I could hear the 50's prepping for their day, and had a moment where I was longing to be going out with them. But, I settled back in for about 30 more minutes to sleep and just relax before getting out of bed and getting ready to go out and get ready.
I had left Strider's rain sheet on him all night, and he was a little sweaty beneath it.
I didn't give him any grain or breakfast, just threw fresh hay to him and Dakini. Made sure that Dakini would have lots of water and pulled him out and tacked him up.
The prepping process was the smoothest it has ever been. We were quickly saddled and I made sure I had everything I would need; my Garmin, phone set to airplane mode to run Endomondo, 4 bottles of water in my Stowaway packs. I was ready.
So, I actually stepped into the stirrup around 7:10ish and we started walking around to warm up.
The mood was quiet and subdued. I checked in and kept doing loops near the trailer and vet check area.
This was the best Strider has ever done for me. He was grazing on grass. He was calm and relaxed. He wasn't crying for Dakini (she sure was crying for him and acting like a fool).
And then, oh irony of ironies, a loose horse came into our milling pack of horses. It wanted to make friends with Strider, which was fine...he was well behaved, it was well behaved, but trying to corral it into the barn was a bit of a pain. Someone finally managed to get it into the barn, but at that point Strider realized Dakini was back at camp and he started acting up. *sigh* So much for our calm and easy warm up. I kept him doing circles and loops near our camp, but that was just amping him up. The complete OPPOSITE of what I wanted to happen.
So, about 2 or 3 minutes after trail was called open and the hot foots left, I went out on my own. No one before us (well, I could see them, but there was a good distance) and no one really behind us at the start.
It was glorious. He was strong. He was also fast. Part of the problem was that after we crossed the first cattle guard (they laid down plywood so we could cross safely), we got passed by a pair of riders, and Strider just locked on to them and wouldn't stop chasing after them. He was mad as hell that I wouldn't let him have his head so he could race them down. I will say that he DOES listen in an S-Hack, though sometimes I have to "see-saw" the reins some to get him to come back and listen to me.
The first two miles are open. OPEN. We're on a dirt road with plowed fields on both sides, so you can see every horse ahead and behind of you.
The first trough was about 2 miles in, and he had ZERO interest. He was more irritated that the two horses he had been "chasing" were now out of sight as we crossed from open fields into forest.
Glancing down at my Garmin, we were going faster than we'd ever gone before. Solid 7-9 mph and we usually condition at a solid 5.5-6ish. I should have INSISTED he slow it down, but I didn't.
We hit our second water trough maybe 7 or 8 miles in. He stopped and drank some from it. But, he'd seen a group ahead of us leave as we came up, and was more intent on catching up to them.
But he was happy to move down the trails. And I allowed it with occasional "checks" to remind him he isn't an Arabian with their innate skill at this sport.
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| Photo credited to John Nowell. Original purchased. As you can see, he is happy, I am happy. He is barely sweating at this point. We look STRONG as a team together!! |
So, we're moving out alone on a portion of trail. I've dumped water on his neck occasionally, sponged out of occasional puddles (it was HOT and HUMID). We were doing great.
Then we hit a section of trail where we had to go down through a culvert. There was a tree immediately to my left, large chunks of broken concrete to my right and some rocks to traverse. He charged over it, and as we popped up the other side, I felt him jerk and almost go down on his front left.
I immediately hopped off and inspected his leg, the shoe, made sure he didn't have a rock under his shoe. Checked for heat. Nothing. Bad stumble? Not sure. So, I lead him and he gimped and gimped. I wanted to cry. And scream. We were a little over mid-way through a 14.1 mile loop!!
Instead, I walked him. Some friends came up behind us, asked if we were okay. Said I was going to hand walk him and see how we were. They said he looked okay, but weren't real sure as they're not familiar with gaited horses (they have a Missouri Foxtrotter). I told them not to wait on us, keep moving and we'd just walk and see what happened.
And so we walked. And walked. We walked some more. I stopped to take advantage of the fact I was on the ground and took a potty break. He seemed to be walking out with confidence again, so I opted to hop back on and go at a walk for a bit, and see how he felt.
So we walked some. Then went back to gaiting. He was strong and fine. Okay, keep it easy.
As you can see, I was concerned and no longer happy. Our amazing ride photographer had said my friends told him I was walking, so he was shocked to see me up. I said he seemed okay at this point, so we were moving forward. And we kept going.
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| Photo credited to John Nowell. Original purchased. Can you see how "squinchy" my face is. That's my "I'm concerned face". And yet, he looks strong, doesn't he? Ears forward and eager to go. Stubborn jerk. |
Then as we were in an open stretch, my entire body tense and anxious and attuned for any bobble, I SWORE I saw a head bob. I immediately stopped him and jumped off again for more hand walking after checking him over once more. Nothing physically wrong I could discern. So more walking.
Walking and walking. No big deal. I sing some. Talk to myself and him some.
He seems okay again, so I get back on and repeat.
Again, I think I feel an issue so get off again. I make him stop and graze.
A horse comes up behind us, she checks to make sure we're okay, I tell her we're fine, thank you...and she moves on. Strider seems raring to go again, and won't eat anymore, so I get back on, tell him to take it easy and we play leap frog the rest of the way back to camp.
