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The Official Newsletter of theTexas Endurance Riders Association
www.texasenduranceriders.org
www.aerccentralregion.org
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Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...by Donna Murphy
Fri. April 9th: It was a quiet warm 70 degree evening, after an exhausting week, and looking forward to finally getting to bed at 11:00 PM, I did my mare check to see how my pregnant mare, Heather, was doing. She was not due for at least another week, but I knew I needed to keep a close watch on her. I had her out in a paddock area and as I was walking around in the dark with my flashlight, I could not see her standing. I found her lying down and heard her moaning and my heart pounded as I ran to her side. Suddenly I forgot how tired I was. Upon examining
her I saw that she was in labor and in serious trouble... and here I was by myself, with only a small flashlight, no cell phone and in a critical situation. The baby appeared lifeless, had its head out and 2 front legs, (good I thought) in the right position, and was still in the sack which I tore through to get to its head. I saw no movement in the baby, I opened its mouth, eyes were closed, and I feared the worse, but still had hope. Upon closer examination I realized the worse: The ba-by’s head was actually coming out the rectum, and its legs were coming through the vaginal opening, and it was stuck, (who knows for how long). It was hung up in the tissue between the rectum and vagina and was appearing to be strangling by its neck. My heart pounded as I raced into the house for Michael, cell phone, towels, knife and better lighting.
In the few minutes that I was gone Heather somehow broke the tissues that was holding the baby and was really struggling. The baby was hung up at his shoul-ders and I realized at this point the life of the baby and mare was at high risk. We had to get the baby out, so Michael and I each grabbed a front leg and pulled. It took a lot of pulling, slipping in the blood and water bath on the ground. We got the lifeless baby out, but I still had hopes for a live baby. I cleaned around his face and removed debris around his mouth and even blew into his nostrils. I saw some movement in his eyes as I flicked upon them and soon we had life. We massaged him vigorously with towels, cleaned him up and before we knew it he was flopping around!!! Oh my God, he’s alive!!
Meanwhile Heather just laid there in a pool of blood, with much pain and ex-haustion. We tried to keep her quiet as I was called every vet that I knew while Mike struggled with the baby, trying to keep him from bothering her so she could rest. He was up and ready to frolic around and wanted to nurse. Heather talked to him and he talked back. What a moment. My heart pounded as midnight came no available vets yet. I could not give up and went into overdrive as the night had
Fall 2010
Volume 9, Issue 4,Fall 2010
In This Issue:
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch - 1-2
Editor’s Musings - p2
Board of Directors - p3
Ride Calendar - p3
Regional Championships - p4
Ride Managers Clinic - p4
Year End Awards - p5
Trailmasters Course - p5
Swimming with yourHorses - Hydrotherapy - p6
Membership Form - p7
Classifieds - p8
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TERAjust begun. Finally I got one vet on the phone, however he was out of town. He told me how serious this was and that since he was not available I should try to get the mare and baby in the trailer and drive to the Retama Equine Emergency Center, or Texas A&M, (someplace that has 24 hour care). I knew this could not happen. Heather was near death, could not get up and the baby just went through a horrible traumatic birth, but I still had hope. Then I was able to get another vet on the phone. He talked me through what to do to get her through the night, and to bring her in first thing in the morning. I always have medication on hand for emergencies such as this.
First we needed to give Heather Banamine to get her out of pain, and antibiotics to reduce infection. He told me the dosage needed for her. I needed to milk her to be sure the baby got the much needed colostrum. She allowed me to milk her and we put it in a baby bottle and by this time the baby was standing and hungry and full of life! My barn buddy, Nancy, also came over to assist as we had our hands full! What a delight to have this beautiful colt, (it’s a boy) looking into your eyes as he takes in his first nourishment. Af-ter Heather had a much deserved rest, and the pain meds set in, she was able to rise. I had hope! We got them settled in a stall, and the colt was able to nurse on his own, and she had plenty of milk!
I was able to turn in about 3:00 AM and fell into bed. I could sleep a few hours, then at daylight, get them in the trailer, and get Heather the medical attention she needed. Upon walking to the barn in the morning, I had my fears and was almost afraid to look in the stall, but was delighted to see they made it though the night! They both greeted me with nickers and was I happy to see them both perky.
The Editor’s Musings...
Fall is Here...
