From: ebadger@vcn.com (Edward Badger)
Subject: [endurance] new horse
Hi everyone. Last night I went and picked up my new horse, sight unseen I
had bought him. I don't think I will do that again.
I think maybe one persons perception is different from another. He was
suppose to be real mellow one a 2 year old could walk around. Also she had
said he was Rolly Polly. First my 13 year old won't go near him he is full
of fire. My husband thinks he really wasn't handled much. He is pretty and
has great confirmation but very thin. She was feeding him Omelene so I went
and bought something like it. I have decided not to give him any till he
mellows out some. I know he is in a new place and all and that has probably
got him nervous. This afternoon my husband was taking him out of the stall
he bolted and slipped and went down to the ground.
The major problem and if anyone has ever dealt with this before I could
certainly use some advice is, you can not touch him anywhere near his poll
he reared on me today when I was trying to adjust the halter. I wasn't near
his poll but the moving of the halter up there freaked him out. I am not
sure exactly what happen, I only found out about this problem when I went to
pick him up. 6 hours from home. He some how split his head open just above
the eyes 2 inches or so and needed stitches. The lady said the vet scared
him and ever since he has been like this. Anyways any advice on how to get
him over this would be great, He is somewhat head shy because of this. Lori
From: "Diane E. Nelson" <nelsonde@ttown.apci.com>
Subject: Re: [endurance] Sports Saddle Advice
Hi Laura!Yes, you are faced with exactly the same problems I found with the
saddle
and I had had my stirrups moved back a 1/2". I have seen riders using
this saddle without gaitors, although I think it's your length of leg
that will be the determining factor as to whether or not that little flap
will interfer. You may have to get a sheepsking saddle cover with
extended sides, or remove the flap and put sheepskin all the way to the
D-ring.
I know that some people have had initial difficulties in adjusting to
this saddle, but hung in there and now love it. Unfortunately, I
couldn't cut the learning curve.
If you think you want to keep it, sit in it & see where your leg falls
naturally without the stirrups, then mark that spot for them to reset to.
Let me know how you make out--will keep this info for the database.
BTW--Kasey & I really like the Orthoflex. I've been using it with a very
thin dressage pad to avoid the "wrinkling" on the haircoat from the
movement of the booties. No back soreness over limited distances.
Diane @ Safe Haven Allentown, PA
From: hickst@puzzler.nichols.com (Tina Hicks)
Subject: [endurance] HRM!!!!
I GOT MY HRM!!!! Actually, I got it Thursday - *2* days after I ordered it
from Running Bear Farms!!!! I used it this weekend - really interesting to
be able to see the heart rate on hills and such. I think I check it about
every 4 strides <vbg>.
I know that to be an effective tool, I need to determine some baselines and
then map out a plan, so to speak, to improve conditioning from there. I
know just enough about interval training, tho, to be dangerous. I mean, I
know there's a lot more to it than go fast for 3 minutes, go slow for one
minute, repeat :->>.
Can any of you recommend some good reading material on this subject as it
applies to distance work?
What other kinds of plans (if any) have any of you worked out using your
HRM and tracking heart rates/recoveries? Do most of you keep a log from
each ride with rates/recoveries/terrain in it?
Now that I have this great tool, I'd really like to learn how to use it the
best advantage possible - thanks early for any input.Tina and crew
hickst@nichols.com Huntsville, AL
From: "Diane E. Nelson" <nelsonde@ttown.apci.com>
Subject: Re: [endurance] new horse
Good Morning Lori--
I have found that Tteam work on the head and more patience than you
thought you had will bring the horse around. Begin with the mouth
exercises, then every once in awhile move your hand in a non-threatening
way toward the ears. Also do some massage work on the mid-neck region,
moving away from the poll then briefly toward the poll, each time inching
a fraction closer than before. Do this every time you handle the horse.
Your breathing will have a lot to do with calming him--take long deep
breaths & exhale very slowly as you work. Also ask him to bring his head
down by standing in front of him, crouch to your knees and gently tug/ask
for him to lower his head. Use a 30" chain threaded through the halter
and hooked onto the upper ring by the eye.
As far as getting halters on & off--don't move anything over his ears.
Unbuckle the halter and slip the strap as far back as possible and allow
to slide off the other side. You may need an oversize halter for this
move--and use something soft like well-broken in leather. When putting
it on just reverse the movement and keep your hands on the neck, not near
the poll.
The Tteam book has some excellent exercises--may be worth investing in
it--or if a local practicioner can come to your place, it might be good
to have some hands-on lessons.
I've had several horses who are "funny" about their heads for one reason
or another. But I have never had to give up on one of them! These
exercises really work--as does a positive mental attitude on your part.
If you envision a positive response, you will most likely get it!
Diane @ Safe Haven Allentown, PA
From: hall@cc.denison.edu (Jude Hall)
Subject: Re: [endurance] HRM!!!!
