Karen’s Musings & Endurance Ride Stuff

I ran across this article the other day and found it pretty interesting.  It is a 1988 an interview with Went Tellington, known to be quite a horseman as well as a Tevis BOG.  Went Tellington rode for the U.S. Cavalry, was a successful trainer and coach of horses in international competition and is also co-author of the book ” Endurance and Competitive Trail Riding“.  I’ll copy some excerpts out of this interview and make comments.  Be sure to go read the entire thing though!  I’m sure anybody attempting Tevis will be interested to read through his thoughts on hoof care.

I love this part, where he answers questions about selecting horses.  He had between 6,000 and 8,000 horses at the time.

Then we’d examine their feet. If their feet were satisfactory, they went into a group for collection. If their feet were not satisfactory, we trimmed their feet a little bit and turned them back. If their feet were too bad, we’d have to eliminate them right there; we’d put them down. Once we got past that foot examination, which was the most critical determination, then we put them through a brief test to see how they would get along with men.

I find that interesting.  Personally, any time in the future that I am going to select a horse for endurance riding - that horse will darn well have good feet!  If it doesn’t, there is no point in looking any higher up.  I have had both good footed horses and poor footed horses and let me tell you, it’s enough work and effort to keep a good horse going that you don’t need the extra headaches of dealing with feet that are just so-so or that need a lot of extra TLC.  Better to put the effort into the right horse.

When asked about what Went specifically looked for in the foot of a horse to be used as a pack horse, this was his answer:

I was looking for even wear. A horse that doesn’t travel very well may wear his feet down hard on the heel or on the toes, or harder on one side or the other. Sometimes the horse would get a type of coonfoot, it’s called, that you could correct if you wanted to take the time. But, when you’re handling 1200 horses a week, you don’t take time to correct a coonfoot. We eliminated the horse whose feet tended to crack or break up in any way at all. Every horse, before he went out, was trimmed and evened up. Even though the horses were not shod, the foot care was conducted by farrier craftsmen.

I found this part about the metal used in horseshoes to be very interesting too.  Went was involved in a lot of research - so again, be sure to read the entire article and you’ll learn more about apple cider vinegar as well as horse transport!

It became apparent to me that the property of elasticity in metal was a critical property. If you have a high-speed metal in contact with a horse’s foot, it translates a very high pitch zinging to the horse’s nervous system, which is disturbing to him. We can’t tell you he doesn’t like it, and he has grown so accustomed to it that he probably just lives with it. With a low-speed metal, the zinging isn’t of such high velocity, and the horse doesn’t seem to resent it quite so much. But such a very malleable metal wears out too fast. The kind of horseshoe that I propose for an endurance ride probably wouldn’t go more than 300 miles, because it would wear out. But the normal horseshoe will probably go 1500 miles. The good horseshoe, as far as I’m concerned, will only go 300 miles and they cost more. So, again, you’re up against the cost factor.

Now onto something that many of you Tevis hopefuls will find useful!  I have to say that I totally agree with what he says about using pads on a shod horse.  Especially if your horse isn’t used to them.  I’ve also had long time riders caution me against using silicone - now that I’ve seen first hand how much difference in heat buildup there is with various boots and other hoof protection items, I am definitely going to steer away from anything that’ll add additional heat.  We’ve all heard the term “hot shoe”, right?

My experience over the years among many friends and acquaintances that did NOT complete the Tevis - is that they had a higher chance of that happening because their horse slipped or couldn’t get adequate footing due to having a pad on.

If you have a horse that’s a good horse and you ride him in a specific discipline and you think he needs some protection of the sole for that particular purpose, then go ahead and put pads on — but not as a regular thing. The pad has a tendency to build up some heat in the foot or to occasionally to trap something in there which can cause a bruise that can last quite awhile. But the heat factor through the pads has always been of some concern, especially if it’s packed in silicone.

And more:

A wide-web is good for the Tevis Cup Ride. And I would see that the nails were just a hair forward of conventional nails.

And why would you do that?

Because I want to give that big heel all the opportunity to expand as the horse gets more and more experience in endurance. His feet will work better and they are going to expand more. If you take a horse that hasn’t done this very much, he’s going to have limited movement. If I let that horse run a mile everyday for a year, that heel is really going to give it hell. That’s why I say, “Ride the horse,just ride him, and give him lots of opportunity to do his thing, and he will.”

Here Went is talking about the finer details including polishing a shoe so that the hoof can slide over it in the heel area.  I have definitely noted this myself - you can see inside Chief’s hoof boots for example, that his heel is expanding and has polished up the flat surface of the back of his boots.

We’d get a fine sandpaper and work over the bottom of the foot. Then we’d take a grinder and polish the inside of the shoe so it had a really smooth surface. This is on the heel, not around the toe, so the heel could slide over that iron very easily. From the last nail hole back we’d polish the shoe right down, so those heels never had any trouble sliding back and forth over that iron. I mean, this is the degree of refinement that we go to when we’re trying to really win.

I just love reading and learning all of this stuff from those that have “been there - done that”.  Things that we should never forgot - why learn any of this the hard way when you don’t have to, right?  Now go ride your horse, and have a happy fourth of July holiday if you are a US citizen!

The photo of this Mongolian horse was taken in June - he’s shown here hobbled.

If anybody would like to comment on a post you can click on “comments” at the bottom and do so - or shoot me an email.  I don’t expect everybody to agree but please be civil and respect other peoples’ viewpoints.

