 |
| Beautiful day at the farm :) |
Here is a video of my trainer working Luba on the lunge line.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
Animal, vegetable, mineral?
The mineral panel is back. Luba is high for iron 2.3 ug/ml (1.3-2), copper 1.5 ug/ml (0.9-1.4) and zinc 2.4 ug/ml (0.6-1.7). Her selenium is normal 0.15 ug/ml (0.12-0.18). However, this is lower than her March test result of 0.17.
Considering her current feed, vitamin and the hay analysis I had done by Rooney's Feeds (only cost $15!!), Dr. Ben and I decided to drop down to 1 scoop per day of Nutriquin Elite (instead of 2) and add 30g of Vetre-Sel-E. That way she will get less of minerals she does not need (copper, zinc, iron) and more of what she does need to do endurance work (Vitamin E and Selenium). We are keeping her grain to 4 cups per day (600 g) of Evolution Elite. If she looks like she can't hold her weight as we increase work, I can slowly bring this up. Stay the course with the progressive loading for her conditioning, including a camping/riding trip next week. Simulate a competition without the competition.
I did the math and now she was getting 1000 g of Vitamin E and 1.6 g of selenium each day. Starting today, she is getting 1550 g of Vitamin E and 2.1 g of selenium.
We also pulled blood and it came back today. Her AST has dropped by half, confirming its 14 day half life. Her CK is 414. The reference levels for the blood chemistry from Rideau St-Lawrence Vet Services are different than those provided by Equine Profile Plus panel used by Maxville Vet Clinic. I put both of them in the table below for CK and AST since those are the ones I am obsessing about. So depending on what is "normal", she might be back to normal for AST and CK. Not sure why they are different. Have to ask more questions and do more digging....
At any rate, she looks and feels fine from the outside. So hopefully everything on the inside is looking and feeling fine too! Hope I haven't reached my limit of Twenty Questions yet!
Considering her current feed, vitamin and the hay analysis I had done by Rooney's Feeds (only cost $15!!), Dr. Ben and I decided to drop down to 1 scoop per day of Nutriquin Elite (instead of 2) and add 30g of Vetre-Sel-E. That way she will get less of minerals she does not need (copper, zinc, iron) and more of what she does need to do endurance work (Vitamin E and Selenium). We are keeping her grain to 4 cups per day (600 g) of Evolution Elite. If she looks like she can't hold her weight as we increase work, I can slowly bring this up. Stay the course with the progressive loading for her conditioning, including a camping/riding trip next week. Simulate a competition without the competition.
I did the math and now she was getting 1000 g of Vitamin E and 1.6 g of selenium each day. Starting today, she is getting 1550 g of Vitamin E and 2.1 g of selenium.
We also pulled blood and it came back today. Her AST has dropped by half, confirming its 14 day half life. Her CK is 414. The reference levels for the blood chemistry from Rideau St-Lawrence Vet Services are different than those provided by Equine Profile Plus panel used by Maxville Vet Clinic. I put both of them in the table below for CK and AST since those are the ones I am obsessing about. So depending on what is "normal", she might be back to normal for AST and CK. Not sure why they are different. Have to ask more questions and do more digging....
At any rate, she looks and feels fine from the outside. So hopefully everything on the inside is looking and feeling fine too! Hope I haven't reached my limit of Twenty Questions yet!
2012-07-19 four weeks post tie up; 2 weeks of MagOx supplement
|
2012-07-06 two weeks post tie up
|
2012-06-23 tie up at Pine Tree
|
2012-03-17 annual exam
|
|||
Protein 52-74
|
68
|
67
|
68
|
68
|
steady
|
can indicated dehydration if elevated
|
AST 150-550 or 175-340
|
539
|
1200
|
*******
|
396
|
declined by half in two weeks. Close to 2400 during tie up?
|
damaged muscles.
|
CK 50-250 or 120-470
|
414
|
502
|
*******
|
389
|
has never tested lower than 350 in 4 years
|
damaged, inflamed muscles, Vit E/Sel deficiency. Moderate increases (2-3x) are possible in exercising horses. Post exercise increase is less in well conditioned animals although the baseline level is somewhat higher.Similarly, horses after shipping have moderate increases in CK activity.