Yes, fall has arrived in Texas, for the most part. I have noticed the leaves on the trees changing and the occasional migratory flock of birds flying south so I at least at that time I know what direction south is. But the biggest bonus I like about fall is the cooler weather! It just makes riding that much more pleasurable, that and the fact that you and your horse are not turning into an equine patty melt under the Texas summer sun anymore. Unfortunately, fall only seems to last a few weeks and then we dive headfirst into winter. Same thing sort of happens with spring-into-summer as well. But as we get in the cooler months, take the time to think about renewing your memberships with TERA and AERC and getting that blanket for your horse fixed and cleaned before you actually need it. I’m also still wanting to get your input on what you would like to see in “Your” newsletter, so send in your stories and such. I have had one person send in a story and guess what, you get to read in this issue. Hopefully I’ll get some more I can be reached at 469.261.8733 or you can e-mail me directly at [email protected]. So send me your stuff. I’m interested in seeing what you have! See you on the trail, somewhere...
Safe Riding,Todd Hezeau
Continued from pg. 1
Trail Markers is published Quarterly in January, April, July, and October.
It is distributed solely to members of the Texas Endurance Riders Association, and
is comprised of both their input and the opinion of the editor. Neither of which
represent the organization’s views or official stance. Of course, if there is no input from
members, then you’re pretty much stuck with the editor’s opinions. Which don’t amount to much, really, but they can sometimes make interesting reading. Other times … well, the
term “bird cage liner” comes to mind.
Advertising rates are as follows:Full page - $80Half page - $551/3 page - $451/4 page - $321/8 page - $22Business Card - $18These are one time rates. Contact Todd for yearly rates.We are also offering a classified section free to TERA members. Non-TERA members -.50¢ a word.
Deadline for the next issue isJanuary 12, 2011.
Wanna be published?Get it in!
Cover photo by:John Nowell
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2010/11 TERA SPONSORED RIDES
Off Road Warrior I & IIAERC Central Region Championship
Texas Challenge Series RideFall Membership Meeting
BoD Officer ElectionsNov. 13-14, 2010
Trace Trails, Athens, TXEdie Booth
Lone Star I & IINov. 26-27, 2010Hill Country State
Natural Area, Bandera, TXBo Parrish
2011
Ride Your Mitts Off!Benefit Ride for
Monty and Nancy MittsDec. 11, 2010
LBJ Grasslands, Decatur, TXBobby Wallis972-962-2596
High Roller I & IIJan 1-2, 2011
7IL Ranch, Cat Springs, TXDavid Reznicek
TERA FALL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGAT OFF ROAD WARRIOR,
FRIDAY, 6:30 pm!!
President, Diane Campbell3401 Oakridge Blvd
Harker Heights, TX 76548254.698.1965
Vice-President, Scott Godwin7821 County Road 383
Dripping Springs, TX 77583281.431.2993
Secretary, Vacant
Treasurer, Tammy Powell9011 Latma Ct.
Houston, TX 77025832.689.3820
Editor, Todd Hezeau7259 CR 3223
Lone Oak, TX 75453469.261.8733
Director, Ann GoolsbyRt 1 Box 49
Forestburg, TX 76239940.964.2740
Director, Dawn Carrie556 FM 3179
Huntsville, TX 77340936.436.1654
Director, Kim Reeves1104 FM 200
Cleburne, TX 76033817.558.7146
Director, Al Prescott300 Hickman Creek Dr.Cleveland, TX 77328
2010 Board of Directors
Ann Goolsby and Scott Godwin exchanged positions on the Board of Directors in August 2010 due to family circumstances.
Carol Kight has resigned her position as Treasurer due to personal reasons. The BoD and TERA membership thank Carol for her years of dedication to TERA and wish her well. We also want to say thank you to Tammy Powell for agreeing to accept the Treasurer position. Membership questions and dues will now be sent to Tammy.