Meanwhile, with all of the PR’s being put out now by the Adventurists and Mercy Corps. it appears that they are going to have a large and adequately trained vet staff available to be able to handle vetting all 625 to 800 horses (I read different #’s in different places, either way - it’s a LOT of horses) - both before, during and after the event takes place.

Please visit these sites: The Adventurists and Mercy Corps and ask them to ensure the safety of the horses being used in this event.  The more voices they hear, the better - look at the changes made already!  Also, here again is the link to the Long Rider’s page where you can find more information or go directly to a petition that you can sign.

Now that I’ve learned all I have about the Mongol Derby I definitely wouldn’t be interested in doing it myself.  At first, I thought it sounded like fun.  It might be fun for a couple of days but then it would get less exciting real fast changing horses every 25 miles not to mention that everybody says these horses are pretty uncomfortable (for those of us used to Arabians) and like riding jackhammers.  There are far better ways to experience an adventure from horseback!  For example, check out xprides.com.

Participants are also going to need to have good health insurance.  Check out what the US State Department site says about medical services in Mongolia:

“MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION: Medical facilities in Mongolia are very limited and do not meet most Western standards, especially for emergency health care requirements. Many brand-name Western medicines are unavailable. Ulaanbaatar, the capital, has the majority of medical facilities inside the country; outside of Ulaanbaatar, medical facilities and treatment are extremely limited or non-existent. Specialized emergency care for infants and the elderly is not available. Infectious diseases, such as plague, meningococcal meningitis, and tuberculosis, are present at various times of the year. Sanitation in some restaurants is inadequate, particularly outside of Ulaanbaatar. Stomach illnesses are frequent. Bottled water and other routine precautions are advisable.

Serious medical problems requiring hospitalization and/or medical evacuation to the United States can cost tens of thousands of dollars. A June 2005 medical evacuation from Ulaanbaatar to Seoul, Korea, cost the patient $87,000. ***Doctors and hospitals usually expect immediate payment in cash for health services. Medical evacuation companies will not initiate an evacuation without a fee guarantee beforehand and in full. ***”

Another rider has suggested that the participants need to carry guns (and be trained on how to use them) and should get night vision goggles.  I could see that (pardon the pun) - as I would like to ride in the cooler hours to minimize the heat stress on the horses.  You could make better time.  Horses see better than we do in the dark but for safety purposes the night vision goggles would be great to have along for the rider - that way if you run into a pack of wolves or wild dogs you could not only see them, but use your gun to defend yourself.  An even better suggestion was that the riders should carry cash with them to offer to anybody that they impose upon.  I found that to be true myself when we were traveling on the long XP rides - everything comes at a price and it’s a gesture of good will to offer to pay your own way.

Now onto more comments from others.  This is from somebody who is in the US Army and works in third world countries:

A special meal...pass the salt please! mmmmm....boiled bowels!

Kent’s claim that Mongolian herders do 40 to 60 kilometers on horseback a day doesn’t make sense. I can’t believe a herder would drive livestock that far in a day. Even if a rider rode circles around the herd all day long I don’t understand how a herder would put in 40 kilometers a day on horseback.

I find it amusing that these folks who call themselves “adventurists” would rely on GPS devices as the means of navigation. No adventurer worth his salt would use GPS. A real adventurers would use map and compass - now that’s a good challenge. I’m not against carrying a GPS for use in an emergency - that’s a way to manage risk.

This is from another rider who has ridden across Mongolia and has first hand experience about what the conditions are really like.

The nomads horses may very well travel 40-60 km a day but not galloping full speed and being encouraged.

Weight limit - he’s wrong.  Any horse will buckle under too much weight.  All this talk about how much weight the horses carry - Mongolians use camels when they move or have heavy jobs - and these days - everywhere - big trucks.

Yes - the horses do live with the herd most of the year - socializing like you say.  In minus 40 degree weather and starving to death!  Even without a zud it is hard for them to get food because the steppe grass is so thin, short and sparse…

Does he honestly think that The Adventurists is going to pay Mongolian trainers??? - Wasting their time preparing horses for strangers to ride for one day??? Hello!

For his tying up the horse – see the attached photo I received from my friend. Take a look. That’s one way to do it.  While you’re at it, take a look at the horse’s ribs. This photo would have been taken on about June 24.  The fact that this horse is under saddle is evidence that it is one of the owner’s preferred mounts. Healthy looking?  Right!

Sorry Buddy - they take airag as a laxative.  I travel around with these guys and they tell me this all the time.  Why is it a laxative? Because of the damn bacteria.  So some airags may have more laxative effects than others.  Be glad if you get diarrhoea.  It could be a lot worse. How about Undulant Fever, Salmonella, E-Coli?  And when they are milking the horse, how about if a few worm eggs fall in for flavour?  Be my guest!  Cheers! Have a test for parasites when you get home.  Maybe they won’t show up because they have already migrated to your liver.

And about the condition of the horses - being so strong and au natural out there - lets be frank - they are skinny from being wormy and bug infested too. If your vets do anything it will probably give a good bout of worm medicine.

More, from somebody else:

The whole thing is like the TV show “Survivor”—  I think that the organizers have missed the boat here because if a TV crew were along, the pubic would be fascinated in seeing the riders having all of their personal troubles but certainly would be appalled at the troubles the horses might have.  That sums it up for me—-the people will not get sympathy as they had the choice to not go—but the horses might be trapped much of the time as has amply been addressed.

