On long-distance horse rides, Nevada’s beauty and hospitality are unveiled

LasVegasSun.com - Full Article

by Grace Da Rocha
Monday, May 29, 2023

It was a blazing day in central Nevada — much hotter than usual for May, it seemed — when long-distance horse rider Samantha Szesciorka came upon a sole paintbrush wildflower while traveling along the California border.

The wildflower, which was the first she’d seen since leaving Las Vegas on horseback earlier that week, was a welcome sign: She had reached the Great Basin.

Szesciorka said the change from the Mojave Desert’s Joshua trees to swaths of sagebrush was sudden as she rode over the hill, watching the landscape “transition” in a way she had never seen before while driving on any of the state’s highways.

“I literally did get to see how Nevada changes between those two desert systems, which is really cool (and), in fact, one of the best memories from this ride,” Szesciorka said. “When you’re driving on the highway, you don’t get to see all that...”

Read more here:
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2023/may/29/on-long-distance-horse-rides-nevadas-beauty-and-ho/

Pre-race enzyme level in blood linked to lameness elimination in Endurance horses – study

HorseTalk.co.nz - Full Article

May 18, 2023
Horsetalk.co.nz

A link between the levels of an enzyme in the blood of Endurance horses and their risk of elimination because of lameness has been identified by researchers.

The study, reported in the journal Animals, centred on 49 Endurance horses who competed in the 160km ride at the 2016 World Endurance Championship in Samorin, Slovakia.

Blood samples were taken before the event for analysis. For statistical evaluation, horses were categorized into three groups: finishers, lame horses, and metabolically eliminated horses.

Risk factors were calculated for each group.

Researchers in the Free University of Berlin study found that elevated pre‐ride levels of superoxide dismutase were shown to have an effect on lameness elimination...

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2023/05/18/pre-race-enzyme-level-lameness-elimination-endurance-horses-study/

Man riding cross-country on horseback responds to critics who say he's abusing his horse

Insider.com - Full Article

Katie Balevic

• Cyril Bertheau, 24, purchased a horse on Craigslist and is riding it from Austin to Seattle.
• His viral journey has stirred anger among the equestrian community, which is concerned about his horse's welfare.
• Bertheau declined to answer questions about his horse's health and complained about "busybodies."

A Texas man who has gone viral for his plan to ride on horseback from Texas to Washington dismissed criticism from equestrian experts, who want him to get off his high horse and address health concerns about his steed.

Cyril Bertheau, 24, purchased a horse on Craigslist and charted a path from Austin to Seattle, planning to make the 2,300-mile journey in 100 days. After a send-off with extensive media coverage in April, Bertheau promised to keep his followers updated about his journey on Instagram and TikTok. He chose the handle, "2raw2ride."

He also set up accounts on Venmo and Cash App. He said any donations "will go to beer."

But shortly after his journey began, he started seeing comments on those social media accounts from people concerned about the welfare of his horse, Shiok. A petition launched earlier this month accused Bertheau of "horse abuse" and demanded he quit his journey...

Read more here:
https://www.insider.com/cyril-bertheau-2raw2ride-horseback-riding-animal-abuse-response-2023-5

How to Assemble a Kickass Ride Camp Sleeping Quarters

TheSweatyEquestrian.com - Full Article

May 11, 2023
by Tamara Baysinger

If you’re an endurance rider without a living quarters trailer or truckbed camper, you’ll need to be creative when it comes to ride camp sleeping quarters. Your two, main options are: 1) set up a tent or 2) sleep in your horse trailer. You’ll also need to choose a good sleeping bag and pad. This post will cover pros, cons of each, and gear tips drawn from my decades of outdoor adventuring. Set Up a Tent

Ah, the tent, that eternal favorite of Boy Scouts and wilderness wanderers! Tents can provide remarkably robust shelter in all weather, but they can also be intimidating to the uninitiated. Here’s what you need to know about this ride camp sleeping quarters option: Tent Components

Most tents come in either two or three main parts: the tent itself, a rain fly, and a ground cloth made to protect the floor of the tent from moisture.

Depending on weather and privacy needs, you can usually choose whether or not to use your rain fly for any particular event. Using the fly with keep your tent’s interior warmer than going without. If precipitation or heavy dew is in the forecast, you’ll need to use it regardless. In a dusty camp situation, you might want to use the fly to help keep your belongings inside the tent clean...

Read more here:
https://thesweatyequestrian.com/how-to-assemble-a-kickass-ride-camp-sleeping-quarters/

Horse missing for a week found alive in Wind Cave National Park

RapidCityJournal.com - Full Article

Journal staff
May 9, 2023

he horse missing in Wind Cave National Park since last Tuesday, May 2, was found Tuesday walking along Highway 385 near the Wind Cave Canyon Trailhead.

Custer County Dispatch notified the park at 7:55 a.m. of a dropped call from that area. When park rangers responded, they saw the horse. Park personnel led the horse into the park’s maintenance yard where it was soon reunited with its owner. The horse appeared to be in good shape after spending a week in the backcountry...

Read more here:
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/horse-missing-for-a-week-found-alive-in-wind-cave-national-park/article_092b6dee-eea0-11ed-b3e4-13e961bfc8d5.html

May 10 is Buy A Horse Book Day!

Endurance.net’s distance riding book shelves at http://www.endurance.net/Books/ gives you many fun choices!

May 7 2023

Piggybacking on the idea of national Buy A Book Day (September 7), Horseandriderbooks.com and the equestrian media company Heels Down have teamed up to encourage people to read about horses for pleasure and education.

The idea is about all horse books and horse book authors. They are hoping to continue to generate lots of excitement for the day, encourage people to buy a horse book on May 10, post selfies and pics of their favorite horse books, support local tack shops and bookstores that carry horse books, and celebrate equestrian literature in other ways, all tagged #buyahorsebookday.

If you do post anything on social media, don’t forget to tag @HorseandRiderBooks and @HeelsDownMag. They will share everyone’s posts in as many ways as possible! We all look forward to building excitement for what we hope can be an annual event together that gets bigger and better every year.

#Buyahorsebookday


http://www.endurance.net/books/

Study explores use of calcium in resuscitation fluids in horses

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

May 5, 2023
Horsetalk.co.nz

Questions remain around the addition of calcium to resuscitation fluids in horses, after a study involving endurance horses in Australia.

The addition of calcium to resuscitation fluids is a common practice in horses, but studies evaluating the effects of calcium supplementation are limited, Langdon Fielding and his fellow researchers noted.

In healthy horses, decreases in heart rate and changes in serum electrolyte concentrations have been reported.

The study team set out to determine whether calcium gluconate administration at a rate of 0.4 milligrams per kilogram per minute (mg/kg/min) to eliminated endurance horses with metabolic problems would affect heart rate, gastrointestinal sounds, and serum electrolyte concentrations.

Their study, reported in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, was centered on the Tevis Cup 100-mile (160km) endurance ride. Any horses eliminated from the ride for metabolic problems and requiring intravenous fluid therapy were eligible...

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2023/05/05/study-calcium-resuscitation-fluids-horses/