The Trail to the Trail: Preparing for the 100-mile Tevis Ride

TevisCup.org

With spring around the corner, endurance season is kicking into high gear, and it’s time to plan your rides. Is Tevis on your list for this year? Or in the future?

If you are wondering how to prepare for Tevis, think about the trail that will take you and your equine partner to Tevis. Just as the Tevis trail takes you to the finish in Auburn and the coveted Tevis buckle, the Trail to the Trail is what we call the path to take you to the Tevis start. This year, we offer two new opportunities for riders and their mounts to prepare for this historic endurance ride.

In 2025, instead of the Tevis Educational Ride, the Western States Trail Foundation will host two events, a clinic and night ride in late April for those who wish to tip their toes in the water (or just be sure they’ve covered all bases) and a two-day training ride on the Tevis trail in June for those ready to jump in.

Educational Clinic and Night Ride

The Educational Clinic and Night Ride at Cool Hills Ranch on April 26 is the perfect opportunity for rider and horse to learn and practice the skills essential for successfully riding the Tevis. Riders will be instructed about safety, courtesy, and horsemanship appropriate for the Western States 100-mile trail ride, The Tevis Cup, such as:

• Control of the horse for pacing, passing, preparing
• Challenges to plan for to ride the Tevis trail
• Tack evaluation: tack “on or off” at vet checks
• Weather conditions: what to plan and practice for
• Vet stops with crew, vet stops with volunteers
• Trail: technical footing, drop-offs, surface terrain
• Night riding

Your ‘classroom’ will be the large, covered arena located at Cool Hills Ranch, owned by Cris Grey. Your instructors will be highly experienced Tevis riders, led by Erin McChesney, two-time Tevis Cup and Haggin Cup Winner (for best condition), dressage instructor, endurance coach, USEF-WDAA western dressage judge, and NATRC Leisure Judge.

Riders will end this fun day of learning with a relaxing night ride on the beautiful Olmstead trails, located directly behind Cool Hills Ranch. There are no eligibility requirements for the clinic, but safety is our top concern. If your horse is not ready to tie to a horse trailer calmly, spend the day with 30 or more other horses, or be handled by vets and volunteers, maybe next year is a better time for you to participate with your horse. You can also audit the clinic this year.

Space for trailer parking is limited. So, where possible, please plan to share trailers. If you can share with a buddy but come from different directions, Olmstead trailhead offers a nearby opportunity to leave behind one trailer. State Parks parking is $10. For more information and to sign up, go to https://teviscup.org/tevis-education-events-for-2025/

2025 Tevis Training Ride

On June 13-15, we will host a supported Tevis Training Ride over the toughest 50-mile stretch of the Tevis trail over two days– from Robinson Flat to the Lower Drivers Flat trailhead located two miles above the Tevis Francisco’s vet check. We require that all training ride entrants meet the same eligibility requirements as Tevis riders need to enter the ride (have previously completed The Tevis Cup 100 Mile Ride OR accumulated at least 300 miles on sanctioned rides of at least 35 miles/day in length). Entries open on April 1.

This veterinary-monitored and fully supported training ride will offer you the opportunity to ride two technical sections of the trail close to the pace you hope to ride during the actual Tevis ride. This is an effective way to learn if you and your horse are ready to take on the ultimate endurance challenge – 2025 Tevis.

You will camp at the beautiful Chicken Hawk Staging Area/Campground. Horse water is plentiful. Plus, we will have a camp kitchen with delicious food. There will be plenty of time to visit in the evenings to share ideas and to get your questions answered.

Day 1 - you and your horse will be shuttled to Robinson Flat, the location of the first one-hour vet check during the Tevis ride. You will ride about 26 miles through the canyons and finish your day back at our Chicken Hawk basecamp. Along the trail we will have water and snacks at key stops – Last Chance and Deadwood. Veterinarians will examine your horse to see if it is fit to continue just as they would during Tevis. If your horse is unable to meet criteria, we will haul your horse back to basecamp.

Day 2 - you will ride from base camp to the Lower Drivers Flat trailhead about 24 miles. At the end of your ride, we will transport you and your horse back to Chicken Hawk Staging Area basecamp.