I’ve got more, but it’s getting to be too much to keep up with it all.  It really does look like everybody’s letters and comments have made a difference.  If it weren’t for the Long Rider’s Guild, some of these positive things might not have happened.  Before they got involved there was no weight limit for the horses.  Now there weight limits and vets involved and they are now promising to take care of the horses and saying all the right things.  I thought that Merri had a great idea in sending observers to this event, in this post “Shifting Priorities“.

Continue reading Sharing more info on the Mongolian Derby topic

Karen & Granite Chief, Fort Schellbourne XP 2009. Photo by Steve Bradley

I just came back from having a wonderful ride on Chief and had to share this beautiful piece about horses.  We are all so lucky to have the special relationships that we do with our horses.  I think above all else, Chief and I have a deep trust and respect for each other.  He has been an angel about letting me remove stitches from his eyelid - he trusts me to not hurt him and I trust him to let me do it without hurting ME! 

To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short years, a horse can teach a young girl courage, if she chooses to grab mane and hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier than the tallest of girls.

To conquer the fear of falling off, having one’s toes crushed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse show is an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be grateful.

Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle or a computer, a horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty and smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily; we know we’ve made the right choice.

Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science.. Some are easy keepers, requiring little more than regular turn-out, a flake of hay, and a trough of clean water. Others will test you - you’ll struggle to keep them from being too fat or too thin. You’ll have their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are so accident-prone you’ll swear they’re intentionally finding new ways to injure themselves.

If you weren’t raised with horses, you can’t know that they have unique personalities. You’d expect this from dogs, but horses? Indeed, there are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by finding new ways to escape from the barn when you least expect it.

Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or willing. You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude you altogether. There are as many “types” of horses as there are people- which makes the whole partnership thing all the more interesting.

If you’ve never ridden a horse, you probably assume it’s a simple thing you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics on a Sunday, but to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a living being is far more complex than turning a key in the ignition and putting the car or tractor in “drive..”

In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a few things to say to you as well. On a good day, he’ll be happy to go along with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you’ll swear he’s trying to kill you. Perhaps he’s naughty or perhaps he’ fed up with how slowly you’re learning his language. Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) or he may carefully carry you over fences - if it suits him. It all depends on the partnership - and partnership is what it’s all about.

If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work at it, you’ll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion in addition to basic survival skills. You’ll discover just how hard you’re willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how much you have to learn.

And, while some people think the horse “does all the work”, you’ll be challenged physically as well as mentally. Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting on his back is the closest you’ll get to heaven.

You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to? The results may come more quickly, but will your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust? The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell.. When it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding between horse and rider. These are the days when you know with absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work.

If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of us have to squeeze riding into our over saturated schedules; balancing our need for things equine with those of our households and employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to ride as well as we’d like. Hours in the barn are stolen pleasures.

If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their manes and whisper our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life’s true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular meals. Some of us need these reminders.

When you step back, it’s not just about horses - it’s about love, life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, a decision to sustain a life or end it gently.

As horse people, we share the accelerated life cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that caring for these animals brings us. When our partners pass, it is more than a moment of sorrow.

We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have been blessed. Our memories are of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute union. We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give.

To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To see us in our muddy boots, who would guess such poetry lives in our hearts? We celebrate our companions with praise worthy of heroes. Indeed, horses have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out of fields of battle.

Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of journeys made and challenges met. The best of horses rise to the challenges we set before them, asking little in return.

Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart.

Author Unknown

I wrote and asked the Aventurists that question a couple of days ago, and still have not gotten a response. However, I did get a couple of answers from Long Rider’s who have ridden in Mongolia.

I was wondering what might happen to the horses after they do their 25 mile (40 km) section of the Mongol Derby. Somehow, they need to get back home! Obviously the (possibly up to 26 used on each leg) horses won’t be hauled back home in a trailer. The consensus is that most likely the animals will be turned loose to find their way back home. It sounds like these are pretty smart horses.

Yet, that effectively doubles the distance that they must go. Granted, without the rider on their return trip. I know the website states that this race is not a test of endurance for the horse. I would consider it a test of endurance for my own endurance horse to be ridden 25 miles one day and then be turned around and set loose to find their way home in the next few days. Hopefully these guys will let the horses stay a day or two and rest and rehydrate and eat well before sending them on their way.

I have a quote from Bonnie Harpp who has ridden in Mongolia: “No Mongolian is going to give up his best horse for such a race. Horses are a spiritual symbol to Mongolians. They will pull out a few old nags or, I believe, go out and pull some of the more acceptable looking horses off the steppe. There are no barns there or corals. It is entirely different. People here would never believe it.”

I did the math to figure out how many 25 mile legs each rider will have to do per day in order to finish the entire race within a week. Since this is an event challenging the endurance of the rider rather than the horse I would think that each rider would be riding at least 50, 75 or 100 miles per 24 hour period. You couldn’t finish in three weeks if you only rode 25 miles per day. If you rode 50 miles per day, which would take two Mongolian horses each going 25 miles every single day - and you didn’t take any days off you would be riding for 12 days.