|
GGT 4-53
|
16
|
18
|
19
|
13
|
low end of norma
|
raised during episodes of overtraining or stress
|
Glucose 3.3-7.5
|
4.4
|
4.8
|
8.2
|
13
|
lower post PT
|
high during stressful situations
|
Creatinine 70-170
|
83
|
79
|
106
|
110
|
lower post PT
|
high when kidneys are working hard
|
Sodium 132-142
|
139
|
138
|
139
|
135
|
steady
|
can be low due to excessive sweating
|
Potassium 2-4.5
|
3.5
|
4.2
|
8.5
|
4.6
|
was high in previous years
|
high potassium and high chloride can be indicative of acidosis (pH imbalance). magnesium depressed by an excess of K
|
Na/K ratio 25-50
|
40
|
33
|
16
|
29
|
higher now because her K is lower
|
|
Chloride 95-105
|
102
|
103
|
steady
|
Chloride is the major extracellular anion, found together with Na+. Chloride is very important for osmolality and acid-base balance.
|
||
Calcium 2.75-3.4
|
3.24
|
3.06
|
steady
|
low calcium associated with thumps, high levels can be associated with excessive dietary supplements
|
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Baby you were born to run
We have been back riding for a full week now. Kept the average moving speed at 4 to 4.5 miles per hour. Ride on Friday and today were were 1 hour (including 10 minute warm up and cool down). Today we cantered. How fun :)
It was hot this afternoon (in the 30 C). Luba has been very calm the past few rides. Hot weather? Settling into a routine? MagOx? She is still willing and forward. Just less spooky and stands very quietly for tacking up and mounting. :)
The vet is coming to check blood chemistry again on Thursday morning. The mineral panel is not back yet. Hopefully tomorrow. From the reading I have been doing, it seems like giving extra Vitamin E and Selenium when she is working hard is not a bad idea. Will ask Dr. Ben about Vetre-Sel-E from Bioniche. Will also ask more questions about what is "normal' levels of selenium. I know endurance horses benefit from being at the high end of normal (Luba tested at high normal in March). Based on 4 cups/day of Evolution Elite and 2 scoops of Nutriquin Elite, she is currently getting about 1.6 mg of selenium per day.
My gut tells me she is ready to go back to "real" work, but I would like to get the okay from Dr. Ben. If everything looks good, I plan to go visit my friend Chrystal who lives near the Ganaraska forest next week for a riding holiday. It will be a good test, as it is about a 3 hour trailer ride and staying over a couple of nights. Just like going to a ride, except we can sleep in and ride whenever we want to. :) :) :)
Luba is being ridden every other day. So our next outing will be Tuesday evening. I think we should take a trip down the road, up Phelan to First line and back. That is about a 5 mile tour. Kara is planning to come, so maybe we can alternate riding and running. I dyed my hair fuchia red yesterday, inspired by the movie, Run Lola Run.
Run Nancy Run! Run Kara Run! Run Luba Run!
Baby you were born to run
It was hot this afternoon (in the 30 C). Luba has been very calm the past few rides. Hot weather? Settling into a routine? MagOx? She is still willing and forward. Just less spooky and stands very quietly for tacking up and mounting. :)
The vet is coming to check blood chemistry again on Thursday morning. The mineral panel is not back yet. Hopefully tomorrow. From the reading I have been doing, it seems like giving extra Vitamin E and Selenium when she is working hard is not a bad idea. Will ask Dr. Ben about Vetre-Sel-E from Bioniche. Will also ask more questions about what is "normal' levels of selenium. I know endurance horses benefit from being at the high end of normal (Luba tested at high normal in March). Based on 4 cups/day of Evolution Elite and 2 scoops of Nutriquin Elite, she is currently getting about 1.6 mg of selenium per day.
My gut tells me she is ready to go back to "real" work, but I would like to get the okay from Dr. Ben. If everything looks good, I plan to go visit my friend Chrystal who lives near the Ganaraska forest next week for a riding holiday. It will be a good test, as it is about a 3 hour trailer ride and staying over a couple of nights. Just like going to a ride, except we can sleep in and ride whenever we want to. :) :) :)
Luba is being ridden every other day. So our next outing will be Tuesday evening. I think we should take a trip down the road, up Phelan to First line and back. That is about a 5 mile tour. Kara is planning to come, so maybe we can alternate riding and running. I dyed my hair fuchia red yesterday, inspired by the movie, Run Lola Run.
