What does your post-ride care entail?

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, Horse care, horse health, hoof care and tagged with , ,
Applying a standing wrap over poultice

In the old days, after a hard ride, I would apply poultice and a standing wrap to my horse’s legs — now I just turn out.

When I started eventing, back in the 80s, I can remember that when we came home from an event we always poulticed and wrapped our horses’ legs and fed them a bran mash for dinner. Then they were tucked into their stalls for the night.

These days, when I come back from a hunt (which is arguably more taxing than a novice level event), my routine is much more minimalistic: I check my horse for cuts and scratches, make sure there are no saddle marks, feed him a snack and then turn him out.

If the ground has been really hard or rocky, or we’ve done a lot of galloping, I may also pack his feet to prevent bruising (for this I like to use Magic Cushion).

Interestingly, I think the horses are sounder than they were with the extra care. In particular, I think that turning them out keeps them from stiffening up.

Magic Cushion

My horse is barefoot so after I apply Magic Cushion, I cover the bottom of the hoof with paper, vet wrap it into place and stick a hoof boot over it.

For a horse that’s a bit stiff or if I think we’ve jumped more than usual, I might give my horse some bute but I actually prefer dosing with Previcox before the hunt.

What do you do? Do you still wrap? Do you cold hose? Keep your horse in? Or turn him out?

Sigh. Cubbing season is over

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, fox hunting, foxhunting and tagged with ,
Hunting Estabrook Woods

One of our masters riding her lovely new horse with the hounds coming along.

Monday was the last hunt of the season and while it came too soon, it was a glorious way to end.

The weather was lovely and we rode in one of my favorite territories. I was very glad that I had my camera in my pocket because it was a picture perfect day. I’m getting better at riding one handed!

Freedom was remarkably good given that I hadn’t ridden him since Thursday. I wasn’t sure what kind of ride to expect so I started him in the back of the jumping field. He was in fine form and was eager to jump . . . but not too eager.

An enthusiastic hound

The hounds were quite enthusiastic, despite the heat and the fading scent.

The hounds left the first cast with enthusiasm and ran well. After a short swim in the pond (it was hot!) some got diverted off on a side trail (there were lots of dog walkers and deer out) but were called back by our huntsman.

The next stretch is full of jumps and we had a great time. Freedom was looking for each jump and was very bold.

The check was at a lovely meadow where the grass was up past the riders’ feet! It was an excellent location for

The check was in a lovely meadow

The check was in a lovely meadow. Here’s another of our Masters, riding her home-bred.

pictures. While at the check I mentioned to our huntsman that I’d like to learn to whip in (assist with the hounds) and much to my surprise and pleasure I was invited to ride up with the staff for the last piece of the hunt.

The concept of leaving the field to follow the hounds is still a novel one to Freedom but when I asked him to follow the hounds he caught on fast and didn’t hesitate. Unfortunately, the scent was light for the last stretch. Heat and time had taken their toll and the temptation of deer was strong. Some of the pack took off after the deer but several continued on with us.

Calling in the Hounds

Our Huntsman calling in the hounds.

I have a lot to learn about whipping in — keeping behind the hounds and never (but never) taking your eyes off them for a second — was a start. I plan to spend some time over the summer walking the hounds and getting to know them (and letting them get to know me).

I’m really looking forward to learning this next phase of hunting and better understanding how the hounds work. When I started hunting there was too much to take in and I was very focused on

The end of the hunt

This hunt ends at a beautiful pond. The hounds all went in for a swim!

my horse. Now that Freedom “gets” hunting, I’ve started watching the hounds more. It’s fascinating to watch working dogs doing their job. I’m looking forward to riding up with the hounds and getting a better view!

The heat kept the hunt on the shorter side but we had champagne punch to look forward to at the tea so I don’t think anyone minded heading back in.

I can’t wait until the fall!

After the hunt

Here is most of our field at the end of the hunt.

In Memory of the Soldiers and their Horses

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equine art and tagged with ,
War Horse Memorial Chipilly, France

The War Horse Memorial in Chipilly, France is one of the many monuments that honors both the men who fought in wars and the horses who served beside them. The monument depicts an artilleryman cradling the head of his wounded horse. It is the work of French sculptor Henri Désiré Gauquié (1858-1927) whose native village of Flers was occupied by the Germans and liberated by the British army in October 1918.

2012 International Helmet Awareness Day

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equestrian helmet, Rider Safety and tagged with ,

International Helmet Awareness DayRiders4Helmets has teamed up with leading helmet manufacturers to host International Helmet Awareness Day 2012 on June 9. Building on the success of National Helmet Awareness Day 2010 and International Helmet Awareness Day 2011, participating retailers all over the world will be offering discounts on helmets to equestrians on this day.

“We are delighted to be in our third year of hosting and organizing International Helmet Awareness Day,” said Lyndsey White of Riders4Helmets. “The campaign was founded two years ago as a direct result of Olympian Courtney King-Dye’s accident with the aim of educating equestrians on the benefits of wearing a properly fitting, secured and certified helmet. We are proud to dedicate this years’ event to Courtney.”