Most very fit endurance riders I know would be knocked on their butt riding 24 different horses 25 miles each for 12 days straight. I think they would find it very difficult riding their own same horses that distance in that same time period. Especially given the more extreme and rough conditions that these participants are sure to encounter. Endurance riders in the US are pretty spoiled and used to lots of creature comforts. These guys aren’t going to finish every night to a nice meal (after having lunch possibly provided, or at least easily made themselves) with a shower and a nice already made bed waiting for them. They are going to have a rough time.

I just hope they all have enough batteries for their GPS units so they won’t get lost or miss any water opportunities. I also wonder how much T.P. they can carry in their packs? And will these riders know how to deal with a horse that wants to run home when they are trying to use the restroom on the Mongolian steppe with no trees or anything to tie the horse to? Be a lot like we experience here when you think you’ve found a nice quiet secluded spot and another group of riders go trotting by and your horse wants to join them.

Bonnie also states: “Nomads drink Airag as a laxative. How many rolls of toilet paper can the riders squeeze into their packs? And if they stop on the steppe to take a c—, squatting there in agony - can they manage to control their eager to bolt horses at the same time?”

I don’t know if it is realistic or if any of the participants are tough and conditioned themselves to ride 75 or 100 miles (3 or 4 legs per day) each day but if they are then they could possibly finish the entire course in 6 days. I think that going 50 per day would be a much more doable type of goal, especially if they are going to be riding horses that don’t have really fast walks and can’t keep up a canter or trot for extended periods. If it were me I would probably try traveling in the cooler hours and sleep during the hotter parts of the day at the checkpoints if that were possible.

I love this excerpt about Mongolian horses from Wikipedia:  “Racing horses with a child in the saddle will run in full gallop over 35 km at a time. They are trained to keep running even after losing their riders. In such a case, they need to be stopped in the finish zone by aides waiting there especially for that purpose.”

I think it’s great that so much attention has been brought to this topic. I hope that it helps these horses, which was the whole point. Please read some of my earlier posts on the topic if you’d like more information on the Mongolian Derby.  Or visit this page at The Long Rider’s Guild

Oh - one more thing I keep forgetting to mention.  This Mongolian Derby event is billing itself as the longest horse race in the world.  That is not true, not even close.  Good grief people, do a google search!

Do not attach a bucket this way! This snap is facing the wrong direction. If a horse eating out of this bucket rubs on it they can easily get caught on it.

This shows how easy it would be for a rubbing horse to get his halter caught on the rope snap.

You are probably wondering….how can a bucket be unsafe?  Well, it’s not the bucket that isn’t safe, it’s the combination of bucket + horse = potential for accident.

Click on the photos to enlarge and see the comments under each of them to see what is safe, and what isn’t safe.

Anybody that has had horses for any length of time knows that they are experts at finding ways to get into trouble.  It makes me crazy trying to stay one step ahead of them and keep things as safe as possible.

When you travel a lot with horses, as I have — you learn to spot things that are literally “accidents waiting to happen”.  Those that know me very well at all know that I am pretty safety conscious where my horses are concerned.  Any time I can avoid something even as simple as a horse getting caught on a bucket, I will go out of my way to do that.

The correct way to have a bucket on a snap - it would be very difficult for a horse to get caught on this. All edges are smooth with no hooks or pointy ends.

Bucket handle hooks can easily catch a horses halter!

While I enjoy learning things on my own I much prefer to learn from others.  Especially if it is something that can keep my horses out of trouble. Since I have seen some good wrecks over the years I know that these little things that I can do really pay off where my horses safety is concerned.

First things first - when using buckets of any type check over their handles for any areas that could catch your horses halter.  A lot of the handles of buckets (see photos) have enough of a gap in them that a horse rubbing on a bucket could easily catch their halter especially a biothane halter or a rope halter.  I’m using photos showing that minus the horse.  A lot of buckets come with little rubber ends on the outer edge of the handle but these often come off leaving even more of a gap.

To fix the gap in the bucket handle where it attaches to the bucket you need to squeeze the two sides together.  You can use pliers or vice grips.  If that is too hard try using a vice to get the two sides tightly together.

Using a vice to squeeze the two bucket handle sides tightly together.

I really keep an eye on this on all of my buckets - as soon as there is a gap (usually if the little rubber end comes off) or if I get new buckets and there is a gap I squeeze the edges together and then add the duct tape.  I’ve done this for many years.  Like I said I’ve seen some good wrecks over the years with horses getting attached to their buckets in various ways and by paying careful attention to detail I have been able to avoid any such thing happening with my own horses.

I wrap the bucket handle end in duct tape to create a smooth surface.

I also like to wrap duct tape around the handle where it attaches to the bucket. This makes for smooth edges.  Besides not catching halters — buckets that are set up this way won’t catch tail hairs either!  The tape wears out with use and may need to be replaced every so often. It should last for several months though, or maybe even years depending upon the type of use that the bucket gets.  Isn’t it great all of the uses we endurance riders can find for duct tape?

The next important thing to know when hanging a bucket for a horse is to make sure that you use a hook of some sort that the horse can’t rub and get caught on.  A lot of hooks look like a good idea but over time you kind of learn which ones are better than others.

Squeeze the two sides tightly together to eliminate the chance of a horse getting caught!

I like using large rope snaps for hanging buckets on posts where a good solid bucket bracket won’t work.  Make sure that the part of the snap that opens and closes is FACE DOWN away from the bucket and the horses face.  This way if the horse rubs it won’t open up that part of the clip and get caught on it.  Same idea of you are using a caribbeaner type clip.

