Dorothy how was your AERC ride?

[ride4fun]

Going backwards. 6.Definitely get a sponge. Seems my horses don't tend to like them but I always want the option to sponge MY neck and arms on a hot day.

5. A LOT of our RMs spoils us and will have hay at the checks if there is not grass to graze, but depending on the ride I often still like to have a flake of alfalfa and some mash on hand. If the horse is munching I know I don't have to worry much if they don't hear a lot of gut sounds, plus the eating helping the sounds.

4. We don't have to deal with humidity, Tanza was sensitive to e-lytes so I bought the KER slow release ones and some tubes of their buffered so he won't go off eating from the salt and I don't give him a lot. BUT we don't have a lot of humidity so horses don't as much. It is something where you have to learn the horse and how to adjust for the weather and I am still learning myself.

3. Depends on conditions. Definitely take more of your time on a hot humid day. If you finish and its fixing to rain, a cold breeze is blowing you want to vet right away so they don't get chilled standing and waiting (even if you have a cooler or blanket)

2. The HRM is extra information. I had a spell of them breaking on me and haven't been using one, but have been thinking I should get one again as I want to ride faster next season, Tanza has a base of slower finishes now.

1. Conditioning is always a good thing. I've been slacking off the last month, but its our off season.


I agree you and Shiloh deserved the completion. Good on you for asking and getting the 2nd vet opinion. Tanza had a slow pulse recovery at our 7th ride this year. He was OK, but the person I had rode with galloped in and I let Tanza join in rather than fighting with him. Found out that he doesn't have the cardio to be racing. He was fine, had passed the rest of the VC, just took most of the 30 minute window to recover. I was hot and nearly done in (I hadn't had my electrolyte drinks that day)

YOU are AWESOME. I love that you are having new adventures both with the distance riding and the Panama house next to your friend's place.

[DorothyB]

Down here almost all holds are in camp. I've been at two rides (didn't ride at one and I think I did an intro at the other) where there were out of camp trot bys, but not "holds". Most riders have at most a bucket & sponge at the cool down area. Most riders wait to feed their horses after they vet in for the hold. I've only been to one ride where the ride provided any hay for the horses.

My very first LD, I did insist on leaving a tub of yummy hay near the cool down area - and they ended up way short on vets, so the horses ate a lot of the hay while we waited in line. When we finished the ride, the rest of my hay was gone, but at least the tub was still there.

We always are close to turtle, usually coming in with the turtle. I plan to keep trying to do that.

It is a bit scary - the next ride was a 25, but now they are saying it will be a 30. I will get exact mileage a few days before and if it isn't too cold, may try it - an extra 75 minutes and if it is only 3 more miles rounded up to 30 . . .

[ride4fun]

You and Shiloh can totally do a 30. There wont be more hold time so that extra 75 minutes is on top of the riding time and gives time to take a couple 5-10 minute micro breaks on the loops to graze or walk a bit to ease rider muscles etc.

I don't trust myself to stay alert and tuned into the horse enough to try to race, but I think Tanza can do a 100 mile ride and there is a specific one I've always wanted to do and never before thought I'd have a horse that was capable; but to allow for the slowing after sunset I feel we have to be moving faster than the back of the pack pace to more like middle of the pack pacing. I'll see what happens but if I don't try to stretch my limits with this guy I'll never know if I could have made it. But in general I like riding at the back of the pack myself, taking time to see all the scenery and trying to help others get through their ride if I can smooth things out by slowing to a walk to pass if they had to dismount and lead an excited horse, or other wee little things like that.