More pictures from the 2019 AHA Distance Horse Nationals

Some (more) pictures from the 2019 AHA Distance Horses Nationals. A few weeks ago I volunteered at the Arabian Horse Association Distance Horse National Championships. In my previous blog post, I shared pictures from out on the trail Saturday morning.

After my morning at the gate, I spent time watching riders come in, vet, etc. There were plenty of volunteers, so I didn’t have much to do. I took the pictures below. Feel free to download, and let me know if you would like a larger image, without the watermark.

Along with the AHA Distance Horse National Championships, the ride included open Competitive Trail and AERC rides.

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Pulsing down

Before vetting, horses must “pulse down,” or have their heart rate at or below the criterion for the ride (60 or sometimes 64 beats per minute depending on distance and weather conditions). Some people use heart rate monitors, others use a stethoscope and watch. You can use your bare hand with some horses (most easily when the horse has an elevated pulse). Many people count for 15 seconds and multiply by four, but I almost always count 30 seconds for my own horses.

At many rides, you can ask volunteers for a courtesy heart rate check, but it’s always a good idea to know how to do it yourself (and have the equipment).

• A basic stethoscope will do
• but there are also fancier options made for horses that allow you to easily take your horse’s pulse (and transmit it to a Garmin or other device)

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All riders carry their vet card. You have to not lose it, keep it dry enough to write on, and present it to the vet at the hold.

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The vet check

• Heart rate
• Cardiac recovery index (CRI)
• Gut sounds
• Hydration:
  • Capillary refill
  • mucous membranes
  • Tent test or pinching skin (there is probably a technical term for this but I can’t think of it…)
• Soundness (gait & impulsion)
• Legs may be checked if vet notices something suspicious. When judging best condition, the vet always lays hands on legs.
• Wounds/sores
• Muscle tone (anal tone, back & withers)
• In pre-ride vet-in,body condition is scored (1-9 is generally used for endurance, where 1 = emaciated and 9 = extremely fat) and temperature may be taken.

Hopefully I haven’t forgotten anything! It’s been a while since I scribed (and you notice more doing that than holding a horse!)

Generally, the vet test starts with taking the horse’s pulse, and then trotting the horse out approximately 30 yards and back. One minute after the horse has trotted, the pulse is taken again. The CRI is the ratio of post- to pre-trot out heart rate. The time 2 pulse (after trotting) should be less than or equal to the first pulse. (In a fit horse it will be less.) If it is 2 beats greater, it’s not a big deal, but 4 or more can be problematic. Depending on the vet, 6-8 above will result in a pull.

An efficient vet checks other things while waiting the one minute to do CRI. I spent many hours scribing for Dr. Jim Baldwin, who had it down to a science.

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Vetting in for the next day…

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Links:

Arabian Horse Distance Riding Association Facebook page
AHA 2019 Distance Horse National Championships Facebook Event Page
AERC Facebook page
OCER Facebook page
Performance Shagya Arabian Registry
If you have downloaded pictures and/or I’ve sent you larger ones, and you would like to pay me… I am not a professional photographer, and do not want payment for pictures.
But I would very much appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee by clicking on the link below 🙂

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