We hope you will take advantage of this invaluable opportunity!

For more information and to sign up, go to https://teviscup.org/tevis-education-events-for-2025/

Australians embark on Pan American Highway trek riding horses from Argentina to Alaska

ABC.net.au - Full Article

By Maddelin McCosker
1 March 2025

Australian Ben Hann and Canadian Olivia Cazes are riding horses from Argentina to Alaska along the world's longest highway.

It will take seven years to complete the 30,000-kilometre Pan American trek through 14 countries.

It only took Ben Hann and Olivia Cazes a few days to start an epic journey that will take them seven years to complete — riding horses from Argentina to Alaska.

They will spend the better part of decade transiting 14 countries along the world's longest highway — the Pan American.

It spans a distance that would take 26 hours by plane or a month of driving.

"It very much depends on what seasons we hit and where," Mr Hann, an experienced stockman and horse trainer from Darwin, said...

Hitting the longest road

Arising from a conversation at a Christmas party last year, within days the friends had booked their flights to Buenos Aires, arriving on New Year's Day.

Mr Hann and Ms Cazes spent the first week of 2025 in the Argentinian capital before making their way south to Ushuaia, a town known as the end of the world.

They embarked on the first leg of the trek on February 2 after three weeks in Ushuaia buying horses and preparing for their journey.

Read more here:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-02/australian-treks-pan-american-highway-on-horseback/104966966

Horses Have a Genetic Glitch That Turned Them Into Super Athletes

ZMEScience.com - Full Article

This one gene mutation helped horses evolve unmatched endurance.

by Tibi Puiu
April 4, 2025

At first glance, it looked like a genetic error — so severe it should have crippled the animal. But instead, it helped turn horses into nature’s long-distance runners.

Researchers studying the DNA of nearly 200 mammal species noticed something strange in the genome of horses: a mutation in a gene that should have shut down a key cellular process. The gene, KEAP1, is vital for defending cells from the chemical stress caused by high levels of oxygen metabolism. Yet somehow, horses weren’t just surviving with this broken gene — they were thriving. A Deal With the Devil, Perfected

“To make energy, we’ve made a deal with the devil,” Gianni Castiglione, an evolutionary biologist at Vanderbilt University, told NPR. “To, basically, have a slow burning fire in our cells.”

That fire powers our lives, turning oxygen into energy in the form of ATP. But it also produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), toxic molecules that can damage DNA, proteins, and cell membranes. For most animals, this presents a trade-off: make too much energy, and cells get overwhelmed by damage. But horses, it seems, found a workaround...

Read more here:
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/horses-have-a-genetic-glitch-that-turned-them-into-super-athletes/

Impending Tariffs May Inflict Big Costs And Headaches At US Border

Chronofhorse.com - Full Article

PUBLISHED March 26, 2025
WORDS BY Erin Harty

On April 2, a 25% tariff on most goods imported into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico is set to go into effect. The cost of those tariffs could be passed onto consumers, meaning that American horse owners might pay more than usual for imported items like hay, feed and lumber.

But a lesser-known aspect of the tariffs is that they would also apply to horses coming into the U.S. from Canada or Mexico (and any other countries subject to tariffs), and not just if they’re being sold. Owners of horses crossing into the U.S. temporarily—to compete or be bred, for example—would also have to pay the tariff, although it could be refunded once the horse returns to its home country.

Originally intended to begin on Feb. 4, then delayed twice—to March 4 and then April 2—the tariffs have caused widespread confusion due to their frequently changing scope. Adding to the confusion, other countries are expected to announce reciprocal tariffs on goods being exported from the U.S., meaning American horse owners might have to pay similar tariffs to take horses from the U.S. into Canada to compete at venues such as Bromont or Spruce Meadows...

Read more here:
https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/impending-tariffs-may-inflict-big-costs-and-headaches-at-us-border/

HRN Podcast: Role of the FEI Endurance Veterinarian with Dr. Jennifer Madera

HorseRadioNetwork.com Podcast - Llisten

by Horse Radio Network | Mar 6, 2025 | Disease Du Jour

In this episode, Jennifer Madera, DVM, joined us to discuss the role of the FEI endurance veterinarian and social license to operate at FEI endurance events. She also talks about how she first became involved with endurance events and offers advice to veterinarians interested in working at these competitions.

