Re: how far to rides?

[rides2far@juno.com (Angela C. McGhee)]

Dear Hauls2far
I disagree strongly with your theories on hauling...

>I usually like to drive no more than about 600 miles max in one day, 
>but have
>driven 900 before.

I hope you didn't do that just before or after a competition.


>
>> If you stop, do you take your horses out of the trailer? 
>
>Rarely........if the horse will eat, drink and urinate in the trailer, 
>I feel
>the horse is better off if you get to your destination as quickly as 
>possible.

Do you stop for vet checks in the ride?  Or just keep him moving so he'll
be through that much sooner?


>Unloading in a strange (and often open) environment is asking for 
>trouble.  I
>do try to stop about every 2 hours or so (I need a restroom break!!)

Do you get out and walk around to stretch your legs?  Or do you just stay
in the exact position you've held for the other 15 hours and relax?
  
>or to
>eat.   This gives the horse a chance to rest some in the trailer 
>without
>having to unload.  Plus it teaches him that stopping doesn't 
>necessarily means
>he's gettin' out!!

I'll bet it does.  One of the main reasons to get a horse out to walk
around is so he can drop his nose to the ground and have a good airway
clearing snort.  My horse loves this and if I'll go first, we play
dueling snorts for any audience we can entertain.


When I haul, I unload about every 3 hrs.  If it's less than 6 hrs, but
more than 3, I'll stop 1/2 way.   The only time I broke this rule and
went 5 hrs. to War Eagle non-stop just happened to be the time that the
horse had a slight cramp/tie up? during his Friday afternoon ride.  I
think this is much worse than leaving them in a stall for a long time
before a ride.

I used to be scared to unload behind truck stops, etc.  Kaboot isn't
always the calmest horse, but he seems to understand the routine
perfectly.  We walk around, he snorts for awhile, eats a little grass, I
whistle, he pees, and he heads right back into the trailer.  He might
take a drink on the way home from a ride, but not on the way to one.  I
think my biggest fear was that this would be the one time in his life
he'd decide not to load, but he doesn't seem to have any urge to hang out
at the truck stop.

By the way, after riding in a race, I usually move pretty well at camp
the next morning.  After the ride home, I fall out of the cab.  It sure
doesn't take long to stiffen up.

Angie & Kaboot (Are we going to stop at the Truck Stop with the big
American Flag this weekend?)

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