Trail riders make annual trek to gather in Houston
Each February I try to ride on one of the trail rides headed to Houston for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo kickoff parade. I ride to learn more about distance trail riding, trail associations and their members. This year I rode on the Valley Lodge ride. The Valley Lodge Trail Riders Association does a good job of educating and assisting their members about horse and mule management throughout the trail riding process.
Feet
Most of the ride route is on cement or asphalt, where mounts can easily slip. Non-slip shoes are required. Most riders have their farriers forge-weld borium onto their animal's shoes. Borium cannot easily be ground or worn off, so these shoes are removed after the ride.
No accidents from horses slipping down occurred. The scouts who were working the ride trotted and occasionally loped their horses on the pavement just as comfortably and safely as if on dirt.
Health
The association requires animals to be vaccinated and healthy. Strangles, rhino and influenza were mandated vaccinations, with tetanus and rabies highly recommended.
Health certificates and negative Coggins paperwork must be shown for all animals. These requirements are a must when bringing strange animals together in a communal situation for a week.
Conditioning
The association has two warmup rides preceding their ride into Houston. These rides start conditioning the animals for the 70-mile trek. Since the horses and mules walk most of the way, this distance conditioning, in addition to a rider's home conditioning program, is sufficient.
Water
Equines traveling long distances need to be offered clean, cool water several times a day. The association has a trailer with a large water tank and a water trough. The water trough is available to all animals while in camp and at each rest stop along the route. Frequent watering helps prevent dehydration-related digestive disturbances.
Feeding
Some riders brought their own feed and hay. Some fed the whole oats and high-quality Coastal hay furnished by the association. This bulky, low-energy diet encourages digesta flow and lessens the incidence of colics.
Animals lying down
Some riders put their animals in small panel or electric fence type enclosures or pens each night. When tied with a long lead rope so they can eat off the ground and lie down, horses can get tangled up. One rider used coiled elastic bungee lead rope shorteners. The horse was tied with a long lead rope, so he could eat off the ground or lie down. When the horse raised his head or stood up, the coil pulled the long lead rope up and away from the horse's legs to prevent entanglement. This is a good safety device.
Doug Householder is an educator in the horse industry. E-mail him at dh-horse@flash.net.
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