Ridecamp: [RC] rogers recommendations:

Unlike Rhonda (whom I  know) I have ridden a few miles in
50s and LD both. I would not consider myself a national
traveler(competitor)
but have gone to various rides within our region as well as a few
outside of it. I tend to ride at the back of the pack. This year my goal
is to get that "bottom" on my horse (LSD) as I am starting a new one.
I have experienced CTR's as well as AERC. In the CTR rides that we 
have here in Kansas we use the CRI at the end of the ride as a tie
breaker.
This gives me an idea of how well my horse is doing at the end of a ride.
Here are my experiences with Central region and the vets.(of AERC)
1. CRI is performed at all vet checks including the end for completion.
       This includes trot out 125ft and back with pulse taken before.
        Mucus mebranes , cap refil, jug refill,and gut sounds are taken
during the remainer
        of the minute for CRI. Pulse is taken again.  64/48 excellent    
   64/64 OK     64/68 hold       etc
        During the trot, the vet can determine lameness, impulsion,
attitude(how tired or grouchy)
     Lameness check is performed later for BC (Circles)as well as hands
on.
      Comment: this does not seem to interfer with the flow of these
rides. Why wouldn't a rider
       want to know  what his horse's fitness is at this time.
2. Trot outs: What are they for? Lameness 1st (in my opionion) tired 2nd.
How can a vet tell
     if a horse is off at a walk? If we thought they could tell we would
simply do all checks at a 
      walk. My goal is to show the vet my horse. I want him to see that
trot to make sure that
       the horse is OK and has no lameness issues. If he is soo tired
that he won't except my
       ques I know that I have to work on conditioning. If I have not
taught him the que then that
       will be more apparent at both the pre ride check as well as any
further checks.(and I should
      go home and work that out another day. )
3. We tend to have humidity and hills here in Central. We find that a
pulse criteria of 60
     keeps those horses off the IV's . Every region is going to be
different and you can't exactly set a standard.
4. Completion time max is 1 hr but many people present right after
finishing if they have done
     their homework and the horse is O.K to do so. Horses are presented
for BC 1 hour after completion.
5. Leave this one alone. Depends on the amount of loops. (which we tend
to have more of)
      Access to trails by road and other factors (such as amount of vets)

On a further note: After completing a 6 mph CTR that we went way to fast
on, my geldings
CRI pulse was 56/72. He drank really well during the ride but it was hot
and humid. 
I had not progressed(in training) to sponging him off from the saddle so
I am thinking heat did not help.
At the end he trotted but was very tired.
IN YOUR OPINION: Would you have deemed him fit to continue? (I know one
AERC vet that
would have pulled him for that kind of CRI pulse)

Pat and Casper in Kansas

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