HI!

I don't really have anything to talk about, but I feel like I left my blog on such a dreary, non-endurance related note that is was time to put SOMETHING else up, until tomorrow when my "what to get the horse person in your life" post goes (note that this year that post goes up BEFORE xmas as opposed to months afterwards). 

So....I present random picture of Tess. 

We shall title this "I thought that was a cat bed". 

Just finished my reproduction block today and start dermatology on Monday.  I ADORED repro which is highly ironic as I've spent my entire academic career avoiding it, only to find out that it may be very well the area of vetmed that I want to specialize in.  More about that later.  For now it is sufficient to say that I'm in a good place in my mind about where I am and where I'm going in vetmed --> sometimes a bit of a crisis is just what you need to clarify a few things!!!

Looking forward to catching up with all of you and barring God's call to board the ark tonight (you might have heard that northern california is getting a bit of rain....) I'll catch up with you'all soon.

You knew this post was coming

I've resisted the urge many times to post something here just because it's gross or weird and usually I can find something to relate it to endurance/horses if I want to post something...

The day has finally come.  Something that I cannot relate to the purpose of this blog at all.

If you have the stomach, do a google image search for "schistosoma reflexus". 

Also known as the "inside out calf".

This fascinating condition warrents a single line in ONE of my textbooks (despite having many large animal and path books). 

Not much is known about this.  No genetic link found yet, no breed predilection.  Seems to be random. 

Absolutely FACINATING.

Just heard a presentation from a vet who was presenting some thoughts on cattle dystocia in the field and one of his dystocias his very first year of vet school was one of these.  Which got me to start looking it up :)

Labeling

I've now been thoroughly labeled.

Generalized anxiety disorder (or "why Melinda has to have a plan for everything)

ADHD (known in my household as shiny object disease, or why Melinda must always have a goal)

Wood (known to my household as why melinda is grumpy and irritable)

Istj (or why Melinda is bossy and stubborn)

Seasonal affective disorder (or why Melinda is the grinch)

I feel like a library book that they can't quite figure out whether it belongs in the fantasy or the mystery fiction so they stuff it in young adult.

Makes me wonder how I ever got to vet school

Makes me grateful that I didn't get these labels until after vet school.

Heaven knows that I already was made aware of how hard and challenging vet school would be and I really didn't need yet more reasons for people to tell me how hard it would be and how I would struggle and sacrifice.

Because guess what, this has something to do with endurance and horses. Thinking about this made me wonder how often we put labels to horses, or allow others to do so, without realizing that every horse has a gift to offer us, even if it's on its way to send it along to a more suitable home.

The most common label that I see people applying to horses as either a source of pride or as an excuse is "rescue".

Often this is the first thing I learn about the horse. That it is a rescue. Or bought from an auction.

It's like everything is secondary to these labels, as if the owner is afraid that no other accomplishment will seen significant without being examined in this light of the horse being once a rescue.

Are you letting a label on your horse define your relationship? Or your expectations?

Can you accept what your horse has to give you, keep your mind open and look past the labels to see what that horse has to offer the sport?

Lables exist only to help us, and if you decide that the label isn't helping and is instead an excuse that is keeping you from doing Tevis or some other dream, than work on the problem, don't proclaim the label even louder. (Goes for your labels AND your horse's labels).

Btw I am feeling better - that cold knocked me out for a week. Missed most of school last week and gradually returning to normal activities. Farley probably thinks that that she's been a retired again (NOT!). I'm taking it easy for the holiday - have very little reserves and a lot of catching up to do for my finals the Monday etc after thanksgiving. Bummer. Definitely no desert gold ride for me! The fates were against me this year, so glad I did camp far west! Loving my current block (repro)!

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Stupidest conversation I've had in my life

And as I thought it over, I'm pretty sure it wasn't because I was sick as a dog (I was assured this phrase is in no way derogatory to the dog) and more has to do with the general lack of common sense. 

Scene: A certain fast-er food restruant that we shall call "Asian Grizzly".  

Me: 2 entrees cost more than the 2 entree+1 side plate correct?

Employee: yes

Me: I just want the 2 entrees.  Can you charge me for the plate and not give me a side?

Employee: no, if it goes into the little boxes I have to charge you for the 2 entree price.

Me (thinking I was clever, and the problem was the fancy little chinese boxes that the single entrees come in): OK, just put it in the styrafoam plate container, but don't put the side in it.

Employee: OK

(employee proceeds to take out 2 styrafoam containers)

Employee: I still have to charge you the 2 entree price)

Me: Fine.  I want the 2 entree plate

Employee: what side do you want.

Me: It doesn't matter I'm going to throw it away

Employee: What?

Me: I don't want a side.  I'm going to throw it away, so choose for me.

Employee: Well, I don't want to waste food.....

Me: I know. 

Employee: I'll just give you the 2 entrees

Me: thank you.  (pays for her side-less plate and takes her sick butt back to the car where Tess reminded her she would have been fine with the rice, but settles on the half portion of one of the sides that I can't finish because I'm sick). 

I'm pretty sure I'll get over this awful cold just in time for it to rain this weekend.  Sorry Farley.

I just pulled myself up and gave myself a hug

Thanks to Aarene's insightful comment on my last post, I have a more coherent idea why I'm so confused and frustrate by the school experience.

I let the fact that because I was pigeon holed into a specific category (istj) thus i was the same as everyone around me and thus i belonged.

However, then as time progressed I wasn't as "good" as those around me (which in vet school is what grades you are getting), and I was really confused.

On one hand I had people like you guys, vets out in rural practice, food safety vets, etc telling me how good a vet I was going to be, but on the other hand, by every other measurement I had available, I was going to be a failure.

I'm at the bottom of my class. I don't want to work in the hospital, I don't want the job to consume my life. I don't care about the nitpicky details that I can look up later, I'm much more focused on the overall picture and the larger patterns that characterize medicine.

I realize that I'm in a very small, limited view of the vetmed world, but it's hard to keep this in mind when you are around it every day for hours and hours and hours. I have to endure conversation about how good grades defines how good a vet I will be once I am out of school, something to which I say, when my opinion is asked "show me the research that says that clients are more satisfied with an vet who was an A student versus a C one." "show me the research where performance in vet school is correlated with a successful veterinary career, as defined by the veterinarian themselves"., but it seems like I am one voice among a crowd of grade conscious, ambitious people.

According to academia I'm a dead end because I won't have the grades necessary for internships, residencies, scholarships, or anything else that seems so highly valued by everyone around me.


This is what I realize today:

My mistake was letting that istj pigeon hole define me against my peers and not realize that there are many flavors and being an istj is like having blonde hair. It may be a commonality, but that doesn't mean that I have blue eyes!