This episode of Disease Du Jour is brought to you by Equithrive.

Disease Du Jour Podcast Hosts, Guests, and Links Episode 153:

• Host: Carly Sisson (Digital Content Manager) of EquiManagement | Email Carly (CSisson@equinenetwork.com)
• Guest: Jennifer Madera, DVM
• Podcast Website:Disease Du Jour
• This episode of Disease Du Jour podcast is brought to you by Equithrive.

Listen:
https://www.horseradionetwork.com/2025/03/ep-153-role-of-the-fei-endurance-veterinarian-with-dr-jennifer-madera/

What Happens With the Horse’s Gut in the Heat?

Thehorse.com - Full Article

January 6, 2025
Posted by Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc

An equine nutritionist describes the connections between heat stroke and leaky gut in horses and what you can do to prevent these problems.

If your horse sweats and appears outwardly comfortable, he must be managing the high temperatures just fine, right? Not according to Clair Thunes, MS, PhD, equine nutrition consultant and owner of Clarity Equine Nutrition. During her presentation at the 2024 EquiSummit virtual conference, held Dec. 3-4, Thunes said horses suffering heat stress might appear outwardly unaffected. However, their gastrointestinal (GI) tracts struggle, which affects their health and performance. How Horses Manage Heat

Horses heat up not only from the sun shining on them but also the heat generated during their metabolic processes. For example, the chemical reactions muscle cells use to contract large muscle groups during exercise all produce heat. Horses’ bodies need to manage heat to stay in a thermoneutral zone.

The key way horses lose heat is through evaporation of sweat, said Thunes, “and when that doesn’t work, they rely on respiratory losses through heavy breathing...”

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/1133363/what-happens-with-the-horses-gut-in-the-heat/?lid=y40rmdteuap1

British veterans retrace epic Lawrence trek in ‘living tribute to history’

ArabNews.com - Full Story

Nada Hameed
15 February 2025

Team of 5 covered more than 1,000 km across ‘stunning’ Saudi Arabia, Jordan

JEDDAH: In a journey that followed the path of one of history’s most legendary desert crossings, a British team of four endurance riders has retraced the famous route of T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, across Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Their remarkable expedition, inspired by the historic trek that helped change the course of the First World War, was a feat of endurance, history and adventure.

“A few of us last year were sitting around a table and mulling what was probably the most historic camel ride in recent history, and we came up with the one from Lawrence of Arabia,” Howard Leedham, one of the riders, told Arab News. “Nobody has ever done it since Lawrence, Auda Abu Tayi, Nasib Al-Bakri and Sherif Nasir did this ride.”

Their journey mirrored the original path taken by Lawrence and his Arab allies in 1917, beginning in Al-Wajh, Saudi Arabia, and traversing the vast desert landscapes toward Aqaba, Jordan. Along the way, the riders passed through key historical sites mentioned in Lawrence’s book, “Seven Pillars of Wisdom.”

Leedham said: “We stayed as faithful to the route as possible..."

Read more here:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2590353/amp

Meet 'Polo Super Ponies': World’s first genetically modified horses bred for 'explosive speed' in Argentina

MoneyControl.com - Full Article

Scientists in Argentina have made history by creating the world's first genetically modified horses, designed to be faster and more agile.

Curated by : Sheetal Kumari February 12, 2025

Scientists in Argentina have made history with a new achievement. They have produced the world's first genetically modified horses. These animals were designed to be faster than Polo Pureza, an award-winning polo mare.

Using Genetics to Boost Speed

The horses were born in October and November last year. Experts at the Argentine biotech firm Kheiron used CRISPR-Cas9 technology. This tool allows precise changes in the genes of living organisms.

Gabriel Vichera, Kheiron’s co-founder and scientific director, explained the process. "We design their genome before birth using genetic scissors," he said. This method enables scientists to cut and modify specific DNA regions...

