Arrythmias, Tachycardia and a trip to NC State University

Just an update for those of you following Eli's condition after Leatherwood. He had an arrhythmia during the ride that was probably an electrolyte imbalance and it cleared up completely a few hours after the ride was over and the vets were not worried about it as his other parameters were good and he finished the ride bright with a great trot out. After getting him home and while checking to make sure his heart rate continued normally, I discovered that his heart rate had stayed elevated in the lower 50s. He was eating, drinking, peeing, and passing manure normally. 

I took him to the vet early in the week and we ran blood work. His electrolyte levels were all normal but he had a slightly high hematrocrit indicating some level of dehydration and/or a splenic contraction during the ride which is not abnormal. When his heart rate continued as an elevated tachycardia for the rest of the week I opted to take him to NC State for a cardiologist to evaluate his heart. Luckily, his heart met all normal parameters via a detailed ultrasound and his ECG was normal. He pretty much had all the vets stumped including the vets at State. We discussed a couple of things that might be causing it but we haven't been able to confirm anything at this point. (Possible abscess brewing, low magnesium which sometimes doesn't show up well on tests). So, my instructions were to take him home and watch and wait and continue electrolytes daily to make sure he is drinking well. I've been taking his heart rate twice a day. It is always 4 beats higher on the evening reading. Today, he is at his best levels so far, 40 this morning and 44 this evening. He is feeling really good and fingers crossed that his heart rate continues to steadily improve each day.

So, naturally he is out for the South Mtn 50 in a few weeks and he'll be on vacation for several weeks as I continue to monitor him. Odds are that his next ride won't be till fall given how quickly it gets hot here.

Lesson learned, always monitor your horse's heart rate for up to a week following an event. If I had not been checking for a possible arrhythmia then I would not have known he had an elevated heart rate since he was acting so normally. I will continue to update on his condition as I hope it can help others to learn. If anything is true about endurance, we never stop learning. In our 8th year of competing together, Eli and I are continuing that journey.