Realizing that I was a wood (independent, grouchy, pioneer type) and not a metal (anal retentive, detail oriented, etc.) like most of my classmates was the first step in realizing that I had made a mistake in letting myself be defined by just one measurement and like anything else, if you can out ANYTHING into a box, then you are probably over simplifying it - it's a good place to start, but that's about it.

Going to the processing plant yesterday and realizing that I haven't felt GOOD/SUCCESSFUL at ANYTHING since quitting my job a year and half ago was a revelation (completing the ride and tie is probably the exception). I can't support myself, I can't get good grades, I cant qualify for scholarships, i can't take lessons, I can't do endurance, I can't be everything my boyfriend wants me to be, I can't keep up with my friendships.

So, in spite of dismal grades (although as of yet have passed everything), what skills do I have, that even aren't valued as a vet student, will make me an excellent vet?

I can make people trust and like me in a very short period of time, whether you are a complete newbie to animals, or an experienced rancher that wants to know where the other non-female vet is.

I won't judge you for not having enough money to dialysis on your dog.

I like looking at the big picture and can integrate problems and findings

I can protect myself from burnout

I understand that animals don't mean the same thing to everyone

I understand the human animal bond

I will always tell you the truth and be straightforward

I am really really good at taking a dysfunctional system, program, department and turning it into something that is efficient and organized. I'm not so good at maintaining a well oiled department because I get bored....

I'm not afraid of risk and I will stick my neck out for you.

I like a challenge

I am an effective communicator

I will admit my mistakes even if my lawyer tells me not to

I like working hard to make a difference.

I love mentoring

*****i think that is a heck of a lot to contribute and following my heart and passion got me this far, and if I had to be a B/C student to learn this particular lesson of pride in myself in the absence of external recognition, so be it -- it is my belief I will be a better vet for it.

Me thinketh that perhaps breaking an axle, missing school, and finally having time to blog again was a divine plan!

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It's been a while!

It's been a while since you've heard anything from me here, but since it is not the first time, nor will it be the last, I won't waste time apologizing and just get on writing a post!

In defense of this very long, slightly dis-jointed post --> this is the reason I haven't posted in a while.  This post HAD to be written before I could write anything else (you bloggers know what I'm talking about) and the amount of time and energy that had to be put forth to write this couldn't be justified.  Then.....well......when your car breaks an axle and you are stuck in the Fresno area getting it fixed,  the opportunity to spend 2 uninterrupted hours presents itself!!!!!

The picture I posted was me inserting an acupuncture needle into the top of my head, in a location that is suppose to be known for it's calming effect.  It worked!!!!! What does this have to do with vetmed?  Let me explain.

In the last 6-8 months I've had a bit of a crisis, similar to what I imagine people go through when they talk about a "crisis of faith" or "losing their religion" (although mine is safely intact, thank you very much).  You see, I've been a huge proponent of "evidence-based medicine" and of science, and tested hypothesis', and things that can be explained.

And then something happened.  The more I learn about medicine, which I love (or at least thought I did), the more dissolutioned I was.  The deficiency of western medicine and how much we really know, and how effective it really is, and what the majority of work and research is really focused on became more and more apparent the more I studied and the longer I stayed in school.  I started to find myself wondering what I was doing in vet school in the first place.  The areas I was the most interested in --> nutrition, behavior, and prevantative medicine --> seem to be the weakest, least understood, (yet paradoxically the most "opinionated" sectors) of vet medicine.

I've never seen myself as the physician of the sick; rather, I was the doctor that would insure that my geriatric patients lived happy, full, comfortable lives.  That through nutrition, environment, behavior, preventative medicine, and taking a whole-animal approach that included substantial owner education, my "clients" (which include both the animal and the human equally) would fulfill their purpose to the fullest, whether that was as a companion, service, performance, or food-chain animal.

However, that didn't seem to be the model that veterinary science was built on, at least, not the "evidence-based" clinical portion that is emphasized in my school curriculum. 

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have an extremely hard time living and acting and caring about something that conflicts with what my values and core beliefs are.  I started to wonder whether vet school was actually the right decision for me and my career.  Several times over my "career life" I've switched to a different emphasis mid-stream (although always animal/agriculturally related), which always turned out for the best.  Maybe this was one of those times?  Maybe I should have gotten my PhD instead?  Maybe my calling WAS to be barefoot and pregnant and a stay-at-home mom that sent the kids to school, did housework, and didn't have to contemplate issues of life and death and health and trying to make a mark on the world through animal health?

As you might imagine it's very hard to excel in school (much less find the energy for regular blog posts) when you are reevaluating your veterinary world view (is "evidence-based" medicine the only thing there is?); whether the time, money, and frustration of going to vet school is worth it (remember, 250K debt!!!!!); and feeling trapped (I HATE feeling trapped in my career.  I like leaving lots and lots of options open, and I thought by going to vet school I would have MORE options, and feel LESS trapped).

Fortunately a couple of things have happened in the last couple weeks that have put me back on track.

1.  I've started to look into Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a supplement to the western style medicine being taught in school.  (Notice the word is SUPPLEMENT, not replace).  It might not be evidence based but I'm more and more impressed how well TCM explains pathologic processes that can occur in the body, how it addresses the WHOLE health of the animal, and how it focuses on maintaining health and wellness by a whole-life approach that emphasizes balance and actions and environment.  I went from total skeptic when I started vet school, to curious by the halfway point of my first year, to actually wanting to incorporate TCM into any medicine I practice in the first part of my second year.  The turning point was attending a lecture by a veterinarian on acupuncture, where I got to self-needle myself and actually spent time trying to understand the TCM approach as something beyond the "cookbook" (pain here, needle here etc.) and more a a philosophy and approach.

When I started vet school, as part of the orientation, my classmates and I all took the Myers-Brigg Test, which helps you understand yourself is supposed to bring greater understanding to how diversity is a good thing in groups, and to lessen the frusteration experienced in group work by understanding how your peers might be different or the same as you.

To no one's surprise (including my own --> I've taken the test several times over the years) I tested as an ISTJ.  As did most of my class.

Good!!!!!!!  Right?  I should be able to relate to the majority of my classmates, and testing the same as everyone else means that I'm in the right spot right??????????  For the first time in my life I felt like I was surrounded by people like me.

And then, as time went on, the same thing happened that always does......except for a small group of friends, I set myself apart.  I found I didn't relate well to my classmates and their attention to detail and lack of a big picture overview and attention to the body line frustrated me.  The lack of importance and meaning to anything I was doing started to wear on me.

Warning - the italicized portion below is  bit of a whiny rant.  Skip if if you would like.