These are the bucket brackets I use to attach buckets in my stalls and on the horse trailer.

You do have to watch your horses and if they play with their buckets they might get the snaps to flip around.  If that is the case then use a different type of bucket holder or use feed pans placed on the ground.  You could also use duct tape around the movable part of the clip so that it can’t come undone.  This is only practical if you want to leave the bucket attached more permanently.

On my trailer I use these bucket brackets (see photo) which hold the buckets extremely secure.  I also use these bucket brackets in my barn stalls.  It’s only on the hitching posts that I use the rope snap type holders with large “closed” eye hooks.  I don’t use open hooks or anything that has an open end or gives a horse an opportunity to hang himself up or get caught on.

How safe are your buckets and bucket holders?

This is a great dose of reality for anybody contemplating riding in the Mongolian Derby - you’ve got to read this entire warning to competitors and their families….you can download the pdf of this from the Long Rider’s page at this link.

I do not believe the race organizers have been completely clear about the size of the horses. They are very small and simply cannot carry heavy Westerners for any significant distance, even at a walk.

Continue reading A warning of the real dangers in Mongolia

There has been a lot written already about the upcoming Mongol Derby.  I’d like to share a few of those links and also some e-mail exchanges regarding the event between the Long Rider’s Guild and the company that is putting on the event.

Racing into trouble: alert from The Long Riders’ Guild

Mercy Corps’ Mongolian horse race draws opposition from equestrian groups

Tom Morgan You’re the FHOTD Idiot du Jour!

The Equestrian Vagabond

The World is Smaller Now

At first glance, this event could appeal to a lot of us - it sure sounds like an incredible adventure.  I wanted to do it when I first learned about it!  My husband says that I wouldn’t have had as much fun though, if I were not riding my own horses.  That is true as part of why I enjoy riding long distances and spending long hours in the saddle or on foot with my horses is because of the relationships that I have developed with them.  For me, it’s about the journey and not as much the destination or where we finish.  I like to think that my horses welfare comes first and that I always make the best decisions in that regard, and when I haven’t I have learned from those mistakes.  Fortunately those mistakes have never resulted in the death of a horse or a serious situation - knocking on wood.

I have read some info on those that are participating in this event and the one thing that comes through is their naivety.  Putting your own life in danger or harms way is a choice we can make.  But it’s not right to put the health and lives of all of these horses in so much danger.  For what?  What will these people do when they find out the hard way how fragile these horses can be.  Tough, yes.  Our endurance horses are tough too but don’t let that fool you - they ARE fragile.

I think that it’s clear from what happened at Catoosa that horses don’t need to go 50 or 100 miles to experience metabolic disaster.  Most if not all of the horses that died at Catoosa were in the 15 and 25 mile races and didn’t even make it that far.  Read the article!

Here are the email exchanges: Continue reading More on horse safety and the Mongol Derby

Not too long ago I blogged about the Mongol Derby - when I first checked out their website I thought wow, that sounds like fun!  Riders are going to ride 1000 km on Mongolian horses, racing 25 miles on each horse.  It sounded like a real adventure.

However, since then I’ve learned more about the race.  It is the making of another Catoosa.  There are few AERC riders that don’t know about the Catoosa Suicide Race.  In addition to the info below, I have this article stating that riders who lost a horse on the 25 mile race turned around and got on a  second horse for the 15 miler and lost a second horse.  It just goes to show you that you don’t have to go even 25 miles to kill a horse if you don’t know what you are doing and are riding an unconditioned horse at speed!  I have a hard time accepting that humans are that cruel and inhumane.  Not to mention stupid.

From Ridecamp archives: Lisa Dawes Brown wrote an article for “The File” in the September 1987 issue of EQUUS magazine concerning that ride (pg 29). She reported that the ride was called the Oklahoma Spring Ride, (June 13, 1987), and was near the town of Catoosa in the northeast corner of the state. The distances were 15, 25, 50, and 100 miles and there was an advertised purse of $20,000. There were 32 entrants.

For five weeks following the event, state law enforcement combed the territory surrounding the Chouteau National Recreation Trail for the bodies of horses that had died and been buried during the course of the event. The ride was held in 94 degree heat with 70 percent humidity.

Carcasses were exhumed near the trail used by the two shorter races. AERC pulled it’s sanctioning the day before the event because the race promoter allegedly refused to abide by the organization’s rules for monitoring the condition of the equine participants. His reported words to AERC officials were: “It’s my race and I’m going to run it how I want to. If you don’t like it, you can get the *&#^ out.”

AERC members then made plans to run a sanctioned ride 20 miles away at the Will Rogers Centennial Trail at Oologah Lake. There were no injuries or deaths at that ride.

At Catoosa, however, the riders were mostly young kids, going for the money, being cheered on by family members. One young girl in the 25 mile ride was reportedly being screamed at to bring her horse in at a gallop under the whip, even though her nearest competitor was a mile behind. That horse later died.

In all, seven carcasses were found buried and other horses probably died in transit home or in the days following. This ride was dubbed “The Disaster Ride” by the media and film footage of the backhoes at work digging up bodies was broadcast worldwide. It was one huge black eye for distance riding and AERC did a good job of standing up to answer the questions that followed. The point that those “jackpot races” were not endurance rides by AERC standards was driven home to the general public.