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RIDE MANAGERS CLINIC TERA will hold it’s annual Ride Managers clinic on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at Parrie Haynes. The clinic will be conducted in the club house on Saturday, so we have a dry, heated facility with a kitchen and rest rooms. In addition, there is plenty of area to camp and ride Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday if you wish to stay over. We have reserved the clubhouse, but need to make reservations for the camp sites. There are only 18 hookup sites that have horse pens. These will be available by reservation on a first come, first serve basis, so please let Scott know if you’d like to have one of the hookup sites as soon as possible. Additionally there is basically unlimited primitive camping. The East unit, on which we will be staging, has 1800 acres and 30 miles of permanently marked trails. We have put together a working agenda for the meeting, but are very interested in hearing from those of you who will be participat-ing. If there is a subject that you would like to see addressed, or if you have something special to offer the group, please let Scott know. Coffee and (something?) will be served at 8:00 am Saturday morning. The meeting will start at 9:00 and end about 5:00. We will provide lunch and snacks. There is no fee for the clinic for TERA members. TERA will also pay for one night of camping for participants. If you want to stay over a second night, you will be responsible for the $16 hookup/$10 primitive fee. Please send Scott your RSVP sooner rather than later. We need to reserve the hookup sites, or they will be available for day riders or over night campers not attending our clinic. Participants will receive a TERA Ride Managers Handbook, the latest version of the AERC Ride Managers Handbook, and will be eligible for TERA sponsorship of their ride. Remember, the Ride Manager of a TERA sponsored ride must attend a TERA Ride Managers clinic at least once every three years. Even if you are not a ride manager, or perhaps you are considering putting on a ride sometime in the future, please come to the clinic. There is a lot to learn about how rides are organized and why things are done in a particular way.
If you have any questions, please e-mail Scott or another TERA officer, or you can call at 512-659-9719.
2010 AERC CENTRAL REGION CHAMPIONSHIP This year’s Central Region Championship will be held in conjunction with Off Road Warrior I & II on November 13 and 14. Thank you to the Booth family for agreeing to help with our championship ride!! Prizes include Top-10 Belt Buckles for all distances, Trophies for First Place, and beautiful Coolers for BC!! Completion awards are Championship T-shirts! Championship ride entries were due to be postmarked by October 13, so hopefully, you got yours in on time. If not, you may certainly still enter Off Road Warrior, or volunteer to help at the ride. The Championship ride for 2011 will be held in the northern part of our region around the Thanksgiving date. So, mark it now on your calendar!
HOW TO QUALIFY:
25 Mile Qualifications: 150 lifetime AERC Miles Limited Distance or Endurance Miles on rider, 150 lifetime AERC Miles Limited Distance or Endurance Miles on Horse. Of the 150 lifetime AERC miles, 100 Limited Distance or Endurance miles as a team.
50 Mile Qualifications: 300 lifetime AERC Endurance Miles on Rider, 300 lifetime AERC Endurance Miles on Horse. Of the 300 lifetime AERC Endurance Miles, 100 miles as a team.
75 Mile Qualifications: 400 lifetime AERC Endurance Miles on Rider, 400 lifetime AERC Endurance Miles on Horse. Of the 400 lifetime AERC Endurance Miles, at least one 75 or 100 mile AERC ride as a team.
AWARDS: All entrants will receive a participation T-shirt. Also top ten Belt Buckles, Trophies for the Champions, a horse cooler for Best Condition, and First Place Junior Awards for each distance (sponsored by David and Sylvia Fant).
CONTACT INFORMATION: Monica Chapman is your CR Ride Manager, 913-471-4840, [email protected]. Michael Campbell, 254-698-1965, [email protected]; Susan Keil, 913-856-3660, [email protected]; or Mike Maul, 713-725-7776, [email protected].
Remember, The Off Road Warrior I & II is the last ride in the Texas Challenge Series so make sure you attend!
SEE YOU THERE!!!!
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All award recipients must be TERA members in good standing for the year for which the awards are being given. Awards are figured based on TERA sponsored rides only. Limited Distance and Endurance miles are calculated as separate mileages.
Overall High Mileage Rider: is based on the mileage completed by one rider riding any number of equines.
Overall High Mileage Horse: is based on the mileage completed by one equine with any number of riders.
The following awards are based on the mileage completed by one rider riding one equine:Limited Distance High MileageHigh Mileage FeatherweightHigh Mileage LightweightHigh Mileage MiddleweightHigh Mileage HeavyweightHigh Mileage Junior
High Mileage Husband/Wife:Award is given to the couple with the most combined mileage ridden.
High Mileage Family:Award is based on the total miles rid-den by two or more family members.
The following awards do not have to be given every year. These recipients are chosen by the Board of Directors and Officers based on the following criteria:
Rookie Rider of the Year:New to the sport, may be endurance and/or limited distance; number of completions; positive attitude; seek-ing knowledge of the sport; over-all contribution to the sport; and improvement/progression.
Volunteer of the Year:Support at TERA rides; contribution to TERA, riders, and equines; number of rides attended; positive feedback from riders, managers and other volunteers; support/promotion of the sport. Rider or non-rider.
