Re: RC: Re: The Edge

[DreamWeaver <nvrider@home.com>]

>1)  Horses that are passing VCs with hydration scores of As and Bs are
>coming back with labwork that shows that they *were* clinically dehydrated
>to a significant amount.  Enough to warrant a pull, probably not.  Enough to
>warrant a change in management by the rider (ie, take another 20 minutes to
>get some more food/water into him), yes.  For damn sure enough to pay
>attention that this horse may not be on the edge--but he can see it from
>here.

I have a question (surprised?) or five, six, etc. :+)  Can a horse become 
dehydrated without losing any/much weight?  Assuming most horses lose water 
weight (when they are weighing on the scales).....so reassure me again that 
if my horse loses 6 pounds after going 50 miles, that it's safe to assume 
that he's not very dehydrated?  But if he loses say 40+ pounds, I otta be 
concerned?  Have you found any correlation yet between weight loss and 
dehydration levels and/or enzyme levels?  Tell me again how much water a 
1,000 pound horse can lose before reaching a seriously dangerous stage?  Is 
4 to 6% still in an acceptable range?  So far, the weight tapes I've used 
have been very accurate on the horses compared to the scales -- so you 
think it'd be worth trying to measure them before we leave for a ride, to 
see what they start out at before leaving home?  I'm not sure I could tell 
between a small weight loss, but maybe it'd help show me if they were to 
lose an unusually large amount of weight, like say on a really long trailer 
trip.  Then one more (stupid) question.  If my horses continue urinating 
like fire hoses, is that also a clue that I don't need to worry?  I have 
had people tell me that my horse pees so much he's going to dehydrate 
himself.  (stop laughing)  :+P

>2)  Virtually *every* horse comes back with what's called a stress
>leukogram, even those that the rider describes as perfectly relaxed, happy
>and professional during a ride.  Wrong.  NEVER fool yourself that these
>horse's aren't reacting metabolically to the stress of trailering and
>competing in much the same way they would to respond to chronic pain or
>fear, to an onset of disease or injury, etc.  In addition, we're seeing the
>majority of horses with very high cortisol levels, another indicator of
>significant stress.  Is that contributing directly to a possible metabolic
>crash during the ride, we don't really know.  Does it make these horses more
>susceptible to infectitious diseases coming down the pike, you betcha.

Another question.  Have any horses had higher cortisol levels than Rocky 
did after his near brush with death at Swanton? (when he fell off the 
mountain)  Can cortisol levels rise from something like an injury or fall 
during a ride and then contribute to further metabolic problems later 
on?  So that just because the horse may be sound and pass all veterinary 
parameters it's still a wise decision to pull the horse that day?

>There are other metabolic parameters we're seeing other than these, but you
>get the idea---I don't care how good your horse looks and acts on the
>outside, endurance ain't a romp in the park.

Is that a polite way to tell me I should be riding with Trilby? <g>

Thanx,

Karen
in NV
& Rocky, 3,380 miles
& Weaver, 3,415 miles
http://members.nbci.com/ridephotos