Read more here:
https://www.moneycontrol.com/science/meet-polo-super-ponies-world-s-first-genetically-modified-horses-bred-for-explosive-speed-in-argentina-article-12938022.html

Gastric Ulcers as a Cause of Poor Performance in Horses

Thehorse.com - Full Article

March 4, 2022
Posted by Alexandra Beckstett

Learn how gastric ulcers affect equine performance and the best ways for treating them in actively competing horses.

Poor performance in horses can result from a single cause or a combination of factors, ranging from injury to illness. When trying to diagnose a medical reason for poor performance, veterinarians should always consider gastric ulcers as a potential problem. This is because these painful lesions are incredibly common in athletic horses. Fortunately, treatment and management methods are quite effective.

Frank M. Andrews, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM (LAIM), LVMA department head, equine committee professor, and director of the Equine Health Studies Program at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, in Baton Rouge, described the association between gastric ulcers and equine performance and how to treat the condition during the 2021 American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Convention, held Dec. 4-8 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Why Equine Athletes Develop Ulcers

How we manage performance horses, which is contrary to their physiological needs, sets them up to get gastric ulcers...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/1109363/gastric-ulcers-as-a-cause-of-poor-performance-in-horses/?lid=h29yvl06a6dw&uuid=019221faf031005d65535fac4bd40006f009a06700bd0

The Pros and Cons of Alfalfa: Could Your Horse Benefit?

HorseSport.com - Full Article

This forage plant is an excellent high-quality protein source for many types of horses ‒ but there are some that should not be consuming it.

By: Madeline Boast, MSc. Equine Nutrition | January 16, 2025

Alfalfa is a popular feed ingredient for horses, and for good reason! There are many positive nutritional features of this forage plant. However, not all horses benefit from alfalfa, and there are situations in which to exercise caution when feeding. Understanding the nutritional content of this plant can assist horse owners in making educated feeding decisions.

What is Alfalfa?

There are two main categories of forage plants fed to horses: grasses and legumes. Alfalfa is a legume. The nutritional difference between these two plant types depends on a variety of factors such as soil type, maturity at harvest, and weather conditions. The general nutritional differences are that grasses tend to be more fibrous and legumes have more leaf matter, resulting in higher protein and energy content.

Alfalfa can be added to the diet in a multitude of different ways. There is alfalfa hay, and processed forage options such as cubes and pellets. Additionally, this feed ingredient is incorporated into many pelleted equine products such as ration balancers and performance feeds...

Read the rest here:
https://horsesport.com/magazine/nutrition/pros-cons-alfalfa-could-your-horse-benefit/

Travel First Aid Essentials For Horses

Horsesport.com - Full Article

What your vet wants you to pack in your travel equine first-aid kit to deal with three common emergency situations: colic, choke, and cuts.

By: Charlie Fiset | July 21, 2023

Whether you’re travelling to a show, a clinic, going camping with your horse, or just going on a day trip, it’s important to be as prepared for emergencies as possible. According to large-animal veterinarian Dr. Amy Gaw, choosing the right items for your travel first-aid kit is one of the best ways to be ready for any situation you can encounter on the road.

Dr. Gaw has been handling emergency calls in northern Ontario for over a decade. She currently practices out of Temiskaming Veterinary Services in Temiskaming Shores, Ontario. She kindly took time out between power floating horses to talk about a few essentials she wishes her clients would include in their travel first-aid kits.

For a comprehensive, itemized, and printable list of all items that should be included in your first-aid kit, check out Equine Guelph’s First-Aid Infosheet...

Read more or listen here:
https://horsesport.com/magazine/equine-ownership/best-horse-favourite-horse/

The Bold and the Beautiful’s Katherine Kelly Lang Rides Into the New Year

SoapHub.com - Full Article

Here’s how Lang rang in 2025!

By Roger Froilan
Jan 03, 2025

Katherine Kelly Lang’s The Bold and the Beautiful character Brooke must feel like a yo-yo. She’s with Ridge, and then she’s not with Ridge in an endless, repeating cycle. That must be dizzying, to say the least. Thankfully in real life, Lang likes to relax in various ways and shed the drama of the show. She recently shared with her fans how she not only got away from it all but also ushered in the new year in style.

