The resource for Kansans who have anything to do with horses.
ELK CITY TRAIL RIDE UPDATE: Despite a forecast that was anything
but promising, a group of 50 brave riders headed for Elk City Lake in southeast
Kansas the weekend of April 24th for the Kansas Horse Council Promotional Trail
Ride.
They arrived Friday afternoon and evening to find sunshine and dry
campgrounds and perfect riding weather the entire weekend. The group headed
across an open field below the dam Saturday morning before entering the hardwood
forest just past the dam. Anyone who hadn’t been there before was unprepared for
trail riding unlike anyplace else in Kansas.
The Saturday ride began at 9am under overcast skies. A light jacket
or sweatshirt was all that was needed as the group of riders took to the trail.
The trail entered the forest of hickory trees and ancient oaks, and riders were
soon awed by the giant limestone formations and vertical bluffs. In several
places the trail was bordered on one side by 30-foot rock bluffs and boulder
fields. Views of the lake could be seen through the trees and at several
overlooks. The sun began to filter through the leaves shortly before noon as the
trail narrowed between vertical rock walls on both sides of the group. After a
lunch break, the group ‘about faced’ and began the ride back toward the dam. Of
course, the view is always different when heading back the opposite direction!
There were a couple of cutoffs that went out to the road for anyone who
preferred an easier, shorter route back to camp. But, the majority of the group
was ready for the trek back through the forest and the rock formations.
Arriving back at camp a little before 4pm, horses had just been
unsaddled and put away when a light shower came through the area. But, skies
were clearing up in time for a wonderful dinner catered by Mettes Ranch House in
Coffeyville. Riders feasted on pulled pork, smoked brisket, scalloped potatoes,
baked beans, green beans, and a choice of desserts while sharing the day’s
adventures.
Tickets were drawn for prizes donated by Classic Equine with Mary
Frances Haake winning the grand prize Contourpedic saddle pad.
After a quick continental breakfast Sunday morning, 27 riders were
ready to go again for a 9-noon ride, including Mary Frances riding with her
brand new saddle pad. Even though this trail is rocky and strenuous in parts,
the majority agreed that the Elk City Trail is an incredible ride and makes you
feel like you’re not in Kansas anymore!! This trail is a hiking and mountain
biking trail that is only open to trail riders two times a year. Once, for this
ride on the last full weekend of April and again on the Sunday following Labor
Day Weekend in conjunction with Old Settlers’ Days in Elk City. In September,
the ride leaves the town of Elk City and travels the 15-mile length of the trail
to the dam. Transportation is provided back to the trailers in Elk City. Watch
the KHC website for more information.
Congratulations to the following riders who became new KHC members at
this ride: Rebecca Erwin Stephanie Jensen Jennifer Carnahan Carol
McLaury Sam Triebel Kelly Fleming Vicki Kunkel Sheryl Tasker
Bruce Hargreaves Shorty/Maxine Thorne – Lifetime Membership
They join
hundreds of riders throughout Kansas who share the benefits of KHC membership
and become part of the unified voice of horse owners throughout the state
supporting and promoting the horse industry in Kansas.
The Kansas Horse Council association actively seeks the participation of individuals and groups from all breeds and all types of horse activities, both professional and amateur enthusiasts. Let us hear from you!
Beware of Dehydration in Horses
There are certain
signs and symptoms that tell us quickly if a horse is getting dehydrated:
A horse's mucous membranes (their gums and tongue) should normally be pink
and moist. To check for what is called capillary refill time or cap refill for
short, you press on the gums. When you push on their gum it will turn white,
it will blanch, and then when you release it the pink should come back within
2-3sec. If the gums stay white or pale after 3 sec or if the gums are real dry
and sticky then your horse is getting dehydrated
If you look at the gums
or tongue and they are purple than this is very bad and the horse is already in
heat exhaustion and needs immediate care.
You can check the horse's skin
turgor (how elastic the skin is) by pulling the skin up tightly on the rib cage
area which is the best place to see what the skin does in a normal horse. It
will snap back quickly into place normally.
If the horse is becoming
dehydrated, the skin will begin to tent or stay up after you pull on it to
stretch it up. When it begins to be slightly sluggish or kind of stays up a few
seconds instead of snapping back, then your horse is beginning to dehydrate and
needs more fluids and possibly oral electrolytes, powdered in the feed or in the
water.
If the skin after pulling it up, really "tents up" or stays
folded up looking and takes a long time to go back down or stays tented, then
this is a big problem and your horse is definitely dehydrated and needs
immediate attention and re-hydration and first aid along with electrolytes, a
bolus paste if the horse is drinking alright.
The horse's resting
respiration and heart rates will both increase above normal during dehydration.
Take your horse's resting respiration and heart rate so that you know what his
resting normal rates are. Each horse varies a little, but usually around 12
breaths per min for an adult horse and a resting pulse around 35-45 for an adult
horse. When a horse is getting stressed he will flare his nostrils as he breaths
and you will see the pink lining (mucous membranes) of his nostrils. This shows
that he has to work harder to suck in air and breath. He is working too hard to
breathe especially if it is really hot and humid. Let him stand in a cool place
and rest a while, let him cool down a bit, walk slower do not push him. Slow
things down and when he is cooled off let him drink. Practice taking both your
horse's respiration rate and his heart rate.
