Re: Lessons learned on training ride by beginner

[keithr@nocdc.bc.ca (Ann Hatfield)]

At 08:10 PM 6/14/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Ann,
>
>Congratulations on your ride!  Sounds like you had fun!
>
>>  My horse had a slight wind puff-the speed in
>> the middle section perhaps, so I learned yet another lesson.  Puff went
>> down in about an hour.
>
>A wind puff is a sign that the horse has worked hard in its life.  The
>tendon sheath gets stretched and fluid can accumulate there.  The speed
>may have helped, but more likely just general riding day in & day out. 
>Once the wind puffs appear, you cannot get rid of them.  They show up
>whenever the tendon gets used, and disappear whenever it gets rested. 
>Poultices, braces, etc. mask the condition, but it is still there.  It
>is NOT necessarily a sign of lameness or unsoundness.  
>
>> I had a lot of fun and
>> it was a great start for a green horse.
>
>That's what the sport is all about.  Keep up the good work!
>
>Linda Flemmer
>Blue Wolf Ranch
>Bruceton Mills, WV
>

Thanks, Linda but this is very disheartening news.  The vets keep the score
cards and they weren't given back afterwards so I'm not sure if Riff lost
points for this but I would think so.  If so this means I'll never be very
competetive with him as he'll do it over and over.

My heartily built half Arab who was used much harder then Riff has been
but was a bit better conformed with pastern angles, hocks etc. puffed once
when I pushed her on a twenty I was doing for fun and never did it again,
including on the one and only 35 I rode on.

Riff also popped a splint this spring, playing on frozen ground with the
other horses, I s'pose.  The vet said she thought he was a bit ouchy on it
at the end of the ride.  I didn't see this but...now I realize there will
be an inevitable subjective aspect to scoring, and, of course she may be
perfectly right and it may be something I didn't see as I was trotting him
around in the circle and not as able to watch his way of moving.

But this likely-to-be-ever-after aspect to the windpuffs is depressing!  Is
a horse actually marked down for them?  I wonder if anyone else has had
this happen and then had it disappear with conditioning?  This horse is bit
too low in the heels and I must pressure the farrier to work on this-he
tends to do this with  horses he shoes-might this help and would it
possibly be a 'cure'?

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

Ann