While my classmates were excited about a change giving us an extra 6 months (for 18 months total) in clinics and in the VMTH, I dreaded it.  Yet more time required to be spent in the "service" of a bureaucracy in no-man's land where you are expected to act as if you have responsibility of cases while in reality you aren't an employee, are not covered by workman's comp if you get hurt, aren't getting paid (and in fact, are paying for the privilege), and get to do all the sh*t work by doing all the paperwork-records-client communications-being on call-working late etc. under some pretense that it will make me a better vet because apparently every vet student's ambition is to define their entire lives by their work, spend too many hours in the clinic, get a divorce, and work until they are in their 70's to pay off their student loans.  I'm more than happy to do sh*t work that matters, I'm just not convinced that what I'll be allowed to do in the hospital qualifies.

I already have a work ethic

I already had a job(s) that I worked every holiday and weekend

I already had a job that required me to be on call 24 hours a day.

And guess what.  In those jobs I had real responsibility.  What I did mattered.  I got paid.  I went home at night knowing that what I did made the world a better place.  I'm almost 30 and this is my second career.  I'm not going to accept a job out of college that doesn't allow me to have some sort of life outside of work, even if that means I work part time. While the actual tasks such as client communications and records and working through stress and fatigue are important skills, I'm not sure that pushing my body, mind, and spirit to the limit for 18 months is going to necessarily make me a better vet.  In fact I think that it will make me a rather unhappy person, whose family life is strained, who makes more mistakes --> something that isn't fair for the client, patient or vet. 

Not to mention that there was a little voice in the back of my head that wondered what the business decision was for this?  I'm not so niave to think that they were adding 6 months to the clinic rotations just for our benefit.  The VMTH is a business and decisions like this are often made for the benefit of the business as a whole and not necessarily for the individuals.  Cynically, I know.  But considering that my main emphasis is NOT to be a clinician, the prospect of spending 50% more time in that setting was horrifying --> not to mention "working" for an employer that I did not share many of my values and beliefs with that was going to require me to "smile and nod" --> something I do NOT do well.   


At the TCM lecture we all took a personality test that told us what our dominant "element" was.

That was the beginning of the change for me.

Turns out I tested as a "wood".  Most vet students are "metal".  There's a huge difference in those personalities and I won't go into it here, but basically it explains a LOT about my personality and how I function in groups and big corporations. The realization that there was more than one way to put people and things in this world into boxes and to be able to finally be able to point to something and say "THAT'S why I'm so different from the other ISTJ's in this class" was so relieving.  It wasn't that I didn't belong here, it was that to feel fulfilled, I needed different needs met than a lot of my classmates.

So much of of the TCM made sense, from how "wood"'s tend to be irritable and grumpy because of how they feel and interact with the world, to how they categorize different animal personalities and how they change throughout their life cycle --> that it made me willing to try and understand some of the other parts of TCM that were less intuitive.

In summary (because I could go on and on and on......) TCM gives me a concrete thing that I can hold onto as I'm learning about western medicine and being in clinics that gives me hope about medicine, clincial medicine, and my future as a vet.

2.  This post is getting WAY too long so I'm just briefly going to touch on some of the other things that have me excited about school again.  I found a subject in school I can be REALLY excited about --> reproduction.  Which is ironic because I've avoided it for a lot of years, thinking I hated it.  Yes, you still deal with dysfunction, but I think the values and goals of reproduction match my core beliefs a lot better than many of the other veterinary medicine "subcategories" and I'm having a BLAST.  It's very food animal oriented, but still technical, etc.  Don't have time to go into everything right now, but the bottom line is that I could totally be a reproduction specialist and be happy with life.

3.  I toured a food animal processing plant yesterday and it was my first time back in a plant since leaving Foster Farms a 1 1/2 years ago.  I felt good to feel comfortable again.  Really really good.  Like I was in my element.  I was interested, engaged.  I remembered how GOOD I was at my job/career before vet school.  It's been a while since I felt that COMPETENT.  That feeling that I was the best I could be and I was damn good, and other people recognized that I was good.  I'm not sure that I'll go back to that industry sector, but it was gratifying to realize that I still "have" it, that I could easily walk back into my old role and do awesome things.  The freedom and reassurance that yes, I can still be exceptional, was incredibly....I don't have the words for it.  It gave me my confidence back. I need to be careful that I don't fall back on something just because it's comfortable, but in this economy I'm still employable and I still have options.

4.  Although I've talked about getting my PhD, and doing some sort of food safety research, I wasn't super excited.  My frustration at school and seeing a PhD as the only way I could see myself being successful meant I felt trapped.......which meant I overally excited about it (Trapped = BAD for Melinda's mental health).  Much better to feel like I have options and choices and free will.  After realizing that the food processing industry is still an option, OR a western/eastern approach to clinical medicine, OR a PhD, OR reproduction......I'm much more excited about the PhD or wherever this career takes me.  :)

5.  I'm learning to be flexible.  Whether it's cancelling an endurance ride at the last minute, or deciding to go at the last minute, or being spontaneous and visiting family, or cancelling my run because I'm not feeling well, or going running just because I feel like it, or having 5 5 year plans instead of 1, or.......the point is I'm learning to have less plans, less lists, and less goals.  Since realizing that the trick to accomplishing more is to schedule less and stay flexible, rather than holding myself to a stricter and stricter standard I'm healthier, happier, and stronger.

And thus ends my rather long and rambling post.  Hopefully there's a gem or two that you can glean through this and I've introduced concepts here that will probably be brought up again.  Thank you for joining me on this journey!

Oh so cool!

and I'm not referring to the fact that it's POURING right now and there's cuddly, napping pups and kitties on the porch along with me and Martin.

What the heck am I doing and what does it have to do with vetmed???????

:(

This is a short post and not necessarily a happy post.  However, as you are my dear Reader, I want to include you in the happenings of my horsey and endurance life both for the better and the worse.

I'm cancelling my attendance at Lake Sonoma this weekend.  I really really really want to go.  However, over the past couple of days I've started to feel more and more overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I need to get done before Monday's test and today, after feeling a bit depressed this afternoon and completely discouraged about my performance in school, I've decided that these feelings are feedback from my body telling me that I need to slow down and take something off my plate. 

An additional stressor is that by missing Friday, I was going to miss the presentation of a group project, something that my small group was OK with, but with a test on Monday covering the group topics, and 2-3 lectures that same day, AND already feeling behind and needing every hour I have this weekend to stay up on the material, it was hard to think that I could trailer somewhere without electricity for over 48 hours and lose that time.  

That something unfortunately, is my LD this weekend.  Which means likely my season is over for 2012 :(.  I'll try to get in lots of good conditioning rides over the winter, including some "home LD's" so that we can start the 2013 in good form ready for a 50. 

As a consolation prize, I'll run in the Clarksburg half marathon Veteran's day weekend and trailer Farley out for a conditioning ride sometime this month. 

