You just completed your first endurance ride (or you are on your 45 minute stop). Your horse has pulsed down and you completed! Congratulations are in order for you and your horse. You head back to camp to unsaddle, but you have no idea how to care for your horse after putting him or her through their very first horse marathon. You look around and see people with all sorts of rituals that each one of them aware by. You wonder what works, but also realize you may not have the equipment that you need to take care of your race partner. Here are a few pointers that might help alleviate soreness or stiffness in your horse.
- Get a sponge and sponge your horse with cool water on the neck, front legs, and shoulders. DO NOT GET IT BEHIND THE CINCH. Let the rest of your horse cool naturally. Many people keep blankets on their rump to keep them warm in the rear.
-If it is chilly out, put a blanket on your horse, he is sweaty and will be very cold.
- Give him some electrolytes. There are several brands, I prefer the pastes in a tube so I can be sure my girl gets all that she needs.
- Give him some grain, alfalfa, hay, or beet pulp. Let them eat! Again, if it is cold, consider giving him some warm beet pulp soup. Take warm water, and mix it with a scoop of beet pulp. This will rehydrate your horse and warm him up.
- Next you want to cool their legs off to reduce the heat and draw it out of the legs. Some people put ice boots on the front legs. If you do this, don't leave them on for more than 20-30 minutes. Others prefer gel (Main and Tail Mineral Ice) or clay based poultices that cool the legs, such as a cold clay medicated poultice. You could also quilt wrap, then polo wrap the legs, and leave it on for 24 hours. If you use the poultice, you want it to stay moist as long as possible. Some people layer wet paper under the quilted wrap to assist in keeping it moist.
- Check your horses back for stiffness. Run your fingers down each side of his back, if he flinches, he is stiff or sore, and you might have a saddle fit issue. If that is the case, get some guidance from a professional fitter before your next ride.
- Lastly, don't be surprised if your horse is stiff the next day, or even when you get him home and unload him from the trailer. Just give him some hugs, kisses, rest , lots of hydration, stretching, rubs and treats. You might also consider investing in a horse massage as well. If you are in the Central Texas area, there is a great equine massuese named Donna-Michelle who is very reasonable and might even teach you some techniques.
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