Lang wrote to her followers on Instagram: “Happy 2025! January 1st was a beautiful day! Tiffany and I just felt like running into the new year😆🌟🎉 Hope you started your year off with some good energy! 💪 #almarahtiffany #2025.” In a video that was part of her post, Lang blasted the iconic, fast-paced last portion of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s iconic and classic song Free Bird while riding her Arabian horse, Al-Marah Tiffany...

Read more here:
https://soaphub.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/the-bold-and-the-beautiful-news/katherine-kelly-lang-rides-new-year/#flyout-close

Wyoming History: That Famous 1908 Horse Race From Evanston To Denver

CowboyStateDaily.com - Full Story

A $1,250 prize purse lured more than two dozen men to race on horseback 534 miles from Evanston, Wyoming, to Denver. The famous 1908 race was big news across the country, with a controversial finish for a Cody man who won.

Dale Killingbeck
December 29, 2024

It was billed as the race of bronco versus thoroughbred, and it ended with a wiry 33-year-old rider and former laundry wagon horse making Wyoming proud.

Across 534 miles of challenging terrain between Evanston, Wyoming, and Denver, 27 horses vied for Denver Post sponsored prizes worth $1,250 — with the winner promised $500.

In May 1908, Henry Ford was getting ready to release his Model T and former Rough Rider Teddy Roosevelt was still president.

The West remained a place for tests of endurance, and horse and riders looked to cross the Cowboy State and make it down to the Mile High City in the shortest time possible. The catch was the riders had to maintain a healthy horse.

“It is up to the men who are entered in this race to show the men of the East that when it comes to knowing a horse, when it comes to understanding man’s best friend, the Westerner does not take off his sombrero to a man from any country,” stated the Post’s rules, which were republished in Evanston’s The Wyoming Press on May 9, 1908.

There were 16 entrants from Colorado, three from Utah, six from Wyoming and one each from Nebraska and New Mexico...

Read the rest here:
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/12/29/wyoming-history-that-famous-1908-horse-race-from-evanston-to-denver/

Utah horseman concludes 6,000-mile ride through 25 states to spotlight the wild horse crisis

Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch

UtahNewsDispatch.com - Full Article

Jake Harvath returns home from his ‘Year of the Mustang’ ride. He and his 3 horses may set a new record — all to help mustangs find their place in a human world

By: Katie McKellar - Monday December 16, 2024

Slow and steady, 25-year-old Jake Harvath rode his trusty white mare, Bella, down Highway 189 toward Charleston, Utah with his other two mustangs, Denver and Eddy, in tow.

Motorists roared by in the comfort of their modern modes of transport, but the trio clip-clopped along unphased, not even by the loudest semitrailers. They were on their last leg of what’s been a 14-month, 6,000-mile journey across the country. Just three more miles along a highway was nothing compared to what they’d already overcome.

They dipped down side streets and neighborhoods wherever they could along their route to avoid the busy highway, but got help from a police escort along Main Street in Heber City, where traffic was most hectic for three horses and one cowboy.

After passing through 25 states — from Utah to the coastline in New Jersey and back — braving busy roads, navigating remote backcountry trails, trudging through blizzards, even taking a harrowing swim across the Delaware River, and at times knocking on doors to ask for safe places to sleep and eat, Jake and his horses’ ride was almost at an end...

Read the rest here:
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2024/12/16/utah-horseman-jake-harvath-6000-mile-ride-25-states-spotlight-wild-horse-crisis/

Australia: Two sets of horseback riders head south on epic adventures in the name of charity and awareness

AboutRegional.com.au - Full Story

10 December 2024 | Edwina Mason

There are a million reasons to head off the beaten track and go bush and right now two sets of horse riders are coursing their way through southern NSW in the name of charity.

It was a slightly sticky welcome to the Southern Tablelands for one couple, Steph Toms and Daniel Grubb, who with their two ex-racehorses are walking the National Trail – 5330 kilometres of Australia’s eastern seaboard – for youth mental health awareness, under the banner Freedom off the Track.

Staying overnight at Roslyn, near Crookwell, the simple task of leading one of the horses, Future, to water became a lesson learned and a story the whole district will talk about over the Christmas table...