Veterinarian of the Year:Contribution to TERA, TERA mem-bers and equines; number of TERA rides vetted; positive feedback from riders, managers, animals and volun-teers, support/promotion of the sport; seeking knowledge and improvement in skills related to the sport, encour-agement/education to riders, partici-pants, one-time spectacular contribu-tion (saving animal/human life, etc.)
Ride Manager of the Year:Safe, well-marked trail; superior orga-nization—camp, registration, P/R and vet checks, availability of professional emergency personnel and equipment, general flow of things, etc; level of commitment—extra events, unique prizes, more than one ride, attendance at ride manager clinics; adequate vet staff—number of vets per riders, in-troduction & preparation of new vets; overall— sizable ride, new riders, and positive feedback.
Horse and Rider of the YearTERA member & equine, but not lim-ited to TERA events only, spectacu-lar achievement, may be any distance; embodies spirit of AERC “To Finish Is To Win!” in relationship of mount and rider—concern of horse foremost; competitive but fair & honest.
Hall of Fame PersonLong term contribution to sport; best exemplifies “To Finish Is To Win!”. Person must also have been officer, director, ride manager, regular volun-teer, regular vet, etc. – someone who has given to the sport and TERA; does not have to be a rider.
Hall of Fame EquineCumulative lifetime achievement. Per-haps has overcome adversity and con-tinued on. The horse people remember and talk about.
TERA Year End Awards
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With the mid-term elections looming on the horizon, don’t forget that another opportunity exists for your voice to be heard a little closer to home. TERA’s year end awards will be presented at David Reznicek’s High Roller ride at 7IL Ranch in January. A complete listing of award categories can be obtained on the TERA web site (http://texasenduranceriders.org). Please send your nominations to any TERA Board member for categories such as the Rookie of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Ride Manager of the Year and Horse and Rider of the Year. Your help is needed to make sure that our TERA family members receive their proper recognition. Please talk to any board member or officer if you know of a particular person or horse that is deserving of accolades. Without your input, your favorite rider may go un-noticed for their efforts this past year.
TRAILMASTER ANYONE?? TERA “may” have the opportunity to help sponsor an AERC Trailmaster class in Texas. It would require TERA paying about one-half of the $7000 cost-roughly $3500. The Board
would like to know if there is interest from our membership in doing this. We thought it
might be a good way to give back to our sport and provide a benefit to our members. We will
discuss the subject at the Off Road Warrior ride during the members meeting.
Please respond to Michael Campbell, AERC’s Trails Chairman, at mcampbell1@hot.
rr.com. He needs to know:
1. Would you like to attend a Trailmaster class? yes or no
2. Would you be in favor of TERA’s funds being used to co-sponsor a class in Texas? yes or no
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Swimming with your Horses - Hydrotherapyby Todd Hezeau
As I write this, summer is winding down and by the time you read it you will not want to get into a pool or a pond with your horse, but I thought it would be a good article to write about since it’s something that I do with my horses all year round as part of my con-ditioning routine. Swimming your horse, or Hydro-therapy as it’s known, is a great form of exercise that can be a lot fun for you ad your horse. It’s been used for a long time to condition and rehabilitate horses from injury, but there are so many benefits to swim-ming with the major one being that it is a very low impact form of exercise and does not put the stress on joints, tendons, and ligaments that our normal condi-tioning of trotting and loping down the trail would do. But be aware, over-ground exercise is needed to build and maintain strength in the musculoskeletal tissues that need it most. Another key benefit is that just 500 yards of swimming is equivalent to about 1 mile of galloping without the risk. It is a great way to build up muscle groups not attainable with normal ground work, the back and butt muscles, particularly if you live in an area, like me, where there are limited hills to work, as well as the diaphragm and shoulder muscles and it also promotes a full range of motion and limb movement. It also helps build the cardio-vascular system because the chest is under pressure as the horse moves through the water and requires more effort to breathe. Another benefit is that it really desensitizes a horse to the fear of water and crossing that ever scary puddle or creek in the middle of the trail. Now I have to define what I do, as technically it’s not really swimming, although there are many places that have equine swimming pools that horses actu-ally do swim in or you can use your pond for swim-ming as well, but when I go “swimming”, it’s basi-cally getting my horse in the 25 acre lake that I have permission to use across the road and walking them parallel to shore where the water comes just to their shoulders but not quite over their back. I not only walk them but get them to trot short spurts as well. If you have a pond that is deep enough, make sure, as best you can, that the ground under the water is
