tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220705480075654873.post4441473528510711272..comments2023-08-19T08:39:19.263-07:00Comments on Red Mare Running: What do you pack in your vet bag?Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18130269654793509549noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220705480075654873.post-41945703075839080962015-02-07T18:45:45.913-08:002015-02-07T18:45:45.913-08:00I use Endurolytes capsules (http://www.hammernutri...I use Endurolytes capsules (http://www.hammernutrition.com/products/endurolytes-reg-.elt.html), which Melinda from http://bootsandsaddles4mel.com/blog/ uses (she has done Tevis twice!). I do great on them as long as I remember to take 1 capsule every hour, which can be challenging on a 50 mile ride. I also like their tablets (http://www.hammernutrition.com/products/endurolytes-fizz-reg-.elf.html) which can be dropped into a bottle of water where they dissolve and make the water carbonated, kind of like Alka-seltzer. I like the mango flavor; it's not too sweet. You can find both at REI if you have one close to you, or you can purchase directly from Hammer Nutrition. You can also find them on Amazon with Prime shipping. <br /><br />Gatorade works better for me if I mix it 50/50 with water. Straight Gatorade just makes me feel even more dehydrated. <br /><br />Yes, Elastikon is da bomb!Nicole Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09817619834026667737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220705480075654873.post-80716370153972553732015-02-05T08:28:24.573-08:002015-02-05T08:28:24.573-08:00That IS pretty great. Most of the rides I've v...That IS pretty great. Most of the rides I've volunteered at in the PNW have all the checks in camp, which can get a bit crazy sometimes if it's a large ride. <br /><br />Can I ask what elyte tabs you use? I need to start experimenting for myself (and researching whether hydration packs will work for me) since I am so prone to dehydration and heat stroke. I do like coconut water, but Gatorade and similar drinks have never sat well with me.<br /><br />I love Elastikon too... for human and horsey wound patching.Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18130269654793509549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220705480075654873.post-28303422080571178122015-02-04T10:24:54.361-08:002015-02-04T10:24:54.361-08:00*Edit: there are away checks at No Frills too. *Edit: there are away checks at No Frills too. Nicole Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09817619834026667737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220705480075654873.post-74001376631311409172015-02-04T09:23:30.338-08:002015-02-04T09:23:30.338-08:00I pack so much in my saddle bags that I ended up r...I pack so much in my saddle bags that I ended up riding in a lighter saddle for my second ride (the Fort Valley 50) but it has served me well so far. Hoof protection is required at these rides so I boot all the way around. My mare's feet are not perfect so hoof boot retention can be a challenge. I end up carrying a full set of spares in my cantle bags and have been known to go through all of them during the course of a ride. I also carry Chamois Butt'r (ummm we have been known to apply while riding...), mueller tape to help with boot retention, a roll of Vetrap, a roll of Elastikon (it will stay on horse hair through water and is elastic. Way better than duct tape! You can buy it online or find it at most feed stores. http://www.amazon.com/ELASTIKON-Elastic-Tape-One-Roll/dp/B000GJVMLG), bandage scissors and hemostats, a small pill bottle with Benadryl, ibuprofen and a couple of tablets of Robaxin (a muscle relaxer. I did end up taking one during the OD 50), a bag of elyte capsules (ideally you want to take one every hour. I fail at this), a bottle of plain water, a bottle of water + Gatorade or straight coconut water, and a third bottle for pouring over Lily if it's hot, a tube of Benadryl ointment, a bandanna, and I have this awesome emergency kit for controlling a massive bleed scored from an Army veterinarian. :) So yes: I have a large set of cantle bags and the pommel bags from Stowaway for rides.<br /><br />The people at the rides have been lovely: always willing to share what they have or provide a helping hand, and we pay it forward. At that one away check, there were two girls whose horses didn't want the provided hay and grain so we gave them ours and their horses chowed down. My favorite thing about this sport is that it is one of those situations that brings out the very best and most human of the people participating in it. We all help one another out in the name of our horses. It's *awesome*. :)Nicole Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09817619834026667737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220705480075654873.post-10734292256472169412015-02-04T09:23:21.372-08:002015-02-04T09:23:21.372-08:00I had the pleasure of having my first endurance ri...I had the pleasure of having my first endurance ride ever not only be 50 miles in length but also one with away checks. Thank God for a husband that is open to last-minute changes of plan and who has a sense of adventure! Our away checks would have been very different without him!<br /><br />Our Old Dominion series is so well-organized. The No Frills and Fort Valley rides just have us ride back into camp for the checks, but the Old Dominion ride itself has a 100-miler so all of the checks are away checks. Of course my first ride was the OD. For our first and third away checks, we were allowed our own crews, so Liz and I had my husband and her bf bring all of our stuff in my car: we had a pop-up tent (this ride is in June and is usually hot), pre-made electrolyte syringes, grain mashes for our mares pre-mixed, some of our own hay and alfalfa, buckets for water, snacks to replenish what we were carrying in our saddle bags, food for us (I failed at this first ride in that I didn't provide myself adequate protein. I crave real protein, like chicken, during vet checks), a spare set of glasses (I ride in glasses), spare boots, extra socks and shoes, toilet paper and a first aid kit. Ride management provided water and porta-johns. Crews were not allowed at the second away check so we simply made sure we had enough snacks in our saddle bags beforehand so we wouldn't need to replenish and only sent mash ingredients and hay for our horses. Ride management provided snacks, sandwiches, water and Gatorade for the riders, as well as water, beet pulp, grain and hay for the horses as well as what riders sent ahead. I didn't want to spend the money on a crew bag as they can get lost, but ride management provided trash bags for us to put our stuff in for this check. We labeled the crap out of the bags, sealed them shut, and they were magically waiting for us when we arrived at this check. It was awesome. Plus ride management provided a slew of volunteers to help us cool down horses and hold them for us while we used the restroom. Of course all Lily wanted was to eat grass and alfalfa: no interest in her mash or regular hay at this check. <br /><br />Nicole Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09817619834026667737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220705480075654873.post-46733848491844503272015-02-04T03:20:02.941-08:002015-02-04T03:20:02.941-08:00Great list above! I love that you listed off the f...Great list above! I love that you listed off the functional purpose for things in addition. I am ALL ABOUT functionality of things; after my backcountry pack course I am a firm believer in bringing items along that have multiple purposes. There is only so much you can carry, may as well make the most of it, right?<br /><br />Fortunately, the rides I go to in the east that have away checks allow you to either drive your stuff out the day before and set it all up or the checks provide human and equine food at the away point! Without the concern of another carrying it, or having food, I tend to have nearly all of the above in some fashion be it in my saddle bag or at the check. Q can be very particular about hay/grain I learned last year, so I now make sure her grain and hay make it to away checks no matter what!Liz Stouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267806576736655184noreply@blogger.com