International Helmet Awareness Day will include an opportunity for equestrians to become more educated on helmets and traumatic brain injuries. Riders4Helmets will be live streaming “Get Educated” webinars, via Riders4Helmets.com, on June 9, during which viewers will be able to ask a variety of experts real-time questions. The webinars will feature a number of contributors such as:

  • Traumatic brain injury and concussion experts;
  • Psychologists (to discuss why equestrians choose not to wear a helmet);
  • Neurophysiotherapists;
  • Helmet manufacturers;
  • Traumatic brain injury survivors;
  • Leading equestrians; and
  • Helmet Testing Agencies.

The confirmed line-up of participants will be announced on prior to June 9. Some retailers across the country have also made plans to offer educational events in store on International Helmet Awareness Day.

Helmet brands that have committed involvement in International Helmet Awareness Day 2012 to date include Samshield, Troxel, Charles Owen (United States and U.K.), GPA, Aegis (Devon-Aire), Pegasus, Tipperary, Ovation, IRH, One K, KEP Italia, Champion Hats, Gatehouse and LAS have all signed up.

“We are grateful to the helmet manufacturers for their continued support of this important event,” said Chad Mendell of Riders4Helmets. “The Riders4Helmets campaign has continued to grow on a global level, as we hope will International Helmet Awareness Day.”

Retailers who wish to participate in the event may register by visiting riders4helmets.com/ihad/retailer-information/. Retailers are encouraged to register prior to May 28 to ensure that they receive educational materials in time for the event, however registrations will be accepted through June 8.

Interested parties can visit riders4helmets.com/ihad/ to learn more about International Helmet Awareness Day and to search for participating retailers by name or geographic location.

Is Lasix jinxing the Triple Crown?

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, Competition, Thoroughbred Racing and tagged with , , ,
Affirmed won the last Triple Crown back in 1979.

Affirmed won the last Triple Crown back in 1979.

The use of Lasix (furosemide) has come under scrutiny in the racing industry with some analysts arguing that the use of the drug is one of the reasons why we’ve gone so long without a Triple Crown winner.

Lasix is injected to prevent bleeding – Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhaging. The argument is that almost all horses bleed at some point and that Lasix can help prevent it by lowering a horse’s blood pressure. According to a post on Bits n’Bunny:

In every horse’s lungs, there are blood vessels that end in air-sacs called alveoli.  The alveolus are enclosed by capillaries, a tiny group of blood vessels about one percent of the thickness of a human hair.  On average, one horse alone has approximately three hundred billion capillaries. When these capillaries burst under pressure, bleeding in the lungs ensues.

Although racing officials in the US don’t consider it to be a performance-enhancing drug, the US and Canada are the only two major racing countries where race-day injections of Lasix are legal.

And the use of Lasix is ubiquitous. According to this article in the Courier-Journal:

The last horse to win the Derby without Lasix was Grindstone in 1996. From that Derby through last year, only 13 of 292 Derby starters raced without Lasix, or roughly 4 percent.

The downside to Lasix is that it dehydrates horses. For horses that are already stressed by prepping for the Derby and then the Preakness, the added dehydration may make it almost impossible for a horse to run well in three big races over five weeks.

In the 1970s there were three Triple Crown winners: Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1978) and Affirmed (1979). Lasix was first introduced in the mid-70s and since then, there have been no winners. Coincidence? Sportswriter Bill Finely believes that Lasix is an obstacle to winning the Triple Crown.

Some vets believe that Lasix is a short cut taken by trainers who don’t condition properly:

“Bleeding in a race is reflective of inadequate care and preparation, of miscalculations and untoward medication practices. Lasix perpetuates substandard horsemanship, artificially suppressing the untoward result (bleeding) of inadequate preparation of the thoroughbred,” says Vet Sid Gustafson in an article in the Paulick Report.

What do you think?

Hunting for foxes

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, fox hunting, trail riding and tagged with
These elephant ears are right before the bridge leaving the farm

These elephant ears are right before the bridge leaving the farm.

On Sunday morning Freedom and I went hunting for foxes. Not foxhunting. Nope, I’d heard there were fox cubs in a den that I’d seen a few years back, so I saddled up and rode out to find them in the quiet of the early morning.

It was an amazingly beautiful out with so many flowering shrubs in their full glory and the grass in the meadows so tall that it brushed my feet. In places you could barely see the path. I think the first cutting hay will be magnificent.

We didn’t find the cubs but near the den we saw one of the healthiest, handsomest foxes! He or she had a huge, bushy tail that was tinged with black. Although the fox didn’t seem too worried about me, I wasn’t able to get close enough to snap a picture. My only complaint about the iPhone is that it’s difficult to ride AND operate the zoom function on the camera. I followed the fox for about five minutes until it went into someone’s yard. Obviously, it was out hunting

This hay field is just so inviting

This hay field is just so inviting!

for the cubs. I hope I see them soon. When there were cubs there a few years ago they were so curious and playful; it was hard sometimes to remember that they were wild animals and shouldn’t be coaxed over for a pat.