He did stop and take a GREAT drink at the water trough about 12 miles in. Which is about when he is first interested in water; usually between 10 and 15 miles is when he'll do his first drink. So that didn't set off any additional alarm bells for me.
I was fairly sure I was going to rider option, but I knew I needed to vet through.
His pulse hung and hung. I stripped his tack off (I invariably do some sort of that for warm rides). Kenny and Bobbie Jo came to help me out (learned a useful trick from Kenny to keep him from slinging his head all around which I will utilize some in the future). Take him to PR check, and he's back up a little bit. I'm trying not to get frustrated and overwhelmed when a nice lady does some TTouch on him and we finally get him into parameters.
I go to vet him through, and surprisingly enough, he gets an A on gait. A on everything but gut sounds where he gets a B.
I'm in a state of shock, and the vet suggests letting him graze on the fresh grass, get a good drink of water, so I say that's exactly my plan. I let him graze while talking to a friend. And eventually we head back to our camp site.
I put him in the pen and am talking to my friends when he lays down, as he always does, for a good roll. However, unlike normal, he stretches out and doesn't get back up again. His eyes drift closed and a friend thinks maybe he's tired and is going for a nap. My mind thinks "He never does that....but...maybe....?"
He eventually gets back up and flops to his other side and stretches out and won't get back up. At that point I KNOW this isn't normal. So I go into the pen, grab his halter and start tugging on it.
"Get up Strider. Get up."
He stays on the ground. I gently nudge him with my boot. "Get UP Strider." My emotions are starting to spiral. No. Nononononono.
One of my friends asks if she should get the vet, I tell her yes as I keep yanking at his halter "Get UP Strider, get UP Strider, get UP!!!" I'm starting to sob as my other friend and her neighbors grab a carrot stick and spank him to his feet.
He gets up and I get him out of the pen, a shaken and rattled mess. The poor head vet this weekend has been run ragged, but he comes to my camp with a bag of fluids. He listens to Strider's guts and says they've gone from a B to "Nothing/Not moving".
"Go walk and graze him. Give him some calcium and electrolytes. Bring him back as often as you want and we'll check him for you."
So that is exactly what I did.
Now, let me say this; in my mind I kept hoping we could go back out. Makes me sound heartless, doesn't it? Here's the rational behind that. If he was somehow capable of going back out, then he was okay. He wasn't hurt. I hadn't hurt him. Things were okay.
Look, I didn't say it was logical, did I? Logic had NOTHING to do with it, and my hope for a horse that wasn't hurt had EVERYTHING to do with it.
So, we walked. We walked some more. I took him back to the trailer and gave him a little alfalfa and some hay which he devoured. He also took a nice long pee. But hours ticked by and no poop. I could hear his guts burbling, but no poop. This concerned me.
I took him to the vets who checked him out and said he was improving. I finally told them I was definitely going to Rider Option. They all said they completely respected that decision, said it was a good choice and if I needed to bring him back, feel free, they'd check him again.
A few hours later, he did finally poop. And was back to his regular self.
The vet thought it was perhaps a gas colic. A friend of mind thought perhaps a water colic. Who knows, ultimately?
But it was a long, LONG afternoon. Don't misunderstand, I had a great time hanging out in camp with him, reading, taking him for walks and watching the traffic come and go all day. I was a little jealous I didn't get to go back out, but not completely torn up about it.
If you'd like to see the information for our first loop, here's the info from my Garmin:
First Loop of Shanghai trails
I will say that this has been one of the hardest posts to write. Because I can see in every single step of the way what I did wrong. And for some of the steps, I wondered if it was going to come and bite me in the butt. And it did.
So, what did I learn?
FOLLOW MY PRE-RIDE ELECTROLYTE PROTOCOL!!!
For me, for 3 days leading up to the ride I go to the barn and electrolyte ANY horse I think might be going with me to a ride. I did NOT do that at ALL prior to this ride. And why? Because in my hubris and faith in my horse, I thought "Well, it's 'just' an LD. He's got this!!!" Never again. NEVER AGAIN!! Don't ever assume that because you've done it before that this time it will be okay to take a shortcut. Yes, this was our very first ride 2 years ago and he was out of shape AND we did it on the Dumor electrolytes that are more sugar than anything useful, and we ran with the front of the pack that time, BUT....it was cooler that day.
I also feel leaving his rain sheet on him all night did NOT help. I should have taken it off.
NEVER RIDE FASTER THAN YOU CONDITION!!!
I had done a total of 2, count them, 2 rides on him with his new shoes on. He was fast. He was zippy. But, I didn't take that into account on ride day. I should have insisted he go slower. I could have, in fact, waited at camp. I should have, in fact, waited at camp. But instead, I left camp and let him, for the most part, set our pace. 7-9mph was faster than we had conditioned. MUCH faster than we had conditioned. Don't fall victim to "race brain" or a horse who hunts.
I share all of this in order to educate someone else. I share all of this to learn myself! And I share all of this so that I can then share the aftermath and fall out of the next few days....which I shall share in the next day or two.
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