Watch the horse’s nostrils
or his flank areas to watch him breath. One complete in and out of air is one
breath. Take the heat rate with a stethoscope behind and above his elbow down in
the area in front of where the cinch would go. One complete lub dub of the heart
is only one beat, not two.
A well hydrated horse usually will urinate
about every 3-5 hours or perhaps at least once while on a typical trail ride.
His urine should be fairly clear and light yellow to a kind of deeper yellow,
but still clear looking.
Abnormal urine is brownish or orange or
mulberry colored or bloody or black which these are all signs and symptoms that
there is definitely a huge problem going on with your horse's renal system and
his kidneys could shut down. Get a Vet quick, if available, but if not, than an
experienced horse person needs to be contacted, get help and advice quickly, and
transport to the nearest Vet.
We all pick up tons of poop so you know
what your horse's poop looks like, smells like, as you probably have even worn
some of it around on your clothes if you are like most of us.
A
dehydrated horse's poop is dry and infrequent and when you listen to their belly
the gut sounds will be decreased or absent which means that there is not much
motility going on there and he is at risk for colic.
When a horse is
stressed or dehydrated or possibly trying to colic there is not much sound in
his gut. There are 4 areas or quadrants of the horse's abdomen that you should
listen to. Place your ear up against your horse, behind the front leg a short
distance then listen again back toward the back leg but still well in front of
the back leg, then the same on the other side. (2 areas on each side) Be careful
as some horses may kick at you. I am assuming you have a gentle horse that has
had you lay all over him and rub all over him and is desensitized to someone
checking his bowel sounds. If not, get someone experienced with horses to help
you. Your ear is better than not listening at all. You will learn what sounds
normal and how to locate the sounds then you will recognize what is NOT normal
for your horse. Using a stethoscope, again, is better, but your ear can work
well for this too.
A stethoscope is always best, to listen with, most all
experienced horse people carry one in their horse first aid kit. It is a good
idea to have one for checking both bowel sounds and heart rate and breath sounds
too. You can use just your ear pressed up against your horse's belly though if
you have done your homework and gotten him used to this. Normally the gut sounds
of horses are loud and frequent, kind of like when our own tummies are getting
really hungry and they growl and carry on (most especially in church or
somewhere). Abnormal gut sounds are very quiet and very infrequent or what we
call decreased bowel sounds or absent bowel sounds. Sometimes you will hear
bowel sounds in one quadrant, but not in the others. Dehydration can stress the
horse so that he can develop another very dangerous problem which is, colic.
Taking your horse's temp is important too. You will need a horse thermometer
and Vaseline or some lubricant. You have to shake the thermometer all the way
down prior to taking a temp. Place the thermo. in the rectum GENTLY PLEASE then
hold on to it as the horse's bowel can literally suction a thermometer all the
way up and it is gone!! Then you REALLY have a problem! Some Vets have a string
tied on to the horse thermometer which has a place on it to loop a string to be
tied or looped into it. Then they use a paper clip and clip it to the horse’s
tail. Perhaps though in the beginning, you should just hold onto it for safe
keeping. The horse's temp normally runs around 99.6 to 100 F.
Horse's
body language tells us so much. Learn about your horse and what is relaxed and
normal and then what his stressed behavior is like and you can then tell, by his
body language, that something is really wrong. They want help.
Take
electrolytes for your horse in powder form which can be placed into their feed
for your horse as it is not as likely that you will overdose your horse on
electrolytes by powder. If they do not need all of them, they will leave some of
them. Save the paste bolus electrolytes for the emergencies and severe
dehydration. Any time you give electrolytes make SURE your horse is drinking
plenty of water. If you give electrolytes in his water, make sure he has a
separate bucket of clean clear fresh regular water to follow up after the water
with the additives. Never give an electrolyte paste bolus if the horse is not
drinking water as this could over dose your horse and make the dehydration
worse.
Many barns and stables have encountered theft in recent months. To help facilitate identification and recovery of horses and tack, we have created the Stolen Horse & tack Page. You can share your report of stolen horses and tack with others across Kansas by clicking the button below and sharing your information with us. We will place your information on the Stolen Horse and Tack web page for a period of one year.
We at the Kansas Horse Council would love to hear any questions, comments or suggestions you might have, and we are always looking for items to add to this web site. To send us such a message, click on the button below!
Homes for Horses!
This is a monthly feature that will provide the picture and contact details
for a horse adoption in Kansas. Please contact the equine rescue or
adoption service directly. Thanks!
“BABY BOO” This beautiful grade quarter horse mare
was rescued in Wichita, Ks August 2006 one of a group of five that were not
being fed or cared for properly. She was a yearling when rescued.
Baby
Boo is 4 years old, 14.2 hands tall, 800 lbs., halter trained, good with farrier
and Vet. Well mannered and gentle.
Baby Boo is waiting for a forever
home.
READY FOR ADOPTION Contact:
Southern Winds Equine Rescue & Recovery Center,Inc. Victor (Vic) R
McMullen,Sr 4447 2 Nd Road Udall,KS 67146 1-316-858-3233
1-316-830-0013 cell
As always, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
www.blm.gov offers Mustangs for adoption. Contact them today to adopt a great American horse!
Use this search box and support the Kansas Horse Council!!> Every search you make donates to the KHC.