Organized endurance horse events in the United States and Canada are regulated by the American Endurance Ride Conference.  Each ride is sanctioned and must follow set standards of rules including veterinary care for the horses.  Horses must be a minimum of four years old to do 25 mile events and five years old to complete in 50 mile distances and up.  The Tevis Cup requires horses to be 6 years old to compete in that ride (100 miles).  Horses must also pass vet checks before, during and after each ride and are not given a completion if they are not judged fit to continue.  Fit to continue means that the horse is sound at a trot and metabolically stable.  To learn more about the AERC and endurance riding click here.

5'5" Edayot with Mongolian horse

The Mongol Derby has no such safeguards in place though their website does mention having veterinarians available if a horse is seriously injured.  I really fear for the lives of many of these horses.  This could be a nice event if the organizers decide to run it right and include veterinary safeguards and can guarantee that the horses doing this race will have access to water, feed, proper conditioning and will receive the same type of safeguards that my horse have when they compete in an AERC endurance race.

The horses being used range in height from 12 to 14 hands. The riders have a weight limit of 85 kg which is 187 pounds.  They can carry 10 kg, which brings the total to 95 kg or 209 pounds.  I wonder how much their tack weighs as there is no mention of that weight being included in the rider weight?  Temperatures will likely reach 95 degrees.  Ground temperatures are certain to be much hotter.

I don’t understand how logistically they can provide veterinary care for this many horses when they will be spread apart so far.  Especially in an emergency.  Riders may do the entire 1000 km in a week or they may take up to three weeks.  How will they have vets available over that large of a distance once the riders get more spread out?   Will they all be racing at endurance racing speed with these small ponies in extreme heat with too little water?  I have to ask - how many horses can each rider ride to death before they are no longer allowed to continue????

I would like to share more information on this upcoming race.  Please bear with me as there is a lot of information and it will be cut and pasted and will probably need to be posted in more than one blog post.

The Desolate Mongolian Steppe

Once you finish reading, leave a comment and let me know what you think.  Better yet, write to the organizers of the Mongol Derby and ask them to please run this event with safeguards for the horses.  Or,  click here to go to a petition that you can sign.  We don’t need another Catoosa!  The sport of endurance riding is quite safe for the horses when safeguards are present.  But when it’s not, it’s deadly for the horses.

I know that once a few endurance riders read some of this they will see that this is a disaster in the making by naive people who do not have the experience or skill required to keep these horses safe.  Look at the photo I’ve posted of one of the Mongolian horses - they are very small, not guaranteed to be conditioned and will be carrying adult riders in the summer heat without any guarantee of water at racing speeds for 25 miles.   This event doesn’t seem like so much fun anymore.

I am a member of the Long Rider’s Guild having ridden two horses 1925 on one continuous journey.  The LRG have put together two articles about this Mongolian Derby Race.  Click here to read their “Racing Into Trouble” article and dlick here to read the sidebar.  Please also check out the content on this Long Rider’s page.  Karen  (more later….)

From one of the Mongol Derby participants:  “They’re providing us with these yellow brick trackers, so we can activate the emergency beacon if our horse is injured and we can’t walk it in,” said Reddy. “The only other time you’re supposed to activate the beacon is if you feel your life is in immediate danger. There’s only one emergency medical helicopter in all of Mongolia.”
Food and water will also be an obstacle Reddy will have to contend with during the Mongol Derby. There’s no guarantee there will be food available at the horse stations, she said.
“We’re still looking into the food options,” said Reddy. “They’re going to give us GPS locations to the wells, where we’ll be able to get water, and they don’t guarantee that the wells will have water. They want us to be careful because there are packs of wild dogs that surround those wells. We’ll be carrying UV sticks to sterilize the water. You can only carry 10 kilograms of weight with you.”
http://www.aikenstandard.com/LocalSports/0609reddy

Cuyama Oaks XP Ride Start

Here are a couple of paragraphs describing this research paper:

This study characterized the effect of diet on glucose kinetics in resting and exercising horses using new modeling methods. Horses adapted to a fat-supplemented feed utilized less glucose during low-intensity exercise. Fat supplementation in horses may therefore promote greater flexibility in the selection of substrate to meet energy demands for optimal health and performance.

and

In conclusion, adaptation to a diet that replaces soluble carbohydrates (sugar and starch) with fat as an alternative energy source may avoid reliance on glucose substrate during exercise. The findings of this study could reflect a greater capacity for fat supplemented horse to select alternate fuel sources. This capacity could spare limited energy sources (i.e. muscle glycogen) during endurance exercise and may reduce the risk of metabolic dysfunction such as insulin resistance. Similarly, exercise-induced upregulation of glucose utilization may promote metabolic efficiency independent of diet, thus avoiding or even reversing metabolic dysfunction.

If you’d like to download the .pdf and read the entire thing, click here.  Interesting stuff!!

I have found that using prilled fat (I used FatPak100, a product made for feeder pigs that most feed stores can get if you ask) is the easiest.  If you feed liquid oil then it needs to be kept refrigerated as it will go rancid really fast after it’s been opened.  To check the fat content of some commercial feeds, click here.  Read what Lew Hollander has to stay about feeding fat to endurance horses.

Of course, I have not fed fat in years.  I might now if I were to be more competitive or if I had a horse that was having difficulty keeping weight but….as you guys know my horses all maintain their weight too well no matter how heavy the workload!  I am happy following the KISS and Less is More methods.