Run Nancy Run! Run Kara Run! Run Luba Run!
Baby you were born to run
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Constant, you should be.
Yoda from my GPS comes to mind a lot these days.
Blood chemistry and hematology back. We expected her AST to still be up, because it has a 14 day half life. Sue Garlinghouse on tying up says, "Hence, 50% is gone within 6 hours, 75% is gone within 12 hrs, 87.5% is gone within 18 hrs, 93.75% is removed within 24 hrs, and so on."
Blood chemistry and hematology back. We expected her AST to still be up, because it has a 14 day half life. Sue Garlinghouse on tying up says, "Hence, 50% is gone within 6 hours, 75% is gone within 12 hrs, 87.5% is gone within 18 hrs, 93.75% is removed within 24 hrs, and so on."
However, her CK was at 502, more than twice the upper limit of the reference level of 250. This means that even on Friday morning, after just two days of hand walking, muscle damage was still happening.
The good news is that the rest of her blood results looks great. Dr. Henderson from Rideau St. Lawrence Vet Services says her RBC and hematocrit are what he would expect to see from a fit horse from the track. Her hydration is good and he doesn't see anything that would suggest ulcers as a contributing factor.
He suggested that I stay the course, keeping to about 40 minutes of light work, every other day. On her "rest" day, I am to hand walk her for about 20 minutes and check for any signs of muscle soreness or stiffness. This would suggest that I should slow down the exercise. Otherwise, continue to gently increase the intensity over the next couple of weeks. Then we will check her blood chemistry again.
Went out tonight and hand walked Luba for about 20 minutes with Charlotte up (in shorts rather than a skirt this time). She was quiet, but moving well, overtracking and no issues backing up or turning. She cleaned up her sloppy supper, I buffed her feet, gave her a kiss and headed home.
The results of the mineral panel should be back tomorrow. That will give us more clues as to any kind of potential dietary adjustments.
My horoscope for this week extols the"virtues of careful preparation, rigorous
organization, and steely resolve". I will endeavour to mirror these virtues in my approach to Luba's rehabilitation. This is also in line with the endurance adage "Never hurry, never tarry" and the Roman Augustus Ceasar, kindred of Jupiter, who said, "Make haste slowly".
But, boy, I wish she was better NOW.
Monday, July 9, 2012
The way it is, is, Cinderella.
Pine Tree 2012 was an amazing learning experience.
Luba tied up at the first vet check after 19 mile of trail. She bravely loaded onto a strange ramp load trailer and we took her back to base camp for some IV fluids. Thanks to Roy, the ambulance driver and Dr. Erin for their great care.
After we got home, I spent a week obsessively reading about tying up, running blood tests, having the hay analyzed, talking with anybody who would listen to try to figure out what went haywire.
A Canadian, Dr. Stephanie Valberg, who works out of University of Minnesota is a leading researcher in tying up. She says, "Tying-up is a syndrome or description of a horse with muscle damage that has many different causes."
We knew Luba was tying up because she was not as forward as usual on the trail, she got a B skin tent and for muscle tone (tight glutes) and then she peed dark. Blood we pulled just before fluids were administered was off the charts for CK and AST (muscle enzymes). Also really high potassium.
Tying up can be sporadic - horses worked beyond their level of fitness, or due to electrolyte or dietary imbalances. It can also be chronic, due to abnormal regulation of muscle contraction or storing too much glycogen (sugars) in the muscles. High strung fillies are succeptible. Dr. Valberg says, "Triggering events include stress, excitement, lameness, high grain diets, and exercise at submaximal speeds."
So what happened to Luba? Well, both of us were pretty excited about this trip. Luba does not eat/drink well while on the trailer. And it was HOT. She did not work very hard in the days leading up to the trip. I did not ride her after we arrived at Lysane's on Wednesday because it was so HOT. She did not get ridden on Thursday upon arrival at ride camp because it was so HOT. I did not reduce her feed ration (although 4 cups of Purina Evolution Elite twice a day plus beet pulp without molasses is not a high grain feed regimen). And I did not electrolyte her enough. Plenty of potential triggering events to go around.
Dr. Gayle Ecker of Equine Guelph recommends an ounce of Perform n Win electrolyte per mile on trail. She also says 4 to 6 ounces per hour of trailering in hot weather. I have never used this much. I have found that a bit more than half that dose has been okay. However, given the heat, the distance we were travelling and planning to ride, I was clearly not aggressive enough with my elyte protocol.
