Glossary of Long Distance Riding Terms

 Adenosine Triphosphate: [ATP] The fuel used by muscles. There is a small amount of ATP stored in the muscles. It only lasts a short time before it needs to be replenished. Creatine phosphate can be used to replenish ATP, but is also in very short supply. These two fuels can be replenished by one of two methods – either aerobic or anaerobic metabolism. 

Aerobic Metabolism: A process of converting fat and glycogen or glucose into ATP to be used as a fuel by the muscles. Uses oxygen (thus aerobic). A slower process than anaerobic metabolism, but much more efficient, allowing the horse to perform for a much longer period of time. A horse will use predominantly aerobic metabolism below a heart rate of about 150 beats per minute. The maximum intensity at which a horse can continue using aerobic metabolism can be increased with good conditioning. This is the method primarily used by endurance horses.

  Anaerobic Metabolism: A process of converting glycogen or glucose into ATP to be used as a fuel for the muscles. A faster process than aerobic metabolism, but good only for a short period of time and thus is used for higher intensity workouts (such as a full gallop). Anaerobic metabolism is quite inefficient, and produces lactic acid as a by product.

Anal Tone: Test performed at vet checks. The anal muscle should constrict when tapped. Flaccid muscle tone may indicate exhaustion, heat stress, or electrolyte/water depletion.

 Anhidrosis: A condition where the horse does not sweat even when overheated. Very dangerous.

Arrhythmia: Some horses have an uneven heart rate or heart beat. This can cause the heart rate monitor/wand used to measure heart rates to give unreliable readings. Owners of horses with arrhythmias should have a letter from their veterinarian stating that the heart rate of the horses should be taken with a stethoscope.

Arrival Time: The time a horse and rider physically arrive at a vet check.

 ATP: See Adenosine Triphosphate

 Azotouria: see Tying Up.

 BC: See Best Condition

  Best Condition: Award given to the horse within the top ten finishers who is judged to be in the best condition. Weight carried and riding time are taken into consideration.

Borium: a hard material applied to horseshoes, for greater wear and traction.

Cantle Bag: A storage pack attached to the cantle of the saddle.

Capillary Refill: The length of time required for the color to return to normal pink in the upper gum of the horse after pressing hard enough to leave a white spot. Should be less than 1-2 seconds.Times greater than 2-3 seconds should be evaluated by a veterinarian as this could indicate dehydration and/or significantly lowered blood pressure. This is a test performed at vet checks.

Cardiac Recovery Index: Metabolic test in which the horse is trotted out and back for a total distance of 250 feet (76 m). A15-second heart rate is taken before trotting and at one minute after starting the trot, the two heart rates should be within one beat of each other for the 15-second counts (4 beats/min). This can be a very sensitive indicator of a problem.

Colic: Basically a stomachache, but more dangerous in the horse than in a human. Can be triggered by lack of electrolytes, and/or fatigue during a ride.

CRI: See Cardiac Recovery Index 

Crupper: Some horses have problems with saddles slipping forward, particularly on steep downhill’s. The crupper is a loop that goes under the tail and attaches to the back of the saddle.  

Dehydration: Lack of fluids in the body, generally caused by sweating. Electrolytes are lost at the same time, so both electrolytes and water must be used to rehydrate.

Easyboot®: A clamp-on, nail-less alternative to iron horseshoes. Easyboots are used in place of or over iron horseshoes for cushioning, traction and protection. Most riders also carry an Easyboot as an emergency “spare tire” for when a horse loses a shoe.

Electrolytes: Horses' sweat contains sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and magnesium which, as a group, are called electrolytes. Electrolytes are very concentrated in sweat (which is why sweat tastes salty). Horses competing in long distance events need to replace those salts in addition to drinking water in order to maintain hydration. Electrolytes can be fed orally with a syringe (sometimes mixed with applesauce to make it more palatable), or added to the horse's water bucket. Don't buy products containing sodium bicarbonate as it may cause alkalosis in the endurance horse.  

Endurance Ride: A ride of 50 or more miles in length, held over a specified course under strict veterinary control, with no minimum time limit.

Exertional rhabdomyolysis: [Azoturia, Tying Up, Setfast] Muscles of the horse seize into a state very like rigor mortis. Not fully understood, but thought to be triggered by a number of things… giving a horse a day off without reducing its grain ration, potassium or selenium deficiency, extreme fatigue, rhinovirus. Most commonly it occurs shortly after beginning exercise after a day or more of rest without a corresponding decrease in grain ration. And can become a chronic condition. http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=3093  

Fanny Pack: A storage pack carried around the rider’s waist.