But for right now I'm going to focus on my studying, my health, and getting myself and Farley in kickass shape here at home. 

The rest of the story

I found the perfect way to have your horse under 60 criteria while being able to gallop into camp! Tack up a horse in an English saddle after they have bolted on a lead line twice while tacking, after several days of rain and a week of no riding, on a cold windy afternoon during her regular dinner time.

Then go out onto the trail, decide that you are cold so a bit of collected cantering would be fine instead of the trotting you had planned. While doing so, fuss with your new to you saddle cover and admire how well it fits the saddle, how comfy it is.....how nice crocs are to ride in....what a strange picture you must make with a helmet, expensive full seat breeches (also given to me thank goodness!) and.......crocs.

In fact, lean forward a bit in order to better admire the esemble from the saddle......and promptly be ejected from the saddle.

Well. It was a less of an ejection and more of a stop, buck (Farley doesn't do those bolting full run bucks, that would be too much work), grab mane and neck as I slide over the shoulder, land on my feet, have Farley rip the reins out of my hands and knock me down to my knees.

Ever the thoughtful pony, Farley came over, made sure I could get up and was fine before bolting away at high speed for the rest of the loop.

Without me.

I had a brief discussion with myself of whether I should walk or run.

1. I wasnt going to beat her to the stable or wherever she was headed

2. If I did have to deal with an emergency, me being sweaty, breathing hard, and full of adrenaline wasnt going to help.

So I walked. I took a short cut through the loop, arrived back on the main trail and was IMMEDIATLEY distracted by hoof prints,

HOOF PRINTS!!!

So I did what any sane person would do in this situation and took picture.

I noticed the differences between hind and front, what gait she was travelling at, and how she navigated the terrain. I noticed how the physics of each foot translated to force on the ground and what lead she was choosing.

I either did this to

A. Distract me from the various possibilities that could have befallen her that could leave me horseless.

B. because I kept forgetting I wasn't at a ride and tie

C. Because I'm a crazy person

D. Because barefoot horses are fascinating

E. I felt like giggling -- Farley finally was the most naughty pony ever and it seemed saner to spend the walk looking at hoof prints instead of laughing at how absurd the situation was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Boy do I have a story for you!

Oh my dear readers.......do I have a story for you!

If you can imagine a fitness diary for today it might say the following:

Melinda: warm up, 15 minutes trot/canter, 20 minutes walk
Farley: warm up, 15 minutes trot/canter, 10 minutes gallop, cool down

Ah yes.  Me and Farley parted ways rather....errr....spontaneously today and I got the rare opportunity to reflect on my sins (and remind myself that this was NOT a ride and tie and my horse would NOT be waiting for me next to a tree just around the corner...) as I trudged through the underbrush in a short cut to attempt to shorten my walk to something a bit less than the loop that Farley was concurrently galloping. 

All of a sudden, I emerged onto the trail that Farley had shortly passed before and saw.......hoof prints. 

What's so fascinating about hoof prints you say?  Tune in tomorrow to find out!!!!!! 

Why not just write the post right NOW, the dear reader says while stamping their dear little feet? 

Because I have three dog costumes to come up with tonight for tomorrow's contest and a white dog to dye green. 

So, dear reader, since I know what a sacrifice it will be to wait a mere 16 hours to hear the "rest of the story", I will give you this tantalizing detail --> it shall be told in pictures.  With captions.  and arrows.  And colorful squigglies. 

Blah blah blah

First rain of the season and not much to report except it wasn't just a little shower like I had thought it would be. 

Tried running today for the first time since the ride and tie (sprained my ankle) and while it felt OK, I decided not to do the speed run I had originally planned and just do an easy run.  I ended up turning back midway through the run since I was feeling twinges from it again, after the original warm up.  So not quite ready to hit the trails just yet.

Farley feels good and I'm officially registered for Lake Sonoma.  Just under 2 weeks.  If the weather is bad, I won't ride.  Sonoma will be my last ride of the season, whether it happens or not.  Would love to do Desert Gold but family-wise it won't work out to do so many events so close together (not just endurance, but I'm also doing road races, ride and tie, etc. and missing Thanksgiving would NOT be kosher).

Sorry this post is less than entertaining --> check out Tess's blog for a bit of morning entertainment!  New block starts today, and along with the rain I just don't feel like putting the time and effort into a good, entertaining post, and I refuse to waste on of my wonderful topics I have pending. 

First Ride and Tie

First, let’s clearly outline what are the major differences are between RnT and endurance
1.  You get dirtier in Ride and tie.  Much much much dirtier. I have very white legs.  This is not a tan.

2.  If you've ever felt out of place among all those fancy rigs that seem to be more and more the norm at an endurance ride.....you'll fit right in at RnT

3. You aren't as sore after a RnT.  At least I wasn't - I'm feeling remarkably good, even considering I sprained my ankle yesterday which brings me to...

4. War wounds are the norm at RnT....

5. You're done before lunch, have time to drink 2 beers before lunch, eat heartily and still have plenty of time to drive home.

6. No one can say the horse is doing all the work

7. Galloping and cantering into camp is totally acceptable.

8.  No one asks you if something is wrong when they come up behind you on horse back running all by yourself.

9.  There's lots and lots and lots of yummy people food snacks on the tables for us hard working runners!!!!!  And the water trough on the trail including a table full of snacks and gatorade that was more reminiscent of a trail race or marathon.

10.  Everything is less work with 2 people and 1 horse.....

11.  Every thing that can rub will rub.  Even if it's never rubbed before.  I practically bathed myself in chamois anti chafing lotion at the vet check.

12.  Make sure you can mount and dismount from both sides in a COORDINATED fashion, while the horse is walking/trotting off, under PRESSURE, after sprinting up a hill.  Yeah......my first couple of mounts from the right side felt like some weird form of trick riding.  In some cases, only my upper arm strength that I've been working on kept me on the side of the horse, semi on top as we trotted away as I tried to convince my left leg that it could swing up just as well right leg when mounting from the other side!

Everything started well.  I got to M*'s house on time, helped load stuff into the truck and fed the rest of the animals.  Stasi had been bathed, groomed, and fed and ready to go.

The trip over was uneventful --> M* went to check in and set up the horse trailer for Stasi, and my bedroll for the night.

When it came for numbers we dug around in the chalk box for a green grease pen because we were "Team Lettuce" and decided to do a little decorating, because we were actually "Team Poo on Lettuce" and of course, what do I do when told I can go hog-wild?  Draw this of course:


Because I have the most awesome partner she knew what it was.  Do you?

I finished off 2 beers and headed off to bed.  I asked M* whether Stasi needed a refill on his hay bag for the night, and we both looked at his errr....pudge and she said that he had been eating all day and did NOT need more hay.

So we went to bed.

