to follow it than try to figure it out when I get there.

April

----- Original Message -----
From: BE <betndez@budget.net>
To: <adlee@bigfoot.com>; Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>
Cc: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Monday, July 05, 1999 6:41 PM
Subject: RC: Re: Summer Breeze


And I thought 90 on a dry dusty desert ride was hot!

You people in the east & south are TOUGH RIDERS.  You talk about keeping the
horse cool and I wonder what you do to keep yourselves from passing out and
falling off the horse.
Betty in the "relatively cool"  Northwest
-----Original Message-----
From: Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>
To: adlee@bigfoot.com <adlee@bigfoot.com>
Cc: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Monday, July 05, 1999 1:53 PM
Subject: RC: Summer Breeze


>>  I'm getting ready for Summer Breeze and I'm getting a little >nervous
>>about>the weather.  Here in Southern TN, we're having >90s with high
>>humidity.
>
>She's right, but those of you with 100+ temps remember...this is with
>humidity (just guessing) well over 80%  I wouldn't be surprised it it was
>100% today.  If we followed the rule of Temp & humidity danger zones we'd
>never get to ride.  It's been so humid I use windshield wipers in the
>evening just because the HUMIDITY is wetting my windshield...REALLY!
>
>Now, about Summer Breeze.  I believe it's at the same place I did the
>Kentucky Stampede, east of Lexington.  Yes, camp is an open hot field,
>but there's woods across the road where the vet check is.  I would just
>take a lawn chair and put him a picket line over there after the ride.  I
>made the mistake of driving all night and getting there on Friday morning
> avoid hauling in the heat.  Problem was camp was hot as blue blazes and
>I couldn't sleep Friday during the day.  Not to mention camped next to
>the most incredible fighting couple I've ever seen...that's another
>story...
>
>The course itself was great for heat.  You spent lots of time in shady
>ravines and must have crossed the same mountain stream a hundred times.
>The biggest problem was the last 100 yards into the vet check.  It was a
>wide open dirt road up a steep hill.  We did it four times and it REALLY
>heated the horses up.  I've never gone through so much water in my life,
>but there was a hose not far from the check (which is in shade) and Tommy
>Crain earned some jewels for his crown by refilling everybody's buckets
>all day.
>I rode 22 miles Sat. in this, and 12 this morning.  With LOTS of
>sponging, he was O.K.
>
>During the race when you get to cold water, stay and KEEP SPONGING.
>Stand him in it up to his knees if you can.  Keep sponging until his skin
>doesn't warm up again under your hand, get the core temp. down.
>
>If you're on a road that's in and out of the sun, trot the SUN, and walk
>the shade.  That will save you from the radient heat.  Hug the shade like
>a vampire.  AVOID it at all costs.  I'll up my electrolytes some, and
>drop my pace a lot.  I'll make good time in the morning, and spend lots
>of time in the creek as the day warms up.
>
>Carry ICE WATER in your water bottles to squirt on him, but drink lots
>yourself too. I plan to use ice water some in the vet check.  This will
>be a first, but the last time I was there it took him 13 min. to come
>down once, and it was purely the heat from climbing that hill.  He's
>usually down in 3.
>
>Angie
>
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=




=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=