Read more here:
https://aboutregional.com.au/two-sets-of-horseback-riders-head-south-on-epic-adventures-in-the-name-of-charity-and-awareness/466854/

On horseback journey from Oklahoma-Kansas line, 'America's Amputee' stops in East Texas

News-Journal.com - Full Story

'What more can you do than start moving and moving your feet?'

Jordan Green
Dec 4, 2024 Updated Dec 7, 2024

MINEOLA — Most horsepower along the highways these days is created in a steel engine block, where fuel and fire fuse and combust to let drivers race from one place to another.

But in his months-long trek along the highways and byways of Oklahoma and East Texas, Sean Herren has relied on the kind of horse power that needs alfalfa, sweet feed, a saddle and some tender, loving care. Since leaving his home in northern Oklahoma in October, he’s ridden his trusty steed, Odyssey, with the horse’s sister, Storm, carrying supplies at his side.

The two Tennessee Walker horses are fittingly named. An odyssey is a long, arduous journey. And while a storm could refer to the weather, it better represents any number of painful challenges a human must endure.

Herren knows what it’s like to be on a long journey somewhere, and he’s spent his life fighting an uncommon battle: the results of a childhood electrocution that left him with half an arm...

Read more here:
https://www.news-journal.com/news/local/on-horseback-journey-from-oklahoma-kansas-line-americas-amputee-stops-in-east-texas/article_842f0816-b1ea-11ef-9dcb-fb1f0cf8b975.html

How to Prevent Gastric Ulcers in Horses

Thehorse.com - Full Article

November 22, 2024
Posted by Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc

One expert describes the best way to manage horses with a history of squamous and glandular ulcers and how to prevent recurrence.

Rather than repeatedly treating horses for equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) and spending a lot of money on medication, veterinarians and horse owners should focus on preventing the condition using better management practices. This was a key message from Ben Sykes, BVMS, MS, MBA, Dipl. ACVIM, PhD, FHEA, a veterinarian and gastrointestinal disease researcher based in New South Wales, Australia, during his presentation at the 2024 National Alliance of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Sept. 25-28 in Saratoga, New York.

“Anytime we discuss EGUS it’s important to appreciate that squamous and glandular disease are two completely different diseases,” said Sykes. A horse may have only one type of ulcer, or if they’re particularly unlucky, they can have both simultaneously.” Squamous ulcers occur in the upper third of the stomach while glandular ulcers form in the lower region.

Sykes highlighted three factors that remain crucial when preventing squamous disease:...

Read the rest here:
https://thehorse.com/1132826/how-to-prevent-gastric-ulcers-in-horses/?lid=c2loouo8ynld&uuid=01920a90ee67001521f7ea3361540507d009a0750086e

Can a human overtake a horse in a long-distance race? Here’s the theory.

TheManual.com - Full Article

The Man Vs. Horse Marathon has continued since the 1980's — Have there been any winners?

By Steph Green
November 1, 2024 12:48PM

Horses can sprint fast with their powerful leg muscles. Picture a wild horse galloping through an open field with the wind in their mane. You might wonder, can a human overtake a horse? The answer is yes. A paleoanthropologist has a theory to explain the evolutionary adaptations that allow humans to build endurance and run long distances without stopping.

Man Vs. Horse Marathon

The race began following a debate over a few pints in a British pub in 1980. The first person to overtake a horse on foot and win the race was Welsh marathoner Huw Lobb, who took the title in 2004. The course is a little shorter than a traditional marathon at 22 miles over rougher terrain, and Huw Lobb completed the race in 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 19 seconds, leaving the riders on horseback behind him. He won the prize fund of £25,000. Three years later, German participant Florian Holginger crossed the finish line 11 minutes before the first horse. John Parkinson from the UK was just one minute behind him. Those who had bet on the horses were surprised and less enthused by these human victories...

Read the rest here:
https://www.themanual.com/fitness/can-a-human-overtake-a-horse-in-a-long-distance-race/

Managing Gastric Ulcers: What the Research Says

HorseSport.com - Full Article

A look at some of the causes and management strategies, including omeprazole (Gastroguard, Ulcerguard) and esomeprazole (Nexium).