 Fartlek: A conditioning method that uses bursts of speed interspersed throughout a conditioning ride. Similar to interval training, but less structured.

Fast Twitch Muscle Fibres: A type of muscle fibre more common in the heavily muscled breeds such as Quarter Horses. FT fibres are used predominantly during fast intense exercise. They use glycogen and produce lactic acid.

Fit to Continue: The criteria horses must meet to continue in an AERC ride and to meet within one hour of finishing a ride in order to receive a completion. This means that the horse must have satisfactory recovery in all metabolic parameters, and the horse must not have “an irregularity of gait consistently observable at a walk and/or a trot” if that “irregularity is thought to cause pain or threaten the athletic future of the horse.”

Fixed Hold: A type of vet check, the horse remains with a fixed amount of time between his arrival time and his out time.

Founder: See Laminitis 

Gate: A type of vet check where the hold time does not start until the horse recovers to the set pulse criteria.

Gluteal Muscles: Large muscles in the horse's hindquarters.

Glycogen: A carbohydrate that is stored in liver and muscle tissue.

Grade I Lameness: Difficult to observe: not consistently apparent regardless of circumstances. (i.e., weight carrying, circling, inclines, surface, etc.)

Grade II Lameness: Difficult to observe at a walk or trot in a straight line; consistently apparent under certain circumstances (i.e., weight carrying, circling, inclines, surface, etc.).

Grade III Lameness: Consistently observable at a trot under ALL circumstances.

Grade IV Lameness: Obvious lameness; marked hitching, nodding, shortened stride

Grade V Lameness: Minimal weight bearing at rest and/or in motion. Inability to move.

Gut Sounds: The sounds of the intestinal system (random gurgling noises). Often diminishing with fatigue, their total absence can indicate a serious metabolic problem with the horse.

Gut Motility: The sounds of digestion that can be heard with a stethoscope. Normally, sounds are audible every few seconds. When the horse is stressed, blood flow to the gut decreases, and the digestion process gradually comes to a halt. If gut motility stops for too long, colic can result. Gut motility is monitored at vet checks by listening to gut sounds.

Heart Rate: Generally measured as beats per minute (BPM). Normal resting heart rate range is 24 to 44 beats per minute. A low resting heart rate gives an advantage to a horse in distance riding. The most efficient range is while the horse stays in aerobic metabolism (generally under 150 bpm). Horses are expected to recover to heart rates near the resting level (usually 68) at the vet checks. If they do not recover within a specified time, this is a sign of fatigue, pain, or other metabolic problems.

Heart Rate Monitor: Usually consists of electrodes under the saddle or girth, and a monitor worn by the rider like a watch. Allows the rider to monitor the horse's heart rate while riding. The reading gives beats per minute.

Heat-Stress Index: The sum of the environmental temperature (OC) and Relative Humidity. As this score increases, the ability of a horse to cool itself becomes more difficult. Heat-Stress scores of less than 80 require no special precautions. Above a scores of 90, a horse must evaporate fluids (sweat or water) to maintain a normal body temperature. At 100, sweating is insufficient and cold water must also be used on the horse. Over 110 ice water and ice will be necessary to cool the exercising horse. At scores above 115, serious consideration should be given to cancelling all exercise. Heat-Stress Chart.

Hemoconcentration: Thickening of the blood due to dehydration or increased concentration of cells and proteins in the blood.

Interval Training: Repeated short bursts of high speed interspersed with recovery periods; an advanced conditioning method for horses that already have a solid LSD foundation.

Hold Time: The time a horse and rider must remain in a vet check. IV: Fluid given intravenously to a sick or dehydrated horse; may contain electrolytes and/or medications.

Laminitis: Inflammation of the laminae of the hoof. Extremely painful condition requiring immediate veterinary treatment, as it is life-threatening. Early signs are heat in the hooves and a “tucked up” stance where the horse holds his hind hooves close in under himself and the forefeet out in front.

Limited Distance (LD) Ride: A ride of 25 to 35 miles length, held in conjunction with an endurance ride. These rides are frequently used as a training ride for novice riders and young horses. In an LD ride the horse and rider’s time of completion is when the pulse comes down to criteria after crossing the finish line, not the time when the horse and rider cross the finish line.

LSD: Long slow distance, the fundamental conditioning tool. A type of training used particularly for early training. Generally means a lot of walking and easy trotting. Increases the fitness of the bones and tendons, which reduces injury when the horse moves on to faster work.