Stasi took issue with this decision.  At almost 20 years old and being EXTREMELY experienced at this RnT thing, he knew how the game worked.  He gets unlimited hay.  Then he carries his riders through the course as fast as he possibly can while standing quietly at trees and bushes waiting for the next exchange.  The cost of this little game is unlimited hay.  And some grain.

At 11 pm Stasi decided to remind us that we had "forgotten" his night ration of hay.

KABAM!!!!!!!!

"What the".....I did a chin up to the top opening of the trailer and didn't see Stasi.  I ran outside.  No horse.

I ran to the back of the truck and tried to wake up M*.

M*!  M*!

No answer.  I started poking at blankets only to see her walk towards me with Stasi.

Stasi was returned to the trailer, given a new lead rope, and a full ration of hay.


 I got up around 7pm and wandered around making coffee.  Ride meeting was at 7:45, Ride start at 8:30.  The plan was to take Stasi up at 7:30, go to the ride meeting, and then change into our riding gear, etc.

 We went up to the main area and munched on good things, ignored the begging Tess and checked our watches.


As usual it seemed like the ride meeting was going to start late.

 Then ride management shouted that they were changing the ride meeting to 8:15.  CRAP!!!!!  By this time it was only a couple minutes before 8:00am.


NOT enough time to now dress, bathroom break, make the camp ready for us to go on trail, and pack the saddle.  #$@!#@@##$$%^^$#

We tried our best, but also didn't want to hurry to the point where we forgot something vital. It had been a couple of years since M* had done a ride and tie and this was my first one.  It was worth the time to make sure that everything went right. 

This is a picture of the start.  If you look very carefully.....you will see we aren't there. 

We started about 3-5 minutes late.  In endurance terms this would be "typical" for me, knowing I could make up the lost time.  In Ride and Tie terms, this was time that could not be made up, and probably cost us a placing or two at the end of the race. 

The first 9 mile loop is a blur.  Considering that my 10 mile PR on a flat course is about 1:42, and we did this 9 mile hilly and rock loop in 0:57, you can see that we were FLYING.  I ran as hard and fast as I could, and we I got to Stasi, I cantered and galloped before handing off to M*.  About 3/4 into the loop I was dismounting and my left food came down on a large rock and I twisted it.  Badly.  *&(*^&^%^&(()@!!!@@!@.  As long as I landed perfectly centered on my ankle, there wasn't pain, but that was a neat trick as I catapulted along uneven dirt and rocky trail. 

I galloped into ride camp --> only 4 miles left.  No hold, just a vet check.  We were allowed to tie to a trailer at the check (usually only natural objects allowed) and I sponged, water, fed as I waited for M* to run in.  When she came in I grabbed her water bottles and mine, refilled and then hit the trail at a dead run. 

If Stasi got pulled, M* would send word with another rider and when they caught up to me, they would tell me and I would turn back. 

I ran for what seemed a really really long time.  It's not very motivating knowing there isn't a horse in front of you.  And I didn't see anyone else and we didn't know where we were in the pack that was doing the 14 miler so it was entirely possible I was going to do the whole stinkin' 4 mile loop all by myself. 

Fortunately Stasi and M* cantered up behind me and passed me on their way to another tie. 

Again, I don't remember much of the loop, not because we were flying (it took us an hour plus a bit to do this one), but because my ankle hurt, my cardio was maxxed out (usually my strength is what maxes me out going up hill but I've really been focusing on strength training over the last couple of months and cardio was my limiting factor) and was running a constant effort rather than a constant speed or pace. 

Stasi decided that it was time for us to GET GOING and wasn't being very cooperative for M* to tie.  Finally we were near the end.  I decided that we were going to have a picture perfect finish, even if we weren't in the start line photo and cantered up to M* and yelled "let's finish together"! 

Well...the sentiment was there.  Stasi was having no part of this and to my dismay we kept right on going past the in timers.  DARN IT.  I was at LEAST going to turn around and WATCH my partner finish!!!!!!

Stasi threw a hissy fit and threatened to buck. 

I made a rude comment. 

Stasi sulked.

I saw M* finish.

I turned to walk him back to the trailer, across the road.

Stasi decided to trot across the pavement. 

I told him in no uncertain terms that we were WALKING and MADE HIM WALK, much like what I DIDN'T do at the end of the race with M*.

Stasi tried to throw a hissy fit and succeeded in tripping and going down....down....down. 

I sat there calmly supporting him with the reins thinking the following thoughts:

1.  Thank God for Aussie saddle poleys
2.  Should I step off?  I'm only like 3 inches off the ground
3.  M* is going to kill me for laming her horse right before the vet in.
4. Serves Stasi right for throwing a hissy fit.

Stasi is super balanced and had never even tripped on me, even cantering down hill so I stayed on and he recovered and looked a bit trite.

When I got back to the trailer, I noticed the tie rope was wrapped around his rein and probably explained why I had a hard time pulling him to a stop, and making him walk.

M* vetted Stasi in, and then we sat down to have yet more beers, while I iced my ankle and contemplated the last couple of hours in which I had had more fun on horse back than I can remember having in a long time.

I love 100's, but if I'm being honest, while there may be moments of fun and enjoyment and peace within the 100, overall the experience kinda hurts.  And there's times of very low motivation.  The reward comes with the accomplishment and the bond with the horse.  RnT is a completely different kind of experience and while my plan is to do at least one more LD with Farley, my thinking is that I would rather do 25 miles of RnT than the LD's, or even 50's.  Just enough 50's to get my 100 in every year or so, and RnT the rest of the time, as long as I'm capable of running.

M* and I sat down and compared battle wounds.  She had a long bloody gash on her arm where Stasi had rubbed her into an errrrrr.....tree (what we agreed the story would be....) during a tie near the end of the race, and I had my stupid ankle. 



The lunch ticket was good for a personal pizza, salad bar, and a drink at a local pizza place which was DELICIOUS. 

After lunch we had some extra time before awards so went to check on Stasi and clean up camp so we could leave right after the ceremony. 

We returned to Stasi napping.

With his nose in the grain bucket.

A subtle hint that he would now like some grain thank-you-very-much. 

(I swear this horse is more like a dog than a horse.  He problem solves.  He attempts to communicate with another species.  He's not people oriented or particular affectionate, just rather a wee bit manipulative.  In short, he sorta reminds me of Tess...).

M* and I placed 6th in a field of 10 teams in the 14 mile distance, all 10 teams finishing within about a 30 minute window.  I got a pin in addition to a cup because it was my first event. 