By: Shannon Pratt-Phillips, PhD. | August 21, 2024

Research into drugs, therapies and nutritional management of equine ulcers is ongoing, and new information is being published monthly. One of the biggest changes to the area of ulcer management is the distinction of Equine Squamous Gastric ulcers (ESGD) that occur in the upper, less protected region of the stomach, and Equine Glandular Gastric ulcers (EGGD), those that occur in the glandular region. By recognizing the types, and causative factors, we can be more accurate in management.

Squamous ulcers occur in the squamous area, that is above the margo plicatus, where there is little to no mucous or protection against stomach acids. Ulcers occur here generally when there is a “splashing” of acid from the lower part of the stomach, which can happen with exercise (when the abdominal muscles constrict on the stomach) or when there is less of a physical barrier between the acidic liquid and the squamous mucosa, both of which can be made worse by an exaggerated acidic environment.

Glandular ulcers occur in the areas of the lower stomach, where glands secrete acids, but where there is normally extensive mucous protection. With these ulcers, both increased acidity and reduced mucous production may contribute to ulcer development...

Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/magazine/health/managing-gastric-ulcers-what-the-research-says/?vgo_ee=tBUEFg6jEYfCa5KTKAmExtuupbxa1tcg3eiP9TX2uzBrKauLjRjX%3ARx%2FSl%2BvGEq%2Fyqla5%2BHfbzGL0x4rknYEa

Why Endurance ‘Truly is a Horsemanship Sport’

Heather Davis photo

USEF.org - Full Article

“In many ways, endurance is the purest thing we can ask of a horse,” U.S. Endurance Chef d’Equipe Lisanne Dorion says.

by Debbie Elliot | Sep 3, 2024

Endurance is not as well known as other equestrian disciplines such as jumping, eventing, or dressage, but it is becoming increasingly popular both in the U.S. and around the world. Among the many positive aspects of endurance are the deep bond that it creates between horse and rider and the sense of camaraderie between the athlete and their support crew. Endurance is known as one of the friendliest equestrian sports, and it encourages a true sense of sportsmanship at all levels of competition.

For those not familiar with endurance, it is a long-distance sport covering variations in altitude, terrain, and weather that tests both the horse’s fitness and stamina. It also tests the athlete’s discipline and horsemanship skills. Periodic checkpoints occur throughout the competition to ensure the health and fitness of the horse and rider. In fact, endurance horses undergo more vet exams during competition than any other equestrian sport, U.S. Endurance team vet Olivia Rudolphi stated.

Rudolphi said that because of the long distances that endurance entails – top riders do 100 miles in a day - the sport is often misunderstood. Endurance athlete Heather Davis agreed that there are a lot of misconceptions about horse welfare when it comes to competitive endurance.

“You cannot be successful in this sport unless you're a horseman, because you're constantly with your horse ... knowing what it takes to keep them sound, healthy and happy and loving their job for hours upon hours makes endurance unique vs. other sports,” Davis said. Davis explained that the top-level riders are very in tune with everything about their horse’s welfare, from feeding and shoeing to saddle fit.

“In many ways, endurance is the purest thing we can ask of a horse,” U.S. Endurance Chef d’Equipe Lisanne Dorion said. “Endurance can actually be an amazing foundation for other disciplines because of the thoughtfulness that goes into the training and conditioning...”

Read the rest here:
https://www.usef.org/media/equestrian-weekly/why-endurance-truly-is-horsemanship-sport

Woman, 82, rides pony 600-miles with her beloved dog in saddlebag beside her

Mirror.co.uk - Article and video

Jane Dotchin makes the journey from her home in Hexham, Northumberland, to the north of Scotland every year and has even won awards for her long-distance exploits

By Bradley Jolly 3 Oct 2024

A pensioner with impaired vision travels 600 miles every year on her horse with her beloved dog in her saddlebag.

Jane Dotchin, now believed to be 82, has completed the long-distance exploits with Dinky the dog and Diamond the pony since 1972. She's so familiar with the route from her home in Hexham, Northumberland, to the north of Scotland that she is now friendly with business owners and community leaders...