Tina Hicks wrote: >>I GOT MY HRM!!!! Actually, I got it Thursday - *2* days
after I ordered it
>from Running Bear Farms!!!! I used it this weekend - really interesting to
>be able to see the heart rate on hills and such. I think I check it about
>every 4 strides <vbg>.
Hi Tina - I recently got one too - and I am in awe
of the range of a horse's heart! Mine came with
a booklet written by Roger Rittenhouse (I also got
mine from Running Bear Farms), with really good
guidelines for training with it (I'm not doing
interval training). Let me know if you do not
have that guide and I will bring it in and
forward some of the info to you. I rode my
mare over the weekend at the same place I did
when I first got the HRM (mid-March) and was
pleased to see a definite difference in her
heartrate (lower - :-) ) this time over the same trail.
>
Roger recommends carrying a 3 x 5 card and
recording HR and recoveries at different times
along the trail, along with info about the
trail (terrain, etc.) and weather conditions.
The 3 x 5 card fits right in the HRM pouch and
I just keep the cards in a card file.
Have fun with your HRM - I love riding with it.
I have found that I probably wasn't training
hard enough (at a high enough HR). Riding with
this gives me a much better handle on improving fitness.
Jude Hall & Kentucky Redbud & Pride's Pure Angel
in very rainy central Ohio Hall@cc.denison.edu
From: "Diane E. Nelson" <nelsonde@ttown.apci.com>
Subject: [endurance] Glass Memorial 25 CTR
Kevin & I just completed a wonderful CTR near Huntingdon, PA--he on Miss
B (her first time out this year) and me on Kasey. The management,
terrain, volunteers and weather were about as perfect as it gets. And we
had the incomparable Buck Shrader to entertain/time/announce! If you
haven't had Buck volunteer at any of your NE region rides you are missing
a truly enjoyable experience!
The trail was a 12.5 mile loop done twice. There had been some heavy
rain & substantial wash-out of the trail so management came up with a
safe lollypop loop to make up the difference. Super concern for horse
and rider safety! Footing was incredibly soft, spongy through the
woods, with the lanes being at least two horses wide the whole way. A
couple really nice short, steep climbs to make it interesting. Some
hardtop but with just enough berm (that's what we call it in PA) so you
could find safe footing and still roll along.
I decided to ask Kasey to hold back at the start--not go screaming off
like we usually do--so that Miss B could get set in a nice trotting
rhythm. I was really impressed with his restraint--ask for a gait,
you've got it, ask for a speed, no problemo! But Miss B went nuts after
awhile since she's used to leading...but Kevin can tell his side of the
story later!
We jigged into mid-point in 2 hours, lots of walking, duh, yawn. Kasey
dropped like a rock to 44, no water--just feed him (gimme, gimme-grain,
hay, goodies-and if you don't his pulse stays up 'til you do!). We were
in and out of P&R's in good form--and could have left but opted to moosey
over to the trailer for some R&R. So we were in camp at least 45 minutes
when Buck, his assistants, everybody starts asking "Are you pulled?",
"You can leave anytime now!". Buck figured we were hanging out--he's
used to us doing this. Gave everybody a nice break and we were fresh and
ready to go for our repeat loop. Now the last horse is easily a 1/2 hour
ahead of us.
We sent Miss B out in front and she zipped along at 12-14 mph in her
stupendous racing trot. Kasey doesn't have a prayer of keeping up at
that trot so we cantered instead. I never liked his canter much--always
seemed a little jerky and "sideways"--but he was good, smooth and forward
yesterday, very comfy.
We did have a little mishap. Going down a pretty steep grade we came
upon a bow--red, white & blue--laying on the ground. "Oh, look at the
pretty bow someone dropped", I thought...and looked down at it. Well, of
course, Kasey looked down at it, in fact he put his nose on it--at the
trot, fast. In the blink of an eye, he steps through the reins, pulls
his head up and somehow flips the bridle with the Sleister hackamore off
his head and around his neck. So here we are, at speed, now going uphill
with the reins wrapped around the leg, across the chest and pulling on his
neck--nothing on the face at all! So what would you do? VOICE
COMMANDS!! As in screaming WHOA, WHOA, WHOA as we barrel up the trail.
Kevin was ahead & unaware of my distress but inadvertently provided a
very nice body-block complements of Miss B. And bless him, he also
dismounted and worked on dismantling the mess from the ground while I
worked on the top section.
So off we merrily went, passing horses right & left, until we caught up
with the original group we came into the mid-point with. And we finihed
the loop with time to spare!
Kasey came in at 44 (good boy). The trot-out was a reminder to me how
unfit and awful I look running after a ride (what with knee & back
problems)--I was trying to save the knee from buckling so I went slow and
my darling Kasey put his nose at my shoulder and gave me his dinky
Western pleasure jog. He had been boinging around before we went into
the ring, plenty of energy, but in the ring he looked really draggy 'cause I
wasn't "moving out"! So we got hit with "length of stride" deductions.