I also committed a cardinal sin. I changed something close to the ride. I started to experiment with Ride Rite electrolyte about the week before we left for Maine. I was using it to pre-load Luba before the trip. It is "stronger" than PnW, and so I was replacing two ounces of PnW with one ounce of Ride Rite. Dumb dumb dumb.
Luba has looked great throughout the whole ordeal. Even when she was on fluids, she seemed to be wondering, "Where is Mae? When do we go back on trail?"
Luba lives out 24/7. She stayed in on Monday night when we arrived home, as it was cold and wet outside. She got a good rub with Sore No More liniment and I left her with lots of hay and water.
We cut her back to 2 cups of Evolution Elite twice a day. She got daily TLC, hand grazing and bodywork for 9 days. I started her back to work slowly last week. 30 minutes of hand walking Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Back under saddle on Saturday, riding 30 minutes, mostly walking and a bit of trotting. We added 5 minutes on Sunday and another 5 minutes today, with a bit more trotting each day. The vet pulled blood last Friday, so we should have more data (yeah!) to assess her recovery in the next day or two. In the meantime, slow progressive loading is the plan.
I have also been giving her a dose of BC2A every time I work her. Branched chain amino acids help the body deal with lactic acid and reduce muscle cramping. I also added 10 g of magnesium oxide to her supplements beginning yesterday. This mineral plays a role in nerve and muscle function. Horses that are deficient can be excitable and have muscle tremors (Luba does get muscle tremors when nervous, like when she first settles at a new barn). It is often found in calming supplements. The vet recommended trying both of these to see if it helps prevent any more nasty tie ups.
I also came to another big conclusion at Pine Tree 100. I am a Cinderella 100 miler. We need to be going fast enough to be done by midnight, give or take an hour. Being alone out on trail until the wee hours, being hazed in by a drag rider on an ATV or motorcycle is not my idea of a good time.
So the plan now is to work on speed and doing faster 50s. Good thing I have some horsey friends with a need for speed.
My Tom Tom GPS has Yoda as the voice. He and Obi-Wan are full of good advice. "You cannot escape your destiny". "The way it is, is." And of course, "Well you have driven".
 |
| Just vetted in for PT 100. Photo credit: A. Thiel |
Luba tied up at the first vet check after 19 mile of trail. She bravely loaded onto a strange ramp load trailer and we took her back to base camp for some IV fluids. Thanks to Roy, the ambulance driver and Dr. Erin for their great care.
After we got home, I spent a week obsessively reading about tying up, running blood tests, having the hay analyzed, talking with anybody who would listen to try to figure out what went haywire.
A Canadian, Dr. Stephanie Valberg, who works out of University of Minnesota is a leading researcher in tying up. She says, "Tying-up is a syndrome or description of a horse with muscle damage that has many different causes."
We knew Luba was tying up because she was not as forward as usual on the trail, she got a B skin tent and for muscle tone (tight glutes) and then she peed dark. Blood we pulled just before fluids were administered was off the charts for CK and AST (muscle enzymes). Also really high potassium.
Tying up can be sporadic - horses worked beyond their level of fitness, or due to electrolyte or dietary imbalances. It can also be chronic, due to abnormal regulation of muscle contraction or storing too much glycogen (sugars) in the muscles. High strung fillies are succeptible. Dr. Valberg says, "Triggering events include stress, excitement, lameness, high grain diets, and exercise at submaximal speeds."
So what happened to Luba? Well, both of us were pretty excited about this trip. Luba does not eat/drink well while on the trailer. And it was HOT. She did not work very hard in the days leading up to the trip. I did not ride her after we arrived at Lysane's on Wednesday because it was so HOT. She did not get ridden on Thursday upon arrival at ride camp because it was so HOT. I did not reduce her feed ration (although 4 cups of Purina Evolution Elite twice a day plus beet pulp without molasses is not a high grain feed regimen). And I did not electrolyte her enough. Plenty of potential triggering events to go around.
Dr. Gayle Ecker of Equine Guelph recommends an ounce of Perform n Win electrolyte per mile on trail. She also says 4 to 6 ounces per hour of trailering in hot weather. I have never used this much. I have found that a bit more than half that dose has been okay. However, given the heat, the distance we were travelling and planning to ride, I was clearly not aggressive enough with my elyte protocol.