See the rest here:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-82-rides-pony-600-33796548

Endurance personified

Jeanetta Sturgeon and Phoenix covered thousands of miles in endurance competitions. (Photo by Cowboy Quinn)

EquusMagazine.com - Full Story

Although she still lives with the physical consequences of injuries sustained decades ago, Jeanetta Sturgeon has never lost her sense of adventure or her passion for horses.

September 27, 2024
Bobbie Lieberman

Nearly 50 years ago, Jeanetta Sturgeon’s life changed in an instant. When a fire erupted in her home, the then-28-year-old mother of two sustained burns over 80 percent of her body. For the next two years she was in and out of the hospital, enduring multiple surgeries and painful skin grafts. Most of her fingers were so badly burned that they could not be saved. Surgeons did manage to graft a thumb back onto her dominant hand, but the rest of her fingers ended at the top end of the metacarpals.

Jeanetta’s recovery was long and painful, but she refused to stop riding. The daughter of a trick rider, she had been raised with horses, and she was determined to keep them in her life. Jeanetta learned how to care for her horses with the partial hands she had left. In fact, she managed to do every-thing for herself except fasten the chinstrap of her helmet.

Read more here:
https://equusmagazine.com/horse-world/jeanetta-endurance

Ten Reasons to love sticky ichthammol ointment

EquusMagazine.com - Full Article

It may be smelly, sticky and sort of gross, but the drawing salve ichthammol can't be beat in terms of versatility and affordability.

September 17, 2024
The Editors of EQUUS Magazine

Messy, smelly and downright gross, the drawing salve called ichthammol may not be your first choice for treating your horse, but you can’t beat its versatility and affordability. The sticky ointment, a derivative of coal tar, reduces inflammation, draws out infection, kills germs and soothes pain.

Sticky and smelly, ichtammol is one of the most versatile items you can have in a barn medicine chest.

Here are 10 uses for ichthammol:

1. Pack it around and over draining hoof punctures to draw out pus.

2. Use it to coax “gravels” (subsolar abscesses) to burst at the coronary band and then speed healing...

Read more here:
https://equusmagazine.com/diseases/ten-reasons-to-love-sticky-ichthammol-ointment-8477?lid=mwf47gdze5p5&uuid=__equine_main__5481_merritraveler@gmail.com__

'Crazy journey' reunites a missing horse with its family

Flex the horse went missing on Tuesday, prompting a community search effort that lasted days. (Submitted by Rosalynn Peschl - image credit)

CA.news.yahoo.com - Full Story

CBC
Sat, July 27, 2024

After a days long search spanning kilometres around the hamlet of Bragg Creek, Alta., a championship endurance horse was reunited with its family.

Flex the horse was found southwest of the town Friday morning, lingering in a clearing near a trail in the Station Flats area.

Owner Rosalynn Peschl said she and her husband, Houston Peschl, felt "tremendous relief" upon seeing Flex standing in a forest clearing.

"By the time I had the halter on him and knew that he was secure, we both just started crying with relief and joy and all of the emotions that have been bubbling under the surface for the last couple of days," she said.

Peschl said her husband headed out for a ride near the West Bragg Creek Day Use Area on Tuesday. While he was saddling Flex, a bee sting spooked the horse, causing him to break his halter and run off...

Read more here:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/crazy-journey-reunites-missing-horse-100000026.html

The Making of a Tevis Horse: An Exclusive Interview with Layne and Atlas

TheSweatyEquestrian.com - Full Article

July 11 2024
by Tamara Baysinger

As the clock to Tevis 2024 ticks down, anticipation in the endurance world is ticking up. Around the globe, bucket-listers and veterans alike are caught up in the dream.

Here at Sweaty Equestrian headquarters, my days are abuzz with preparations, from getting chili in the freezer, to sunscreen in my saddlebags, to my nerves under control. Amid the hustle, I set aside time to focus on the epicenter of it all: the horse.

What does it take to get a good prospect to the starting line of the famous (infamous?) Western States 100 Mile Trail Ride?

I sat down with Atlas and his owner, Layne Lewis, to ask...

Read more here:
https://thesweatyequestrian.com/the-making-of-a-tevis-horse-an-interview-with-layne-and-atlas/