M27 - Photo by Dave Chaton

The Dumbbell Nebula (also known as Messier 27, M 27, or NGC 6853) is a planetary nebula (PN) in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1,360 light years.

This object was the first planetary nebula to be discovered; by Charles Messier in 1764. At its brightness of visual magnitude 7.5 and its diameter of about 8 arcminutes, it is easily visible in binoculars.

I find it hard to believe in a way that there have been 14,981 spam comments made here on my blog!  One reason why I really like Wordpress is because there are so many plugins that do so many things - including filter out spam.  It does a pretty good job!  But, it’s not perfect - there are times that it spams a comment that shouldn’t be.  I try to check on that once a week and release any that shouldn’t be in ’spam’.  If you have left a comment and it doesn’t show up immediately (wait say 5 min. and hit reload) let me know - as the comments aren’t moderated and should show up unless the spam filter thinks they are spam.

The last couple of days have been pretty uneventful where the horses are concerned, which is GREAT!  I have had more than enough excitement this last week to last awhile.  A very long while….

Tonight I’ll get Bo out on the trail for a ride.  He’s a real character and doing great recovering from his leg injury.  My vet has me riding him every day and we have worked up to about forty minutes a day, mostly walk with a few minutes of trotting.  It isn’t easy to get a horse as fit as Bo is to just trot calmly for such a short period of time.  Yesterday Bo tried to sneak in a few canter strides, like maybe I wouldn’t notice (haha, actually I notice before he does it and then we have a little bit of an argument about it– I always win!).  Bo is feeling good, looking great and things are progressing nicely with his rehab.  I’ll know more when the vet checks him in another probably 30 days or so and hope to get the okay to put him back to work.  It’s only been a little over a month now.  In some ways it seems longer (probably because I’ve been riding him every.single.day….) and in other ways it doesn’t seem that long at all.

Chief has one more day to go on his antibiotics and boy am I happy to report that his eylid injury has been healing up splendidly!  Good patient.  Don’t know if I mentioned it but this was the first time that I’ve had a horse get stitches….in the last 17 years that I’ve had horses as an adult!!!  I sure hope that this doesn’t signal a turnaround in my luck in that regard and things can go back to being pretty dull and uneventful in regards to horse boo-boos.  I am used to minor dents and dings (especially with Rocky, who is good at getting them).  It was very unusual for Chief though.  But, we all know that you can bubble wrap horses and they’ll still find a way to get into trouble.  Probably suffocate, or develop a skin rash, eh?

Next I’m going to post a photo my husband took for Skywatch Friday.

I just read an interesting blog post at the NY Times called “Can You Get Fit in Six Minutes a Week?”

Can humans increase endurance with only a few minutes of strenuous exercise, instead of hours? Could it be that most of us are spending more time than we need to trying to get fit? The answer, a growing number of these sports scientists believe, may be yes.

Click here to read the article for yourself.  Another site with lots of info on interval training, exercise and fitness training is Cross Fit.

I have found that working with, training, conditioning, caring for and competing on two or more endurance horses does a pretty good job keeping me fit.  All the small stuff adds up - like how many tons of hay do you move in a year? :^)

It’s always good to work on increasing our fitness when we can and that takes work and effort.  That’s why I joined Curves for awhile and did work out several times a week.  It really made a difference!

I like knowing that if we are serious about getting fitter that we might be able to work out a program that would allow us to get fitter faster, using shorter workouts.  Might be fun to mix it up alongside our horses, interval training with them at the same time!

Today is the fifth day that Chief has been on his antibiotics following his eyelid injury last Sunday. Only a couple more days to go! He’s been doing a good job for me being a cooperative patient both in letting me clean and treat his eye with medicine but has also been eating his antibiotic powder in his food each day.

Yesterday I could tell that Chief was feeling funky. He is a pretty communicative horse. I did the regular “is my horse colicking” check as soon as I saw him come into the stall and turned around and stood a little stretched out then gave me “the look” indicating that I needed to pay attention, he was trying to tell me something.

Chief’s pulse was 32. He had nice gum color, good skin tent. His skin all over felt normal (not sweaty, or cold). Temp was normal. He was not pawing or trying to roll or lie down. He wasn’t real interested in food though when walked over grass he did nibble a bit here and there but not like the normally would.

I thought for a moment and the light bulb came on - duh! The antibiotics were killing off all of the gut flora in his G.I. tract and I bet that was making him feel bad.  Later I found this on the net on a page about colic:  “Antibiotic therapy has a negative effect on the population of beneficial bacteria in the gastro intestinal tract. Horses undergoing antibiotic therapy are subject to G.I. upset including diarrhea and colic. If you have given your horse antibiotics consider feeding a good probiotic supplement to replenish the beneficial bacteria in the intestine.”

I tied Chief up and made sure he was okay to leave and then immediately went and got some probiotic. Being an endurance rider, of course I had a couple of kinds to choose from. I had a brand new bottle of Ration Plus and since it is liquid I put that into a syringe and quickly syringed it to him.  I keep these kinds of things in the house so they will stay a constant temperature.  After getting the dose of probi into Chief I walked him and in just a couple of minutes he put his head down to grab some grass - I’m not sure if he wanted it to eat or just to get the taste of the probi out of his mouth.  Update:  Click here to read an article on Probiotics from thehorse.com

I kept walking Chief around in the small pasture and the back lawn. In about twenty minutes he started to look like he felt better and started putting his head down more to eat. I put out a big bucket of hay along with a bucket of water and another bucket of soaked beet pulp. Grabbed my phone, laptop, and a recliner and set up under a big shade tree on the back lawn and spent the next couple of hours watching Chief alternate between eating the fresh green grass, hay, beet pulp, and drink water. If he was going to colic I wanted to catch it right away and get him to a vet. Fortunately he continued to eat well and perked up.