Also forgot to rinse his mouth out after he had chowed down a can of
sweet feed--gums "2" & sticky--stupid me! He had been drinking A LOT and
was not in the least dehydrated, attested to by a "0" skin pinch. Couple
of heat bumps--not sure what from, but since my knee was hurting I'll bet
I was riding unbalanced. I looked at that doggone bottle of DayPro
before the ride, then thought "Nah", & ate Nuprine instead--wrong
choice. Needed the anti-inflammatory. Now on to the MD 30!
Diane @ Safe Haven Allentown, PA Mr T, Miss B, Kasey & Chef d'Equippe "Odie"
From: "Diane E. Nelson" <nelsonde@ttown.apci.com>
Subject: Re: [endurance] campsite question
Before we had an awning installed, we used a 16 x 20' tarp that we hooked
to the roof rack and held up with expanding tent poles. I've seen people
with oversized tarps that wrap over the top of the trailer, secured with
stakes or just tied to the trailer itself, and then held up on one side
with poles. This system should secure the tarp from wind--keep one side
a little lower than the other for water to drain.Diane @ Safe Haven
From: <easycare@primenet.com>
Subject: [endurance] High Respiration
I purchased a new horse about four months ago. He is a 16.1, full arab
off the race track. I feel he has great potential and I really enjoy
riding him. During the last four months he has been conditioned three
times per week and is starting to get in decent endurance shape. I
have been watching his progress very closly on a Heart Rate monitor.
His working heart rate has improved and his recoveries are fast.
This brings me to the problem. He still has a very high respiration.
Many times during training rides we will stop for water or to open a
gate. I like to check his heart rate and watch his recoveries while
were stopped. His heart rate will quickly drop to 60-70 beats per
minute during hard conditioning but his respiration will stay 100-110
per minute or sometimes even higher.
When I first got the horse, I noticed the high respiration on our first
training ride. At that time his pulse was also very high. I figured
they would both come down as his conditioning improved. His heart rate
has improved his respiration has not.
Is there anything I can do to improve respiration? I have heard that
certain supplements will help (the horse allready gets ABC Power Plus,
and flex free).
At the last rides in Arizona, respiration has not even been checked. I
have seen several inverted horses pass through the vet checks with no
problem. Is respiration something that is being checked less and less
by vets or is this just something I have seen in Arizona?
I hope someone can help.Garrett- Arizona
------------------------------
From: "Diane E. Nelson" <nelsonde@ttown.apci.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 13:04:15 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [endurance] Delivery Failures??
Hi all--I seem to be getting an inordinate amount of delivery failures,
particularly from Compuserve addresses. This happens even with folks
I've had no problems responding to in the past. Has anyone else noticed
this? Want to be sure it's not a problem at my end.
Diane @ Safe Haven
------------------------------
From: "Diane E. Nelson" <nelsonde@ttown.apci.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 13:08:25 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [endurance] Campmor Catalog Info
The address is:
Campmor, Inc.
P.O. Box 700
Saddle River, NJ 07458
1-800-226-7667
Lots of good camping stuff--not discounted very much from local stores.
Diane @ Safe Haven
Allentown, PA
------------------------------
From: jane@cs.uoregon.edu (jane m ritter)
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 10:18:30 +0300
Subject: [endurance] neoprene girths
A horse massage therapist told me recently that neoprene girths are BAD
NEWS because they generate a lot of heat and create sore spots on the
horse. Does anyone out there have this problem? I have a neoprene girth
and I bought it in part because it's so easy to clean. I've always heard
that when the horse sweats, the sweat creates a layer of lubrication
between the horse and the neoprene and that the neoprene does not chafe as
a result. But heat-generation is another problem. I've only used this
girth on one 50-mile race and heat didn't seem to be a problem. Does
anyone have any input on this?
By the way, I like the idea that someone in this group proposed of people
including their horse's name with their own.
Thanks!
Jane Ritter - (Zetter - owned by Susie Morrill)
Jane M. Ritter phone or msg: (541)346-3954
Department of Computer Science
University of Oregon email: jane@cs.uoregon.edu
Eugene OR USA 97403-1202
------------------------------
From: BECHACK@aol.com
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 14:22:01 -0400
Subject: Re: [endurance] campsite question
Tina.. Normally I use one of the portable shade things, got it on sale.
check out Wal-mart...check the head height so you can stand under it. They
come with tent stakes to secure them...and except for winds like we got this
weekend in Lancaster CA at the Precititous Poppy ride, seems to hold up well.
DO NOT ATTACH A PROPANE LANTERN TO RAILINGS, MATERIAL MELTS
(found out the hard way)
Here in So Cal, shade is very important and always the first campsites taken.
I have gotten to a few rides fairly early, and have never gotten one of
them. I think some of these people get there Wed to get them. but, I love
mine. Next, I want to rig some way to attach the same material to the side
of the trailer for the horses. That stuff is much stronger than it looks,
and it allows for air to ventilate, important in the summer. The blue tarps
do not allow as much air to move, but block more sun.
Good luck
Becky Hackworth Jam and Gina
and assorted kids and critters and husband
Alpine Ca
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End of endurance-digest V1 #422
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