Now, a day after the race, my ankle feels stiff but much much better.  I think I'll be running on it by the end of the week no problem.  I'm surprisingly not sore at all.  There's a bit of "deadness" in my calves and quads, but not soreness.  I had planned on giving myself the day off, but I find myself on Martin (my walking tread desk) writing this post because I just can't sit down any more and I'm getting fidgity.  I think the LD a month ago, combined with the fast 10 mile running race (both events left me so sore I couldn't walk without wincing for days) set me up very well, not to mention my intervals and strength training.  I think I need to bump up my interval training in both intensity and duration and make a point to get out on the trails for a run once a month. 

The most dangerous part of the sport is probably the mounting.  I almost lost my balance and grip and got dragged during my first mount, and I'm completely covered in bruises from head to toe and every nail is torn and broken on my hands from the 20+ mounts and dismounts that occurred during the race.  Not to mention dashing through the tall weeds and star thistle to GET to the horse and untie it while avoiding branches and brush and manzanita.

CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN........Endurance friends who visit me horseless.....expect to get roped into a ride and tie practice if you ever visit :)

No event post would be complete without Brittany pictures!  Here's Tess striking her best Brit poses. 

I forgot!!!

With all my doom and gloom of the last post I forgot to say the most exciting part of my week so far!!!!!

Farley is, as of our ride yesterday, as sound as she was before I vaccinated!!!!!

It only took 5 months.  *sigh*.  Definitely going to NSAID her before I do anything for the fall (which includes Rabies --> WAY too many coyotes, skunks, and other critters to skip that one!).

She moved out QUITE nicely on a gravel road at a trot (and tried to buck me off when I asked for a canter) and moved well and soundly on rocky trails for the whole ride.  YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

Speaking about NSAIDs, I have a whole scary pathology post with PICTURES for you on NSAIDs, kidneys, and dehydrated horses.  In a nutshell; DON'T DO IT --> but of course you'll want to tune in for the gore and commentary on another fascinating vetmed tidbit.

Endurance riding on a student budget

It's been....interesting over the last couple of days.

My archived list of topics that I was "getting around to" dissapeared. Bummer.

However, that isn't the worst thing that has happened to me in the last couple of days, so it's sort of "meh".

After doing an update for my wonderful blog readers on Monday, I did several things.

1. I bought a new bike helmet. A fact I didn't share when talking about my helmet situation was that I haven't been wearing a helmet while biking for the past 6 months. If you had asked me why, I wouldn't have been able to tell you -> I had my helmet with me, it wasn't that uncomfortable, I don't mind helmet hair, and I believe in helmets. But inexplictadly I stopped wearing it. During the ride and tie helmet debate I took a hard look at my bike helmet. In addition to the problem with the harness, and the padding, the visor fell off randomly, Tess had gotten ahold of it at some point in her puppyhood (we are pretending she's out of puppyhood right now....), and it was starting to show signs of sun damage, the straps were scratchy and show wear of UV damage. OK --> there's some evidence that I should replace my bike helmet, even though it was only 4 years old (I typically replace helmets after 5 years. I went into the bike store and decided regardless of price I would buy the helmet that felt the best. One thing I've learned from the equestrian world is I don't even think twice about wearing my helmet and actually feel pleasure in putting on a well fitting, comfortable helmet. My bike helmet needs to feel the same way, paying $100 for something I will wear, rather than paying $70 for a helmet that will spend lots of time in my back seat. I absolutely LOVE my new helmet with it's comfort and fit. I am going to wear it in the ride and tie. If I didn't trust the horse I was riding, I would wear an equestrian helmet, however in the list of "bad things happening" probabilities, heat exhaustion and dehydration ranks higher than my probability of falling off this particular horse. Ride and tie helmet problem solved. Good thing I bought this early in the day on Monday since I probably would still be moaning about not having a suitable solution if I had waited, since events occurring later that day would not be conducive to a helmet splurge.... New bike helmet: $$

2. I paid off my credit card balance from last summer whose 0% was ending since financially I am doing OK (ie - the amount of student loans, scholarships, and job has let me not only pay for books, but ALSO some rides. If I continue to go to meeting strictly for the free food provided and continue to dig through dumpsters for scraps. But I digress). Most of the time, this would not be a fact worthy of the blog....but just stay with me...Credit card paid off: $$$$

3. Took my car in to get the tires rotated. News came back that they were too worn to be rotated. Not good. They are rated for 50K miles, I had put 45K on them. I wondered why they were perfectly fine to be rotated 10K miles ago, but now were too worn, but since I'm not real good at checking my air pressure or rotating them regularly, I took it as my punishment for being a bad-car-person. Tess spent the entire evening convincing me I was the best person in the world by engaging me in puppy play, refusing to let me wallow in my misery. 4 Tires: $$

4. Took my car in the next day (Tuesday) to align my new tires in an attempt to be a better-car-person. After entertaining myself with Tess for an hour waiting for my car to get down, I waltzed happily up to the counter to be told that due to some issues with my car, I would not be able to get my tires aligned unless I spent a chunk of money on my 15 year old car that equalled approximately 1/3 its value. Which doesn't count the new tires I put on it because then it would be a depressing 1/2 of its value. Repairing car: $$$

*sigh*. I do believe that it is the will of God that I never be rich in dollars, nor will I ever have so much money or time that I will be able to compulsively focus on one thing and destroy my mental and physical health by doing so. Bummer. Talk about bad timing on items 1 and 2!

Farley is ready to do another LD at the beginning of November. I took her out for 2.5 hours with a friend and did a half way decent conditioning ride (the type of ride where you spend so much time visiting and talking and laughing that it's a little less focused, slower than a typical conditioning ride, but somehow you don't care because if you can't enjoy a ride where your horse is a bit stupid and the company is too good to be true, then why do this sport?), and she's ready. It was a tougher ride with her - she's a fuzzy teddy bear right now, and I rode her barefoot over some pretty rocky trail and I think she was annoyed at the end at my tendency to insist that "trot" meant "get your ass in gear" and was not a "suggestion" (but that was OK because I was annoyed that she interpreted every cut log as a horse eating monster.....). I'm still messing with my stirrups and leathers but my saddle seems good to go.

How does this relate?

ummmm....endurance rides cost $-$$. November's ride is a couple hours away, so it's definitely in that $$ range.

AHHHHHH!!!!!!! Quit my salaried job and live off of loans? WHAT WAS I THINKING???????????????

Ok....ok....focusing. How can I have both the bird in the hand and the bird in the bush?

What is this I see? A burned out Corolla on the property that is the same model year as mine???? Mmmmm...I wonder what THAT car's control arms and bearings look like? My parents would never notice a control arm missing....I digress...

