September 2023 Issue

Page 26 September 2023 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN New Northeast Endurance Organization Plans FEI Fair Hill Ride for 2024 rates are normal and that they are not exhibiting any signs of lameness or distress. Veterinarians have the au- thority to disqualify a horse from the race if they judge the horse’s condition to be unfit. “At Muckleratz we had prob- ably 35 volunteers, helping with the ride, and next year for the big team event we’ll have a similar cadre of volunteers that are help- ing,” Corcoran says. Additionally, she says there were three veter- inarians scheduled. It was July 1 and the weather was beastly. “It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. We went into the ride worried about air quality issues, because the Canadian wildfires started kicking up. Thankfully the air quality improved by the ride day. We were fine. The heat and humidity were a challenging aspect for the horses, though.” Corcoran says that in AERC competitions, any of the top ten riders in any distance can choose to stand for best condi- tion. It’s an opportunity to gain additional points for their overall scores. “When they come back an hour after completion (of the course), they choose to stand for best condition. It’s a full score, which includes condition as well as weight and time factor.” The score sheets include evaluation of: the horse’s recovery score, which is based on how long it takes for the horse’s heart rate to return to normal; the hydration score, which is based on meta- bolic parameters that determine hydration, including skin tenting, mucous membranes, capillary re- fill rate, gut sounds, etc.; and the presence of lesions or sores. “The first place horse might not look the best, but they finished the fastest,” Corcoran explains. “The horse carrying the heaviest rider may not have looked the best but was carrying the heaviest weight and some tiny person may have been riding a horse and the horse looks fabu- lous and has a high vet score.” She says that at Muckleratz they were using this scoring for all the teams, not just the top ten riders. “The riders didn’t finish top ten perhaps, but we were shooting to see that the team itself was fo- cused on the welfare of the horse, finishing the best.” The Big Event at Fair Hill The Muckleratz Endurance Ride was set up as an educational opportunity as well as a test ride. “What we did at Muckleratz is we limited teams to four riders, in the hopes we would create more teams and I think that was effective. In 2024 we will allow up to five members because that is what happens in internation- al competitions,” she explains. There will be a couple of signifi- cant differences from this year’s (Continued on page 41) (Continued from page 11)