ridecamp@endurance.net: gate-into-hold - how do you guys do it?

gate-into-hold - how do you guys do it?

rsantana@rsantana.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Wed, 9 Aug 95 09:57:49 pST

The way I have seen these hold done here on the West coast of the U.S.
is as follows:
1: riders are given warning regarding all vet checks prior to the
ride as to location and criteria.
2. The rider is given a time card at the entrance to the vet check.
On this card is the rider's arrival time. This provides a
recovery reference for the attending vet.
Once the pulse criteria has been met the P&R person writes on
the time card the current time and the expected out time (current pluse
the hold time).
3. Now the rider may proceed to the vet who will check the
condition or the horse and it's ability to continue. The vet should note
how long the horse has been waiting before the pulse had been met and
judge the horse against the conditions of the day and how other horses
have been doing at this check point. All vet notes and remarks are
written on the riders official vet/ride card not the time card. The
time card is initialed by the vet or the vet's recording secretary.
This leaves a lot of flexibility
for the vet and the check can be fairly adjusted to meet prevailing
conditions (such as heat/humidity, terrain difficulties). This happens
very often here in California where we are not used to humid weather,
the vets will add to the hold or raise the criteria as is seen fit.
4. The rider may leave after judged fit-to-continue and the time
hold has expired.
This means an out timer is required also. The time card is
collected from the rider and the out timer assures a vet has initialed
the card. All proceedures are the responsibility of the rider (ie.
getting the initials). The out timer keeps the time card for the record
which allows an accurate picture of the rider position and checkpoints
passed.
5. The vet is God at the checkpoint. If a horse is judged unfit to
continue there should be no arguments from the riders. The vet has seen
plenty of horses at this point and can make a comparison to the
condition of this horse against the others. Emphasize the power of the
vet to participating riders.
6. At the finish the horse is usually judged within 30 minutes of
completion time. Again the rider is given an incoming time, usually on
the vet card this time. Fit-to-continue is the criteria

>From the OS/2 desk of Ray Santana
University of California at Davis
Medical Center

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Date: Tue, 8 Aug 1995 16:53:55 -0700
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To: endurance@moscow.com
From: nikki@griffith.dwr.csiro.au (Nikki Ward)
Subject: gate-into-hold - how do you guys do it?
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g'day from australia,

i'm pretty new to this list, and pretty new to endurance riding too. i own a
4 year-old arab who is partially broken and who i hope to start in endurance
in a years time (do you have the same teeth-in-wear rule we do in
australia?). i also train and ride horses for other people, and have
completed my 40km (25mile?) training rides and one 80km (50mile?), with one
more 80km ride to complete as a "novice" (do you have novice and endurance
rider status over there too?), before i can really call myself an endurance
rider.

my question relates to the organisation and vetting procedures you use
overseas. the "gate-into-hold" system is pretty new to australia, and has
yet to be used in our zone, so most of the riders around here are unfamiliar
with both the way it works and the best ways to manage your horse for it.
however our state ride is going to be run under these rules, and the people
i train/ride for are thinking of entering horses. so can anyone tell me more
about this system of vetting - how it works, how you should manage your
horse differently than a usual base-camp vet check etc etc. are you allowed
strappers etc at gate-into-hold checks? how do they get there etc? basically
any information that will help us prepare for this "new" system will be
appreciated.

thanks,
nik, the list's token aussie :-)

*****************************************
Nikki Ward Griffith NSW Australia
nikki@griffith.dwr.csiro.au
*****************************************