I also committed a cardinal sin. I changed something close to the ride. I started to experiment with Ride Rite electrolyte about the week before we left for Maine. I was using it to pre-load Luba before the trip. It is "stronger" than PnW, and so I was replacing two ounces of PnW with one ounce of Ride Rite. Dumb dumb dumb.
Luba has looked great throughout the whole ordeal. Even when she was on fluids, she seemed to be wondering, "Where is Mae? When do we go back on trail?"
 |
| Lemonade, good. Iced tea, bad. |
We cut her back to 2 cups of Evolution Elite twice a day. She got daily TLC, hand grazing and bodywork for 9 days. I started her back to work slowly last week. 30 minutes of hand walking Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Back under saddle on Saturday, riding 30 minutes, mostly walking and a bit of trotting. We added 5 minutes on Sunday and another 5 minutes today, with a bit more trotting each day. The vet pulled blood last Friday, so we should have more data (yeah!) to assess her recovery in the next day or two. In the meantime, slow progressive loading is the plan.
I have also been giving her a dose of BC2A every time I work her. Branched chain amino acids help the body deal with lactic acid and reduce muscle cramping. I also added 10 g of magnesium oxide to her supplements beginning yesterday. This mineral plays a role in nerve and muscle function. Horses that are deficient can be excitable and have muscle tremors (Luba does get muscle tremors when nervous, like when she first settles at a new barn). It is often found in calming supplements. The vet recommended trying both of these to see if it helps prevent any more nasty tie ups.
I also came to another big conclusion at Pine Tree 100. I am a Cinderella 100 miler. We need to be going fast enough to be done by midnight, give or take an hour. Being alone out on trail until the wee hours, being hazed in by a drag rider on an ATV or motorcycle is not my idea of a good time.
So the plan now is to work on speed and doing faster 50s. Good thing I have some horsey friends with a need for speed.
My Tom Tom GPS has Yoda as the voice. He and Obi-Wan are full of good advice. "You cannot escape your destiny". "The way it is, is." And of course, "Well you have driven".
Saturday, June 16, 2012
The hay is in the barn
This time next week, we will be on trail for the Pine Tree 100, the gods willing.
I have been reading Dennis Summers' book, 4th Gear. In it, he says that 3-4 weeks before a big event, he does a depletion ride, which is about half the distance of your next planned race. So for us, Spring Ride was our depletion ride, albeit a big one over the two days. After that, the hay is in the barn so to speak, as far as your horse's fitness goes. Between the depletion ride and the big day, he recommends light snappy work to keep the horse fresh and prevent tie up. You want your horse to be at the peak of her recovery for the big event.
This is what Carol Steiner did before the 2010 WEG. She and Jax rode a 50 about a month before. Speaking of Carol, the universe decided that Luba and I needed more rest, so we missed her clinic in Buckingham. We ended up going to Quebec to say our goodbyes to Grandmaman Larouche who was in the hospital. While we were there, I spent an aftenoon in the bush, complete with a nap in the cabin with the wood stove crackling and the river rushing.
Luba also had a short (if not snappy) rides last weekend at the Stormont CTR. This was Charlotte's CTR debut on Luba's mom, Sera who is 26 years young.
Luba and I rode a few miles on Saturday as a warm-up and then about 11 more on Sunday, as Charlotte's sponsor. Charlotte has been training for this and took her role as a "real CTR rider" very seriously. She took great care of Sera and Sera took great care of her.
 |
| Chose the number 100 at Stormont CTR photo credit K. Stelfox |
Luba also had a short (if not snappy) rides last weekend at the Stormont CTR. This was Charlotte's CTR debut on Luba's mom, Sera who is 26 years young.
 |
| photo credit K. Stelfox |
Kara was volunteering again, so she hitched a ride with us. We had a great time hanging out together and she took more great photos!
 |
| electrolytes the night before photo credit K. Stelfox |
 |
| Charlotte chose the number 8 because she is 8 warm-up ride from RAR to ridecamp early Sunday morning |
 |
| sponging the horses before heading out on trail. it was HOT! photo credit: K. Stelfox |
 |
| Ready to head out on trail! photo credit K. Stelfox |
My big observation from the Stormont CTR was that I have a tendency to putter at ridecamp. This means I don't sit down and rest. Ingrid got her horse ready, then sat down in the shade and read the newspaper. I would like to be more like Ingrid. Especially for the looooong rides when I need to conserve my energy.
 |
| Ingrid and Georgia chilling pre-ride |
So this week, I am making lists and getting things done in advance. The goal is to slowly get everything ready. No big last minute rushing, either before we leave or once we arrive at ridecamp.