Here is a link with a lot of info on colic risk factors.  Recently, I have had two friends lose horses to colic.  Colic is scary when it happens.  Knowing what you can do ahead of time to prevent colic is always good.  What happened yesterday might have passed by unnoticed if I hadn’t been home and out in the barn at lunch time to check and work with Bo.  Chief may have perked up on his own and the whole thing resolved without me even knowing.  On the other hand, it might not have.

Knowing the signs and what to check for when something isn’t right with a horse is also important.  Here are some of the things that might show up if your horse is colicking:

1. lying down more than usual
2. getting up and lying down repeatedly
3. standing stretched out
4. standing frequently as if to urinate
5. turning the head towards the flank
6. repeatedly curling the upper lip
7. pawing the ground
8. kicking at the abdomen
9. rolling
10. depressed demeanor (not looking as alert as normal)

If your horse is showing signs of colic, first try to determine how severe a case it is.  If he is behaving violently and in pain call your veterinarian immediately!  If your horse is already down and rolling then he is in pain and may have a more serious case.  If possible, get somebody to call the vet for you and then try to keep your horse up and moving and keep him from rolling or going down if at all possible.  Some horses may behave more violently with even a mild case, so you really need to get a vet to help you as soon as possible in these cases.  If you can’t stop your horse from rolling try to get him in a safe spot.

While waiting for the vet, or if you are still trying to determine if your horse really has a problem start with taking his vitals - pulse, temperature, respiration, gum color, hydration (skin tent).  How do things compare to normal?  It is important to know ahead of time what normal is for your horse.

When I checked Chief’s pulse yesterday it was at 32.  That is his normal resting pulse so I didn’t think that he was in any serious distress.  His gum color, skin tent, temp, respiration all were normal for him.  He wasn’t sweating or showing any other signs of distress but for the standing a little stretched out and not looking like a happy camper.  Of course his injured eye probably contributed to his blah look.

Note what your horses appetite has been like in the last day or so.  Has your horse been EDPP normally? (eat, drink, pee, poop).

Have there been any other changes in the horses management lately - change of feed, more grain than normal, medications, etc.  If so make sure you let the vet know.

If your horse is colicking then it is a good idea to not let the horse eat.  This can be a tricky thing as yesterday the main clue that Chief wasn’t feeling well is that he wasn’t that interested in eating.  When he did return to wanting to eat, I knew he was allright.  However, since his other vital signs were all in the normal range I felt comfortable letting him eat.  If his pulse has been higher or he had exhibited any other signs of being uncomfortable (like looking at his stomach, or pawing the ground) I would have kept him from eating until the vet got here or until I got him to a vet clinic.

It’s not a good idea to administer drugs or medications without the vet telling you to or without you really know what you are doing.  If you give banamine to an already dehydrated horse, for example - you could cause an even greater problem.  Please check with your vet before giving any drugs.  You don’t want the vet showing up and giving the horse an additional dose because you were so upset and worried about your horse that you simply forgot to mention it in the heat of the moment.

I should have known better and been giving probi with the antibiotics from the start.  Now I won’t forget this lesson!  Fortunately this is the first time I’ve had to ever give Chief antibiotics, and this is actually the first time I’ve had a horse get stitches for any reason….guess what they say is true:  If it hasn’t happened to you yet, you just haven’t owned horses long enough!  Gotta keep a sense of humor. 

Three days after injury - healing fast, swelling nearly all gone!

Blink!

I can see more of Chief’s eye each day. Things are healing pretty quickly and he’s been a great patient. He has been really good about letting me clean up the eye and put medication on it without needing to put a halter on him or bring him in. He knows I’m helping him and doesn’t try to get away. This morning I went out to check on him while he was out grazing in the little pasture - he stopped eating and came over to meet me half way.  What a good boy!

Useful links to save in case you might need this information:

Livestock Laws

Brand Laws

Once you are on that site you can search by state.  For example, I clicked on a link for Equine Infectious Anemia and then on Nevada.  Came up with this page.  Pulled up info that I already know (see below) — for traveling in and out of the state of Nevada you need to have a negative Coggins (EIA) within six months and health certificate for each horse.  California is also six months on the Coggins.  Utah and Arizona is one year.  They want health certificates within 30 days.  I also have permanent brand inspection cards on the horses - also a requirement in Nevada.  Fines for not having any of these things are pretty steep, and your horse can be impounded until you provide the required paperwork.

571.030. Horses, mules and asses.
1. A person shall not ship, transport or otherwise move a horse, mule or ass into this state unless the horse, mule or ass:

(a) Is accompanied by a health certificate; and

(b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, reacts negatively to a test for equine infectious anemia that was conducted within the 6 months before entry.

2. The following horses, mules or asses are exempt from testing for equine infectious anemia:

(a) A nursing foal which is less than 6 months of age and which is accompanied by its dam if its dam has reacted negatively to such a test.

(b) Horses from Nevada that are used outside the state for seasonal ranching purposes only.