Metabolic Criteria: Tests used by veterinarians and lay judges at vet checks to evaluate a horse's fitness to continue. They include capillary refill time, anal tone, jugular refill time, mucous membranes, gut motility, skin pinch test, heart rate recovery times.

Mucous Membranes: Examined in the mouth, gums should be pink and moist. This is one of the metabolic criteria at vet checks.

Mud Fever: [Scratches, Greasy Heel] A condition generally affecting the heel or pastern, but can move higher. Looks like a bad rash, with weeping sores, scabs, and raw skin. An infection that can be a combination of bacteria and fungus. Caused by standing in mud, and can be very difficult to treat. http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=504  

Novice Division Beginners can ride in an open division if they feel up to the mileage and/or faster time and they feel their horse is fit enough for the open division. However, once they have ridden open they cannot go into a Novice division although it wouldn't prevent them from being in a "mileage" ride.  

Novice Ride: See Limited Distance Ride Out Time: The time a horse and rider are authorized to leave a vet check.

Panting: Rapid, shallow respiration that a horse uses to help cool. Not a sign of any problem if the horse’s other parameters are good.

P&R: Pulse and respiration. Misnomers, as we actually take heart rate and respiratory rate. The respiratory rate count, per se, means nothing unless the type and quality of respiration are evaluated. A respiratory rate greater than the heart rate is known as an inversion and will need further evaluation. Judges still watch respiratory rate while taking the heart rate and should report it as >HR or

P&R Crew: Ride officials who check and record the horse’s pulse and respiration rates at a vet check.

P&R Time: Time at which P&R is taken and the horse reaches criteria.

Pit Crew: Helpers who care for both horse and rider during the vet checks and before and after the ride. Typically they water and feed the horse (and perhaps the rider), carry equipment, and generally make themselves indispensable.

Post-Finish Vet Check: The vet exam after the finish line; the final exam before a horse qualifies as completing the ride.

Pre-Ride Vet Check: The vet exam before the start of the ride, where the fitness of the horse to compete is determined.

Pulled: When a horse is withdrawn or disqualified from a ride. Can be ordered by the ride veterinarian, or by rider option.

Rider Option: When a horse is pulled from the competition by choice of the rider (as opposed to the veterinarian). In some cases the rider may feel that the horse is not quite "right", even when metabolic criteria are within normal parameters. Or possibly the rider may not be fit to continue... 

RO: See Rider Option 

Road Founder: Founder (laminitis) caused by concussion, usually from too much high speed on hard surfaces during a ride. May take several days to show up after a ride, and in severe cases is life-threatening.

Riding Time: The time from the start of the ride until the horse and rider cross the finish line, excluding all hold times.

SDF: See Thumps

Skin Pinch Test: After pinching a fold of the horse's skin between your fingers, the skin should flatten back out in less than a second. If it doesn't, this is a sign of dehydration. This is a test performed at vet checks. The longer the time, the greater the dehydration of the horse. Over three to four seconds indicates potentially serious dehydration. To be accurate on endurance horses, this test should be applied at the point of the shoulder, not up on the neck.

Slow Twitch Muscle Fibers: A type of muscle fiber more common in the Standardbred or the Arabian. ST fibers are used during aerobic exercise and produce no lactic acid.

Stop & Go: A gate-type vet check with no hold time; as soon as the P&R criteria is met and vet examination is successfully completed, the rider can leave.

Thumps: Cardio-synchronous diaphragmatic flutter, or SDF. Thumps occur when the heart's electrical signals leak back down the phrenic nerve and stimulate the vagus nerve. The aberrant signals then stimulate contractions of the diaphragm in sychrony with the heart rate. Thumps is generally related to severe electrolyte imbalance. A horse with thumps should be eliminated from further competition.

Timer: Ride officials who record “in” and “out” times of riders.

Trot-By: A vet check where the riders trot past vets to rule out lameness.

Trot-Out: A process where the horse is trotted in hand for inspection by the vets to check for lameness and impulsion.

Tying Up: See Exertional rhabdomyolysis A life-threatening condition (azotouria), usually occurring in the first few miles of a ride, where a horse’s muscles cramp so badly he can barely move. An emergency requiring immediate veterinary care, and not moving the horse. Not to be confused with cramping, which occurs after many miles of stress.

 Vet Check: A mandatory veterinary inspection. The horse is evaluated for fitness to continue. There is a vet check before and after every ride, and one or more intermediate vet checks.  

Wand: Tool used to measure heart rates. A heart rate monitor with a handle.