I took Bo out for a ride yesterday evening to do a final check on our tack and hoof boots. The first photo is of Bo just before we left to head out for the trail.
I think everything is good to go – after our ride I put most of the tack in the dishwasher so it will be clean for the ride on Saturday.
While I am going to glue Renegades on Bo for the ride, I rode in strap-ons tonight just to make sure they were adjusted properly and will use this set of boots on the ride in case I need them.
On training rides I rarely use leg protection on Bo. For the Tevis I will use splint and ankle boots on Bo on all four legs. I don’t want to take the chance that he will get cut or dinged up on a rock.
One of the coolest (literally) things that I have been using is a Cool Medics vest. The first one I bought quit working and had not been used that much. I let the company know and they sent me a brand new one! The new vest way out performs the first one -it is staying wet and cooling for several hours at a time. It is seriously one of the coolest things ever!
I’ve also got my electrolytes all together. I have been practicing with a couple of new kinds this year. The first is a liquid electrolyte that comes in a unique way to administer them. They have been working REALLY well. Easy to administer, the horses don’t balk at all and readily go back to eating and drinking as soon as they are dosed. I’m quite happy with them! Susan Favro at Healthy as a Horse should have some available for sale at Robie Park.
Getting my tack together to be cleaned!
The other electrolytes are in the form of De-lyte Bites cookies. Four cookies makes up one dose of electrolytes. So far Bo has been eating them and I think that it did help him drink really well on the 24 mile pre-ride we did a week ago on the Tevis trail. Chief wouldn’t eat any on that ride but the other night in the barn (because there was an audience) he decided to prove me wrong (after I said he wouldn’t eat them) and ate three of them. Chief would have kept eating them had I kept giving them to him too! Tigger also ate a couple and seemed to like them.
The Tevis Cup has a large number of volunteers that really pull this event together. When you are there, be sure to say thank you! The webcast volunteers have been working for weeks (as has ride management and others, obviously) on pulling everything together for the big day!
If you aren’t able to attend the ride you can follow it online. I am rider #49. Just go to one of these links:
The Tevis Cup Webcast 2010 (this will be populated with current stuff on ride day)
De-Lyte Bites will also be available at Action Rider Tack at Tevis this year!
We’ll be cheering for you via the Webcast. Have fun!
Karen…wishing you luck for Tevis. Have fun! Wish I was able to attend this year to volunteer, but it just did not work out. Please tell us more about the liquid electrolyte…I could not find it on Susan’s web site.