Road Dog Podcast: Shannon Weil Rides Us Through the History of Western States 100

Roaddog Podcast - Listen

Apr 25, 2022

“We knew how to set up a course you know. We knew how to go out and mark a trail. We knew how to do that from horses. So when we were given the reigns to take the run and launch it on our own, we called on all our endurance riding friends.”

Shannon Weil is the author of Strike Along Trot and historian on the Western States Trail. Hear about her endurance horse riding, learn about the history of the Tevis Cup, the history of the Western States 100 Endurance Run, how the run buckle came into existence, and the birth of the Western States Trail museum.

Listen:
https://roaddog.libsyn.com/205-shannon-weil-rides-us-through-the-history-of-western-states-100

Nutrition Tips To Prevent Endurance Horses From ‘Tying Up’

Thehorse.com - Full Article

Reduce sporadic episodes of exertional rhabdomyolysis by providing plenty of forage and meeting these unique equine athletes’ nutrient requirements.

Posted by Jennifer Madera, DVM | Apr 25, 2022

The endurance horse is a distance athlete with high nutritional demands to support his work. Competitors can cover 25 to 100 miles in a single day. One health risk endurance can pose is exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) or “tying-up.” This is a condition where a horse experiences some degree of muscle stiffness usually shortly after starting exercise. It might progress to severe muscle damage or necrosis, and renal (kidney) failure secondary to myoglobinuria, which is the presence of the broken-down muscle protein in urine.

Sporadic ER is a single or rare occurrence due to overwork or other confounding factors such as hot, humid weather. Veterinarians diagnose ER episodes using bloodwork. Chronic ER is a collection of heritable myopathies, including recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER), myofibrillar myopathy (MFM), and polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) types 1 and 2. Veterinarians make definitive diagnoses of these conditions via muscle biopsy. In this article, I’ll provide nutritional recommendations to decrease episodes of sporadic ER. If you’re concerned your horse could be affected by a chronic ER condition, work closely with your veterinarian, who can make a diagnosis and management plan...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/1110873/nutrition-tips-to-prevent-endurance-horses-from-tying-up/

Redwood Rangers rode horseback 125 miles in four days in 1947

PressDemocrat.com - Full Article

SUSAN MINICHIELLO
FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
April 11, 2022

While most horseback riders travel with a horse trailer hitched to their car, four Sonoma County men in 1947 decided to take a more unconventional path.

They mounted their horses in Guerneville, and after riding 125 miles in four days, they arrived during a downpour of rain in Stockton for the California State Horsemen's Association Convention on Oct. 16.

The quartet were part of the Redwood Rangers Riding and Driving Club, a group based out of Guerneville from the 1940s to the 1970s. The 1947 riders included the club’s president, Jack Luttrell, vice president Leo O’Connors and members Jack Williams and David Grant. Media sometimes referred to them as the “hardy four” or the “four mesquiteers...”

Read more here:
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/redwood-rangers-rode-horseback-125-miles-in-four-days-in-1947/

Ride & Tie 50th Annual World Championship in California in July

Rideandtie.org

Location: Cuneo Creek Horse Camp, located in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA Date: July 29-30, 2022

Things to Know: In the early 1900s, loggers came to what is now Humboldt Redwoods State Park to cut down lofty ancient redwoods for grape stakes and shingles. The founders of Save the Redwoods League thought that was akin to “chopping up a grandfather clock for kindling.” From the acquisition of a single grove in 1921, the League has raised millions of dollars to build and expand this park. Today Humboldt Redwoods spans 53,000 acres, an area almost twice the size of San Francisco. About one third, or 17,000 acres, of the park is old- growth redwood forest—the largest expanse of ancient redwoods left on the planet. The South Fork of the Eel River provides excellent opportunities for fishing, boating, picnicking, and swimming. More than 100 miles of trails await hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians. Summer temperatures range from 70s to 90s, with lows in the 50s. Visitors should come prepared for any type of weather. The park receives between 60 and 80 inches of rain per year; the vast majority falls between October and May. Rain in the summer season is unusual, but does occur. In the summer, frequent morning fog usually burns off by noon.

Prizes/Awards: All participants in each race will receive an athletic t-shirt. All long course finishers in the Ride & Tie as well as in the equathon will receive belt buckles. Turtle awards will be presented for each race. Top woman/woman, woman/man, and man/man awards will be given to the first place finishers for each division in the long course Ride & Tie. First, second, and third place awards will be presented to short course Ride & Tie, long and short course equathons. Best condition will be awarded to horse in the long course Ride & Tie. Special awards will be presented to: the team traveling the furthest; oldest team competing, top Pro/Am and Am/Am teams, among others...

For more information and entry form, see:
https://www.rideandtie.org/mec-schedule/50th-annual-world-championship/

How Horses Heat Up and Cool Down Varies Considerably

Thehorse.com - Full Article

Measure and understand your horse’s unique exercise heat patterns so you can promote recovery and prevent heat stroke.

Posted by Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA | Apr 19, 2022

As the planet heats up, so will our equine athletes. Belgian and Australian researchers recently reported that it’s more important than ever to understand how hot horses get during and after exercise, as well as how fast they recover.

“In the last 10 years, we have been alarmed by heat waves due to climate change and global warming,” said Elisabeth-Lidwien (E.J.M.M.) Verdegaal, MVM, DVM, Dipl. RDVS, ECEIM, a Dutch, European, and Australian registered specialist in equine internal medicine, senior lecturer equine medicine, and joint PhD candidate at Ghent University, in Belgium, and the University of Adelaide, in Australia.

“The sudden unexpected increase in hot ambient temperatures results in a significantly increased risk of heat stress because horses have not been able to acclimatize,” she said. “The global warming aspect underlines that we need to be prepared to prevent exertional heat illness...”

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/1110733/how-horses-heat-up-and-cool-down-varies-considerably/

Short course: Preventing lameness in sport horses

Horsetalk.co.nz - full article

April 1, 2022
Horsetalk.co.nz

Canada’s Equine Guelph is offering a new two-week online short course on the care and prevention of injuries in sport horses.

Course instructor Dr Brianne Henderson of Rivendell Equine Veterinary Services will take the course, which runs from April 25 to May 6, 2022.

Participants will learn daily practices that can optimize health and performance and reduce the risk of lameness issues in their athletic horses. Everything from early detection, footing and exercise regime can have an impact on soundness.

Henderson will discuss common lameness issues for horses as well as early detection and prevention. Those attending will also learn about the horse’s musculoskeletal system, how they move, best practices for detecting lameness, assessment tools, management of a lame horse and the latest research...

More at:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2022/04/01/lameness-sport-horses/