free of debris, relatively flat and not drastically sloping. I al-ways keep my horses feet on the bottom, I never actually get them to swim in the sense that all four feet are moving with nothing under them. When they do swim like that, they get completely inverted with a high head and hollow back which can develop sore backs and stifle problems from the kicking down motion if it is done for a long period of time. Keeping their feet on the ground eliminates these issues. Although there is still some concussion, it is drastically reduced be-cause the horse is about 40-45% buoyant. As I said earlier, I do this all year round. How do you ask? As well as lake that I have permission to use in the sum-mer, at least until the water gets too cold, I am also fortunate enough to have an equine “aqua tread” about 30 minutes from my house and I use this in the winter. The “aqua tread” is basically a treadmill that is underwater. It is submerged in a long narrow pool that is sloped on each end so the horses can enter and exit. The water comes to about their backs and you can control the speed at which the horse is able to exer-cise. Again, the horse is not actually swimming but still gets the benefits of the resistance of water and the non-concussive attributes of buoyancy. It also keeps the horse in a normal frame rather than an inverted one as mentioned earlier. Hydrotherapy is also a great way to keep an injured horse in condition and help strengthen injured joints because as well as being a low impact form of exercise, it also provides hydrostatic pressure around the joints which supports and encourages full range of motion, which increases blood flow, which in turn increases healing. It also takes about 60% of the weight off of the horses limbs. This helps the horse who might not be able to do any conditioning groundwork and bring them to almost total fitness. You can challenge your horses musculoskeletal and cardio system without con-cussing the injury. By the time he/she is healed, they have a baseline of fitness and can go from there. As you can see, hydrotherapy has it’s benefits in condition-ing and in helping injuries heal quicker as well as keeping an injured horse in shape. There are many places through-out Texas that have hydrotherapy facilities and you can find them by searching the net. Have fun and Safe Riding!
References: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Ann_Nyland http://horsehints.org/Swimming.htm http://horsetreadmills.com/hydrotherapy.htm http://www.natural-animal-health.co.uk/hydrotherapy.htm
Time to start thinking about renewing your membership. You can do it with this form or download the form on-line at www.texasenduranceriders.org
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Name:__________________________________________________________ TERA #: _____________ Address: ____________________________________________________________________________ Home Phone: ____________________________ Mobile Phone: _______________________________ E-Mail Address(es): ___________________________________________________________________ Renewing Member? __ If so, prior year TERA Number: _________________ AERC # ______________ ____ Single Membership is eligible for one vote at TERA meetings and is $25 per year. ____ Family Membership is entitled to two votes at TERA meetings and is $35 per year. If you are registering as a family, please indicate first and last names of your spouse and the names and ages of minor family members: ________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ________________________________________ ___________________________________________ TERA has initiated an emergency ride information contact program. YOU MUST OPT TO ENROLL in this program. In the event of an emergency cancellation or rerouting of entering or departing traffic for a specific ride, TERA Officers and members of the Board of Directors will call the number provided below. If possible, e-mails will also be sent to the address provided. _______ YES, please call me at ___________________________________, and if possible, e-mail me at _________________________________________________________ with emergency ride updates. With your membership in TERA you will receive a membership card with your TERA number. This card entitles you to a discount to all TERA sponsored limited distance and endurance rides for the coming year. Paid TERA members receive a subscription to TRAIL MARKERS, the quarterly newsletter of the Texas Endurance Riders Association. Additionally, your membership makes you and your family members eligible for the annual TERA awards. Your member fees help to defray the costs associated with the production and distribution of our newsletter, the purchase of our annual awards, provide insurance coverage to TERA sponsored rides and ride managers and help to fund the annual Old Glory Endurance Ride; training ground for new Texas ride managers. Please mail this completed application and a check made payable to TERA to:
Tammy Powell 9011 Latma Court Houston, Texas 77025
___ If you wish to obtain more information about endurance riding, want to volunteer or assist at a ride, have a desire to manage a ride, or just have a few questions, please check this and a TERA Officer or Board member will contact you.
TEXAS ENDURANCE RIDERS ASSOCIATION 2011 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION & MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
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Fall 2010
Texas Endurance Riders Association
% Tammy Powell9011 Latma Ct.Houston, TX 77025
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