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[RC] First ride of the season, and we tied up. Lesson here.... - Ridecamp GuestPlease Reply to: Skyla slstewart@xxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== Not the way to start a season, after waiting 6 months. Just thought I would share this experience. Comments are welcome, but I have a pretty good idea why it happened. Maybe someone else won't pull the same stunt. We started the 75 mile ride, after a winter of very precise and constant training, I was looking forward to a great ride. I had Tempo in what was the best shape he has been in yet. I only wanted to slowly complete this first ride, we had a 100 miler coming up I was thinking about trying, so this would be a "practice" ride. We left camp at a nice walk, did some slow trotting mixed with walking. Stopped at 1 mile and got a big drink of water, and happily started into the days pace I had planned. Next thing I know, Tempo bucks up, gets all cranky, starts being stumbly, does a nice bucky spree out into the gopher holes, then his trot flattens out and things just went to he** in a handbasket from there. Got to the top of the ridge, figured we were finished for the day. I got off him, and he sure as heck was in a ty-up. Had to hand walk him down to the main road, so they could send a vet and a trailer. Tempo had tied up with-in the first 1.5 miles, even with us starting out SLOW. I caught it soon, and the vet feels he should make a quick recovery. What lead up to this: All winter we trained hard and fast. There are three of us that all three horse's just love to out do each other, so it made it easy to get in some good training. About a month ago I decided I wanted to get back to a slower pace, one that I wanted to use to do the 75 miles with. I stopped the hard and regular training, and backed way down. During this time, I was uping the feed towards his 3 lbs for ride season. I switched him to Ultium, and started a higher grass hay ration, as I been stuck with more alfalfa for winter feeding. Just over 2 weeks before ride day, we stopped all regular exercise, just went out marking trail, at a walk, twice. Within 6 weeks he had gone from: very hard training and more alfalfa (cause it was what I had); to reduced training by 50%, with a change to mostly grass hay, started on Ultium and more lbs of it; then 10 days out, to almost no exercise at all and the continued amount of Ultium of almost 3 lbs a day. Looks like I put together a pretty good receipt for a tie up...don't ya think. Worst part of all, is the fact I know better. With all my good intention's I let slip keeping his exercise going. I was wanting to let him rest up, but talk about over-kill, and on top of it, to continue the ration increase. Hopefully my stupidity, may save someone else from doing this. Some horse's you can get away with it, then some you can't. I know NOT to do that with this horse, but managed to pull it off anyway. Not that this has anything to do with tying up, but, he tied up two years ago, I saw many mistakes I made then too. What was of note is; both times he vetted in the night before with a pulse much lower then normal, by about 8 pbm. He also is known to "drop a beat", can't remember the name for it, but the Vets say that isn't totally uncommon in really fit horse's. Don't know if anyone can get anything from my letter, but if even one person finds any help, it will be worth it. No blood work will be done. It was decided that the "history" going into the ride probably was the precursor for the ty up. I am to continue on, and if it happens again, then we take it by the horns. Skyla and Tempo (back to marching up and down the steep big hill in his field already, much to mom's relief) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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