# Post ride care



## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

For me, it depends on the ride.

For most 50s, I don't do anything to Dream herself immediately after a ride other than make sure she is comfortable in terms of temperature (I may blanket at a ride whereas she is never blanketed at home) and get her as clean as possible (to remove all the sweat and trail grime). Once we are home, she will get a week to 10 days off from any riding to just relax in the pasture.

After 100s (or if its been a particularly hard 50), I do apply clay poultice to all 4 legs from the elbows/stifles down. Same care in terms of temperature and cleaning. Once we are home, she gets 2-3 weeks off to be a horse in the pasture.

No NSAIDS. No change in feed.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

PH13 thanks for the feedback.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

Anyone else?

I'd really like to learn more about this.


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## kait18 (Oct 11, 2011)

i haven't competed yet but after my condition events that are mock events of 25/30 miles. i sponge my horse down completely and then towel dry him to loosen all the dirty and sweat off of him. then a quick brush and the cooler until he drys. 
while he is drying off i rub sore no more or any horse version of biofreeze/icey hot onto the legs shoulders,hind, neck and chest area then let him eat , drink and relax while i clean everything else up. 

i like to give my guy 1 bottle of red gatorade after the ride as electroyles instead of the horse electrolytes i am using since it is something different and gets him more interested in eating and drinking. 

otherwise i just let him be until i am ready to load up and head home


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

Thanks kait. 

All, I'm not an endurance rider but some of the events that I plan on participating in this year (hunter paces, horse trials) are more strenous than just dressage and jumping in an arena.

So in an effort to become a better horseman, I'm picking your brains for things to do to make the horse more comfortable after a somewhat short (6 - 10 mile) but relatively taxing (60% canter/40% trot) effort.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I rarely go more than 6 - 10 miles these days. I used to do a lot of 25's. The main aftercare that I do is to walk the horse until she is cool and then I hose her off with water to remove all the sweat. I have problems with the skin if I leave her sweaty.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

mildot said:


> Thanks kait.
> 
> All, I'm not an endurance rider but some of the events that I plan on participating in this year (hunter paces, horse trials) are more strenous than just dressage and jumping in an arena.
> 
> So in an effort to become a better horseman, I'm picking your brains for things to do to make the horse more comfortable after a somewhat short (6 - 10 mile) but relatively taxing (60% canter/40% trot) effort.



Is the horse you will be riding your normal eventing mount? If so, then listen to what s/he tells you. I would imagine you are already very in-tune to one another if you can survive jumping a xcountry course shock.

If the horse is fit for the work, it won't be overly taxing. I have only done a couple hunter paces (and we went around 95% of the jumps!!), but most people seemed to ride reasonably and their horses didn't look any worse for wear afterwards. I would think whatever your normal post-event routine would be could work for after a pace or trial.


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## mildot (Oct 18, 2011)

Got it. Thanks.

I do like the idea of Sore No More or some liniment rubs afterwards.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

mildot said:


> I do like the idea of Sore No More or some liniment rubs afterwards.


I need the liniment more than the horse does after a ride............


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## kait18 (Oct 11, 2011)

agreed celeste  when i use it on my guy i take some extra and use it for me plus some aleve lol


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## wetrain17 (May 25, 2011)

Out of curiosity, how long does everyone go in between competitions? Or what's a typical time frame in between competitions?


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

wetrain17 said:


> Out of curiosity, how long does everyone go in between competitions? Or what's a typical time frame in between competitions?


I did not compete hot and heavy. Our area tended to have rides every other weekend. I liked that schedule.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

wetrain17 said:


> Out of curiosity, how long does everyone go in between competitions? Or what's a typical time frame in between competitions?



It depends on the ride and the distance for me.

For 50s, we generally do one a month during the season. My plans for this season have gone a bit awry after the trailer accident last weekend, so I may miss the 50 I had planned for this month and have to do a ride-my-own once Dream has recovered fully.

After a 100, she gets more rest. The plan this season is for the OD 100 in June and then our next ride would be a 6 weeks later (a 50). But even all of that is dependant upon her recovery.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

phantomhorse13 said:


> It depends on the ride and the distance for me.
> 
> For 50s, we generally do one a month during the season. My plans for this season have gone a bit awry after the trailer accident last weekend, so I may miss the 50 I had planned for this month and have to do a ride-my-own once Dream has recovered fully.
> 
> After a 100, she gets more rest. The plan this season is for the OD 100 in June and then our next ride would be a 6 weeks later (a 50). But even all of that is dependant upon her recovery.


So sorry about that accident:-( It is the big fear when trailering, someone hitting the horse trailer...

I was curious about Dream's "rest" period. Do you mean you don't ride at all for 10 days? Or did you mean light riding or arena work, but no long rides? I am vey curious because of conditioning issues...


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

AnitaAnne said:


> I was curious about Dream's "rest" period. Do you mean you don't ride at all for 10 days? Or did you mean light riding or arena work, but no long rides? I am vey curious because of conditioning issues...


I mean I don't ride at all (or longe or any other work of any kind). She hangs out in the pasture being a horse. 

While there isn't much research on horses, there is a lot of research on human distance athletes that show the rest period between workouts is just as important (some even say more important) than the training periods. If you don't give the body the time to properly rebuild what you have just torn down in training, the end result is weaker.


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## GeeGee Gem (Oct 14, 2011)

Joey is a seasoned endurance horse now and our crewing techniques seem to work well.

After a ride he gets 1 day off at pasture for each 10miles that he's completed. He is fed arnica and an arnica gel is applied to any sore / tight muscles. This is normally not necessary though.

He sometimes loses weight if we've had to travel a long way to the ride. So his feed is increased for a few days. And he also gets electrolytes a few days before and after each ride.

He has a thermatex rug which he wears while waiting for the vetting - it's important that he doesn't shiver.

To be honest, if the horse is fit enough for the work you ask, he wont need a lot extra compared to normal. x


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## jillybean19 (Dec 23, 2011)

mildot said:


> What kind of routine do you follow? Leg and joint care (liniments, bute, etc)? Post ride bath? Hoof care (poultice)?


I noticed you included bute in there. Someone was actually asking about this at one of the rides I volunteered with. Basically, you are not allowed to compete with any sort of pain meds in the horse (though YOU on the other hand may want to take some before the ride to deal with the soreness and effort!). If your horse needs bute (before OR afterward), he shouldn't be competing at that level. And I doubt you'll pass the vet check.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

There is no pain killer that will mask lameness in a 100 mile race. You are correct about not passing the vet check jillybean. If he needs bute, he needs rest.


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