Itchy and Eli enjoying the quiet accommodations at the Trail Barn
Sasha and Deb
Eli and I taking some mountain pictures
Friday before the ride
Braiding Itchy's tail
The weather was lovely for the ride. It topped out at 69 on ride day and there was a nice breeze blowing over the mountains.
Dody, Lara, and I started off in the 50 near the tail end. Our goal was for completions all around and to enjoy the majestic beauty of Leatherwood mountains. The first loop took us up on the mountain and then down and around to Elk Creek. Eli about fell down a few times in the river. I think his Easyshoes do not have good traction on wet rocks. He made it through though and we got a great ride picture.
Eli, Slick, and Rusty crossing Elk Creek
Photo John Pearman
He felt strong and was definitely very fit. We came into the vet check and he got really good scores but Doc Duane looked at me and said his heart-rate was irregular. We conferred on electrolyte protocol and I was doing all the same things that I normally do. He was getting a dose of Lyte Now before each loop, during the long loops and again at the next check. He did not eat very well on the first hold but he started picking up on the second loop. I took him back to Duane so he could listen to his heart one more time before we left and he told me he was fine and he would see me on the next check. Needless to say, I was worried.
Photo Becky Pearman
Photo Becky Pearman
If they had not told me about the irregularity, I would not have guessed it from his performance. He tackled the hills and moved out when it was safe. The trails were in amazing shape and as dry as I had ever seen them. The three of us stuck to our plan to ride steady and conservative and the horses were looking great.
At the second check, Doc Otis checked Eli. I told him what Duane had heard on the first hold and he listened carefully and said it was probably an electrolyte imbalance. He said to keep a close eye on him and to carry on. He had all As at that check. He ate with gusto at this check and drank really well.
The last loop was a killer. There were some really steep climbs for horses on their last loop and it took us about 90 minutes to get through the first 6 miles of hills. Once we got up on the ridge we were able to move out. Eli was stopping for grass at every opportunity. At this point, Lara was concerned about Slick because he wasn't wanting to eat and was panting a bit. So, we slowed up a bit more and stopped more often for grass breaks. As we finished the out and back, Slick perked up knowing we were heading for home and we made good time down the mountain. We finished together at 6:19. Everyone hopped off and we walked the horses back into camp, letting them graze a bit on the way in. Doc Ann checked Eli at the end and she commented on how great that Itchy and Eli both looked at the end of such a tough 50. She and Duane listened to his heart again. She instructed me to listen to it every day for a few weeks. If it was still there the following day, she recommended taking him in for an ECG. Atrial fibrillation is more prevalent in Standardbreds than other breeds. Luckily, he seemed to return to a normal rhythm by dark that evening. It sure did give me a scare though. On reflection, the only thing that is different is I had started him on Amplify about 6 weeks ago. I'm going to take that back out of his diet and we are going to see our local vet for bloodwork and follow up this week.