Time to do a little college student endurance math

Let's say I only replace the bearing (safety issue) and don't fix the alignment issue or the alignment. I lose $200 worth of tires until I can get those issues fixed. (I thought about commuting in my truck for a couple of months but since this is less than 2 tanks of gas in my truck......I'm thinking that this makes less sense than me trying to figure out how to skimp on my commuting vehicle in order to ride 25 miles on my horse.....). Voila! November LD possible! Call it an early xmas/birthday present. Call it an advance on my Spring Semester student loans. Call it whatever you want but most importantly we will call it "Melinda and Farley get to do another LD before the weather turns sucky and dark".

Lets analyze the benefits:

1. I get to ride an LD

2. The car probably won't kill me, even if I wait a couple months to fix any of the issues

3. Another financial aid check comes in january

4. I will be happier

5. Tess will still love me even if I'm poor and officially driving a beater car

6. Putting off car repairs is so unlike me that it's almost worth it to do this exercise purely for the purpose of self growth (OK, I may be reaching with this one).

 

And now the costs

1. I might lose $200 in tires

2. Matt will think I'm insane for creative math that involves putting off car maintenance so I can ride 25 miles in the November.

 

I think the logical thing to do is clear....

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Shoe update and ride and tie thoughts and whatever else is on my mind

Any guesses of whether I'm in class or not? (Fwiw I am waiting for the pathology book to update so I'm just typing this out while I'm waiting. So please don't be too hard on me! Plus I just finished a midterm...

When I bought these shoes the company rep was there and she said I could just throw them in the washer when they got dirty and they would come out as good as new. She was right!!! They were filthy from ride and tie practice and the ld ride when I wandered through a couple of creeks and they were so dirty I was worried that it was going to cause irritation on my feet! Good as new, and yes, my fancy laces stayed on during the washing.

My first ride and tie is Saturday!!! Had a practice last Thursday that went really really well! I finally got a taste of how it feels when it works!!! I have a small problem that is a large problem. I'm having helmet problems. I can't wear any of my equestrian helmets because I'll die of heat stroke and probably get a migraine. Just not going to happen. My compromise was a bike helmet. However....the bike helmet is not proving to be comfortable for any length of time. The plastic harness is misshapened and creates pressure spots on my head that really hurt, and the padding breaks down with my sweat, AND it won't stay in place as I run and canter (apparently there's not a lot of bouncing in biking...).

I'm this close to slapping the Mohawk on a baseball cap and calling it good.

Yes, I know that is probably the wrong choice. And irresponsible. And everything else you can throw at me.

If there was a worse role model for young equestrians than endurance riders, it would probably be ride and tie people..

I suppose I could go to a bike store and see what my other options might be in a bike helmet. I know there's nothing in the equestrian world that is going to be near my budget.

I could also cover the inside of my bike helmet with panty liners.

That's what it seems to always come down to huh? Feminine products.

Maybe we should just warn newbies --> there's a FUD for urination, pads for bandages, tampons for bloody noses, and panty liners for various helmet fixes. Not to mention discussions of the virtues of going commando (or not). Should endurance bloggers really be suprised that our blogs seem to come with a certain amount of "adult spam"?

so.....anyways......I have a problem. I don't use pads, tampons, OR panty liners. (if you are feeling brave, google "diva cup" and be welcomed into the brave new world). Thus I rely on donations from friends.

Now, the problem isn't that I'm squeamish about asking, after all who knows who is reading this.....my problem is that all my endurance friends and sisters are long distance. Do how does one bring this up in casual discussion among the friends I DO see every day? For people that see blood on a daily basis, vet students can be a squeamish bunch - something I do understand as I'll clean up Tess vomit without blinking early in the morning, but the mere sight of someone retching leaves me running for the nearest toilet.

Do I post on the face book page that I'm in need of some "supplies" and see how many people think I'm talking about drugs?

Nah.

I post on my blog and wait to see how many of my friends read my blog, and wait for "presents" to show up in my school mail box....hint hint hint.

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Test test TEST

Yes, it's that time again.  A big big test on Monday.  So I'm frantically riding and running and studying.  Which leaves little time for blogging. 

Ride and tie practice when fabulously last night and I finally feel ready for my race that is just over a week away!!!!!!  I got a taste of what it's like for it to go REALLY well last night and I'm STOKED.  I'm running SO MUCH FASTER during the ride and tie practices and I think it's becuase:

a.  when I running with the horse in front of me I'm trying to catch up
b.  when the horse and rider are chasing ME I feel like a little rabbit being chased by a fox. 

Later folks.  Me and Martin have an extended date all weekend :)

Introducing "Martin"

Above is "Martin", my walking desk. 

We've spent many hours this week doing homework and database maintenance [although no blogging :( ], and I must say I'm in love. 

Martin is of course literary --> remember the mouse warrior from the Redwall books?  I'm on a mouse wheel!!!

I walk along at a lesiurely 1.0 mph  and very much feel like I'm improving my mental and physical health, which tends to decline with long hours spent inside sitting and studying.  I have a wonderful view of the yard and the dogs.  The porch is shaded most of the time and I can work out here long into the night because of the inside light that shines through the window, and the porch light. 

And of course, I'm walking barefoot, keeping my body and feet in condition for the runs that don't happen as often as I would like. 

And yes, I'm aware that the extension cord is a safety hazard right there and will move it immediately :). 

I won't even mention how sore my quads are after a total of ~5 hours on this thing over 2 days.  Who knew that 1.0 at a 2 incline could be such a good workout without even sweating or breathing hard? 

In other news:
-took Farley out Monday for my first real ride in my new saddle and her first real ride since kicking the pipe corral and she felt great both that day AND the day after.  If everything goes well at our conditioning ride next week, than the LD I have planned at the beginning of November is a go. 

-Another Ride and Tie practice tomorrow evening!!!!!!!  Our last one before the big day - not this weekend but the weekend after. 

Farley update (I saw a vet)

I've been quiet on the subject of Farley's injury because I wasn't sure whether I was seeing some pathologic changes or not.  I really really didn't want the end of Farley's career to come from something as benign as kicking at a fly and slamming her leg into a pipe corral. 

After the filling went down, what I found was 2 hard bumps that were very low on the leg above the fetlock, one on the outside and one on the inside of the leg. 

After 2 weeks and having the leg not be normal, I decided to make a vet appointment, even though she wasn't unsound on the lunge. 

It was the best and worst of vet visits.  The kind that is good because everything is going to be OK, and it was relatively cheap, and the worst of vet visits because you feel like an idiot. 

It seems like there is quite a bit of individual variation in regards to length of the splint bone.  When she kicked the fence, Farley broke off the end of her medial (inside) splint bone.  I considered a splint but it seemed WAY too distal (low on the leg), but I guess not!

The bump on the outside of the leg was a bit of fibrous tissue on top of the suspensory.  I expressed concern about it's location.....so the vet put an ultrasound on it and pronounced it fine. 

"Don't do a fifty tomorrow" was his comment.  "What about the end of November?", I asked.  Apparently that should be absolutely fine.