Put replacement velcro on my RP and pressure test - check
Set up trimming and Renegade boot gluing appointment - check
Change batteries in headlamp and attach to night riding helmet - check
Duct tape glow sticks to breastcollar for night riding - check
You get the idea.
No rushing to get to ridecamp either. We are splitting the trip into two legs. Driving about 2.5 hours to Lysane's near Oka, Quebec on Wednesday in time for one last short snappy ride. My friend, Chrystal, spent some time with US endurance rider, Becky Hart, this winter. Becky recommends a short fast ride 3 days before the big event. This apparently primes your horse to produce lots of red blood cells and dump them into the system, priming your horse to be ready to efficiently carry oxygen on race day.
Then we will caravan the two rigs the rest of the way to North Waterford, Maine on Thursday. It is about a 5 hour drive. Horses rest and vet on Friday. The Pine Tree 100 starts at 5 am on Saturday. Latest word is that there are 11 horses entered in the 100.
The Canadian contingent will also include Dessia and Savanah, riding two of Dessia's home-bred Arabians in the 50. I am packing my red CANADA EAST riding apparel and a big flag!
Ready or not, here we come!
"The fight is won or lost far away from the witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road; long before I dance under those lights". --- Muhammad Ali
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The devil is in the details
Luba had the week off after Spring Ride. Her job was to rest and eat and rest and eat some more.
I went out every day for the first 3 days to check on her, brush, massage, hand graze, add beet pulp to her supper and just basically hang out.
Everything looks good! Aside from some scurf in her girth area and in the folds of skin behind her elbows and a couple of rough spots on her legs likely caused by wearing brushing boots on sandy terrain, she is in great shape. I used vitamin E ointment on these spots, and everything was smooth after a few days. I did buy some Body Glide and tried it out tonight when I rode to see if that will prevent the scruffy rough spots.
Luba also got an adjustment on Friday. I don't recall which subluxations Dr. Cam worked out just before the ride, but here's how things compare to her March 28 adjustment:
Mar 28 May 25
Atlas L Atlas R
cervical 3 R, 5 L 3 R (This is a common one for her. I often get good releases here using Masterson)
Thoracic 7, 9 16 L, 14 L, 9 R
Lumbar 3, 5 2 & 3 L 4 & 5 R
Sacroiliac LP 1 RP 1
Interesting that the atlas and sacroiliac are opposite directions. Common subluxations are noted in red. We had a locum for Dr. Seely in March, so didn't get all the directions :(
So... there was no reason *not* to send in my entry form for the Pine Tree 100. I put it in the mail yesterday. Just over 3 weeks away...
Monday we schooled in the ring. Luba and I were both very mellow. I practised my timing for left canter enjoyment. Had success when I focused on my trotting diagonal. Sit say "now", count one, say "Now", count one, say "NOW" and ask for left lead. We didn't get it all the time, but I could definitely feel it when she picked up the counter canter on the beat in between the "now's". Next step: be able to feel her pick up left canter enjoyment.
Today I noticed that she blew out an abscess in her right hind heel bulb. Would this make it more difficult to have left canter enjoyment or maybe I am just making excuses?
I just ordered replacement velcro for the gullet and panels for my Reactor Panel saddle. I love this saddle. All A's for her back for pretty much her entire distance riding career :)
Another mellow day of riding today, wandering around the farm until wait! What is that! Building supplies covered by suspicious green tarps. Flapping in the wind! Mayday! Mayday! So we spent some time desensitizing and soon were doing figure 8's around and between the piles.
I also tried riding with a camelback today. The first loop of the 50 at Spring Ride was 22 miles. It was hot and I did not carry enough water. The first loop of the Pine Tree 100 is 17 miles. Bad news is that I don't like riding with a camelback. Rubs my shoulders and the waist and chest straps feel too constricting. Don't fence me in! So instead, I will use my cantle pack AND my pommel pack at Pine Tree.
I also rode with orthotics in my running shoes. The kinesiologist at Back2Health Wellness Centre, Keri-Lyn, suggested that this might prevent the numbness I got in the baby toe of my left foot during the 50.
The vet comes on Friday to do up Luba's export papers for the trip to Maine. And we leave on Friday evening for a weekend clinic in Buckingham with Carol Steiner, an amazing endurance rider with over 10,000 miles! I am read to be a sponge and soak up as much of her knowledge and experience as I can. Hoping to uncover a few more nuggets that will help us on our journey to the end of 100 miles in one day!
 |
| Luba visiting Dr. Green |
Everything looks good! Aside from some scurf in her girth area and in the folds of skin behind her elbows and a couple of rough spots on her legs likely caused by wearing brushing boots on sandy terrain, she is in great shape. I used vitamin E ointment on these spots, and everything was smooth after a few days. I did buy some Body Glide and tried it out tonight when I rode to see if that will prevent the scruffy rough spots.
On Wednesday, I patiently took off her Renegade hoof boots and on Saturday, I buffed up her feet. This was the first time we tried glue-ons with gel pads. Luba usually gets some fill in her front fetlocks, especially early in the season. But this time, she had virtually no filling, despite the sandy terrain. I wonder if the gel pads made a difference? Or maybe a month of schooling in the sand ring at Horses of the Sun helped too? I have been using apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil to keep her feet happy and healthy.
 |
| Experience life with horses at Horses of the Sun |
Luba also got an adjustment on Friday. I don't recall which subluxations Dr. Cam worked out just before the ride, but here's how things compare to her March 28 adjustment:
Mar 28 May 25
Atlas L Atlas R
cervical 3 R, 5 L 3 R (This is a common one for her. I often get good releases here using Masterson)
Thoracic 7, 9 16 L, 14 L, 9 R
Lumbar 3, 5 2 & 3 L 4 & 5 R
Sacroiliac LP 1 RP 1
Interesting that the atlas and sacroiliac are opposite directions. Common subluxations are noted in red. We had a locum for Dr. Seely in March, so didn't get all the directions :(
So... there was no reason *not* to send in my entry form for the Pine Tree 100. I put it in the mail yesterday. Just over 3 weeks away...
Monday we schooled in the ring. Luba and I were both very mellow. I practised my timing for left canter enjoyment. Had success when I focused on my trotting diagonal. Sit say "now", count one, say "Now", count one, say "NOW" and ask for left lead. We didn't get it all the time, but I could definitely feel it when she picked up the counter canter on the beat in between the "now's". Next step: be able to feel her pick up left canter enjoyment.
Today I noticed that she blew out an abscess in her right hind heel bulb. Would this make it more difficult to have left canter enjoyment or maybe I am just making excuses?
 |
| small abscess popped out of RH |
I just ordered replacement velcro for the gullet and panels for my Reactor Panel saddle. I love this saddle. All A's for her back for pretty much her entire distance riding career :)
Another mellow day of riding today, wandering around the farm until wait! What is that! Building supplies covered by suspicious green tarps. Flapping in the wind! Mayday! Mayday! So we spent some time desensitizing and soon were doing figure 8's around and between the piles.
I also tried riding with a camelback today. The first loop of the 50 at Spring Ride was 22 miles. It was hot and I did not carry enough water. The first loop of the Pine Tree 100 is 17 miles. Bad news is that I don't like riding with a camelback. Rubs my shoulders and the waist and chest straps feel too constricting. Don't fence me in! So instead, I will use my cantle pack AND my pommel pack at Pine Tree.
I also rode with orthotics in my running shoes. The kinesiologist at Back2Health Wellness Centre, Keri-Lyn, suggested that this might prevent the numbness I got in the baby toe of my left foot during the 50.
The vet comes on Friday to do up Luba's export papers for the trip to Maine. And we leave on Friday evening for a weekend clinic in Buckingham with Carol Steiner, an amazing endurance rider with over 10,000 miles! I am read to be a sponge and soak up as much of her knowledge and experience as I can. Hoping to uncover a few more nuggets that will help us on our journey to the end of 100 miles in one day!
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| Luba looking forward to the weekend! |
Idiom Definitions for 'Devil is in the detail'
When people say that the devil in the detail, they mean that small things in plans and schemes that are often overlooked can cause serious problems later on.
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