WHOO HOO! 

Huge relief. 

Normally I wouldn't bother bringing a sound horse into the vet for an injury that is getting better, even with the changes I felt in the leg.  However, my belief is that if a horse is being asked to give a performance type effort (like endurance), it is my responsibility to do "due diligence" in situations like this --> that I'm not absolutely sure what is going on, and at least get some diagnostics so I can make an informed decision about the direction of her career.

Not being able to afford to do basic diagnostics is one red flag that I have no business doing endurance, so was happy to realize that I can still do this for my pony. 

Buffalo run report

There are 2 ways to start a race.

1. Get to the race location, stroll over to the check in table and pick up number and goodies. Wander back to the car, pin the number on your shirt, attach the chip to your shoe, and post on Facebook that you are about to start the 10 mile Buffalo run!

2. Go to bed at 11pm after moving all day, a BBQ party with alcohol. Going to "bed" is a misnomer because you are in the middle of moving and what you really have is a sheet on the carpet (Berber with no pad). Get up on time only because you never actually managed to sleep for more than an hour at any point during the night. Don't bother looking up the location or directions because you are pretty sure it's at Rio Linda High School. Realize once you get off the freeway that it doesn't look familiar.....Pull over, check the email annoucement and realize it's at the Rio Americano high school. Thank God (literally) for GPS's and plug the new location into it. Thank God that it's 6am and there's no traffic so you can tear down Watt avenue and neighhood streets at an unspecified rate of speed. Park the car. Run to the table (this counts as your warm up). Cut in front of line. Pant out your last name. Run to the start line as they fire the gun. Join the stragglers of the pack and run the first mile with your number in your teeth as you struggle to stuff cliff shots and Honey stinger waffles into the back of your running skirt. Pin on your number without sticking yourself with safety pins. Thank God (again) that the first 1.5 miles loops past the start so that you can make a porta potty stop. Thank God (yet again) that there is an empty porta potty. Continue on your race and run a PR (personal best) for that distance and race.

Oh yeah.....how do you think I ran Sunday's race? Considering there was no facebook update for those of you that were my face book friends.

I guess that answers whether my new lower mileage running program based on interval training is working! (old program = foundation is low, slow, easy runs; new program = foundation is shorter, faster interval workouts)

(click photo above to see my race times for past years at this race)

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To answer a question: Does vaccination routinely cause hoof sensitivity?

After vaccinating Farley this year, I noticed she was much more tender over gravel. After talking with a fellow blogger and friend about the issue, I decided to see whether anything had been published in the scientific literature.

I am often amazed after talking with dog owners at dog parks or other horse owners how largely ignorant the "average" owner is. While it is not fair to brand a population with too-large of a brush, I think it is fair to say (especially in the horse world) management practices rooted in "old wives tales" tend to abound despite sometimes overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

I try to avoid being one of those average owners that takes information on faith because of a personal anecdote, or because I like/dislike the person sharing the information.

I like to make a distinction between different categories of information.

1. Information/practices proven in the scientific literature and there seems to be general consensus that "this is the way it is". (example: horses do better if fed to mimic their natural state --> ie small meals throughout the day. )

2. Those practices/information that there is some controversy about and there is a growing body of evidence that it might be true, but objectively no one can say for sure yet (example: horses should be barefoot when they can be - as simple as pulling shoes in the winter if you aren't riding, not necessarily the great performance barefoot horse debate).

3. Practices that there has been some research on, and is either inconclusive, mixed, or only looked at in non-horse models. (Example: Do endurance horses REALLY need higher selenium levels? How much vitamin E should be supplemented? What is the "best" way to condition for 100 miles?" What is the perfect electrolyte schedule?)

4. Practices in long use, but haven't actually be scientifically tested (examples: treeless versus treed saddles, does feeding a specific supplement really work? don't let a horse drink while hot, wool is the best pad, a synthetic vented pad is the best pad).

When I talk to people or write articles here, I try to be clear on which category the information I'm sharing falls into. If I believe very strongly in something, but there's no clear evidence, or there's some valid controversy in the literature, I try to communicate that.

Before I start talking about vaccination making my horse tenderfooted, I need to find out what kind of evidence there is. It's a very different thing to say that I've noticed a trend with MY horse after vaccination, and then to say that "vaccinating can make horses hoofsore". Or even imply that my personal circumstance *might* be true for others, without first looking to see whether there is ANY evidence that this could be true. I want EVERYONE that reads this blog to be a critical thinker, and hopefully by sharing a bit about what I learned on this topic you'll be inspired to do a bit of your own research :).

First step
I went to Mendeley's online library and searched using various keywords that included "horse, hoof, vaccine, vaccination, sensitivity, sore, adverse reaction etc."
Result: I came up with one reference:

Tjälve, H. (2004). Adverse reactions to veterinary drugs reported in Sweden during 1991-1995. Svensk Veterinartidning, 20(2), 105–10. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9131536



This isn't a promising paper. Horses are mentioned in passing and I doubt I'll find any good evidence either way. However it was finding this article that made me add "adverse reaction" to my search term list.



I decided that I needed to cast a wider net and I did similar searches on Google Scholar. Still nothing.




Conclusion: no obvious answer to my question in the readily available scientific literature

Second step - Find a starting point by getting more specificI googled my question "Does vaccination make horses hooves sore?" and had a bunch of unreviewed/unscientific sites pop up, mostly barefoot and laminitis related. PERFECT. I went to one that didn't look TOO "out there" and found a page that had question/answer articles that were by veterinarians.


From this website I read this:
DR. TOM'S ANSWER:
October 24, 2004

There have been lots of examples over the past few seasons of laminitis in horses given the West Nile Vaccine. Though any vaccine can potentially cause disturbance and reaction enough in horses to lead to laminitis, the West Nile vaccine seems to have caused more than its share of problems in this regard--this may just be a statistically predictable situation due to increasing numbers of people vaccinating their horses with this vaccine. Some trimmers have reported orange-colored soles and separation of the entire white line...even the white line along the edges of the bars. This is indicative of metabolic and toxic insult rather than mechanical disruption of laminae leading to laminitis. Horses vaccinated in the neck muscle have been more severely affected than ones vaccinated in the rear leg.


Now I have some more specific questions that I can go back to the literature and search for. This vet doesn't give any references and it's impossible for me to tell whether he's speaking from personal experience, studies, published literature etc.


-What is published on the adverse affects of west nile vaccine? How does it compare to the tetanus or "4 way" that is commonly given?


-Does the location of the vaccine matter for the incidence of hoof related adverse reactions?
I still won't be able to generalize from the answers to these questions whether ALL vaccines make horses sore, but I DID give Farley a west nile, and that could explain the hoof tenderness, if what Dr. Tom says is true.