Bulero's Debut! & Lessons learned

In my English class we were working on writing stories in a script form, so that is how i will write my story!!

28 August 2009:
5 am- wake up for school
Feed horses
Pack up for school
Shower
Check if i have everything for school
6:15 am- leave for school
7:15 am-get to school
7:20 am- socialize and check that i have everything for my first class
7:25/9 am- Algebra 2
9:15/11:30 am- Advanced Chemistry
11:35/12:20- PE
12:20/12:55- Lunch and friends
1:00/2:30 pm- Leadership/ASB
4 pm- get home
Pack for ride:
Horse,hay,gear, etc etc etc
5 pm leave for ride
7 pm!! get to ride camp
As they pull into camp they start scouting for their friend, Suzy Henderson, who was nice enough to save them a spot {thanks Suzy!}. As Zach back's Bo out from the trailer they hear another friend shouting that Vetting ends in 10 minutes {WHAT!! HE hasn't eaten or drank after a two hour trailer ride and i still have to register!} Zach and Bo trot to the registration camper with a cloud of dust behind them.

7:10 pm
Zach hastily apologize and thank Scott Dutcher, ride Secretary, and Beth Kaufman, Ride manager. Bo is slowly inching away from Zach, who is not realizing, towards the hay that Ride Management has for the next day. After a quick OHMYGOD WERE IS HE, Zach realizes he is on the other side of the RV, eating, ensuring that he will get a good score on gut sounds!

7:15 pm
Karen joins Zach and Bo in running over to the vet area. Zach vets Bo out. They greet Katie Lydon and her Dad, Rob Lydon DVM. They go through all the procedures: Hydration, Cap refill, Jugulars, Pulse etc. He asks Zach to trot down to the cones and back. Zach jogs out and Bo follows, just as they had rehearsed. As Zach and Bo turn, Zach looks up at Rob, Katie and his mom. H doesn't like the look on there faces. His heart sinks and thought race through his mind
My GOD! its over before it has started!!! Why, he was sound at home before they left. NOOOOOOOOOOO
He arrives at Rob and the others. They talk and Katie says he was given a B. We talked for a while about the options and went over him and looked at his feet. Rob notices the Quarter Crack that Bo's has on his right front hoof, where he was off. We agree to start but at any sign of worse I would pull. I Would, not them It would be my decision (my ego, i would rather have a Rider option than i lameness, it really doesn't matter though)

7:30
Karen sets up the portable panels, while Zach goes to the ride meeting. He sits down with Kassandra DiMaggio, Manager of Patriots Day Ride and the National Championship this year. She was there to ride the LD ( i think?) and to promote Rushcreek Thor.

The meeting starts and the usual, this is the trail etc, Vet's talk: Take care of your horse, pulse parameters, take care of your horse and have fun. Then Beth, says they will be auctioning some stuff off tomorrow. Then she says they are auctioning off a Junior! Zach Rabow!! She asks Zach to stand and say a bit about himself, his ride history. Some people who know him chime in and say he is a good kid and a good rider After a long pause and no takings One person takes him

Zach and his sponsor talk about the plan for ride day and say good bye.

8:15
Ride meeting is over and people mingle while Zach talks with some of his friends and here's a big crash from the area where he is camped. He runs back hastily to learn that it is the horse camped next to us.

9:00
Zach prepares everything for tomorrow. He is glad that all the holds are in camp so a)he doesn't have to pack a crew bag and b) if something goes wrong with Bo they wont have to wait for a trailer.

11:00
Zach finally goes to sleep.

1:00 am
Zach awakes and is disappointed to find out that night is NOT over and there are still 4 hours until he can start to do stuff for the ride. But he is relived that Bo is still their.

3:00 am
Bo is being restless so Zach takes him for a walk around camp and then tries to sleep again, unsuccessfully.

5 am
Zach gives Bo more hay, which he doesn't eat because he is passing in his little corral. Zach brushes him over and discovers a cut, just the fur, right above Bo's ribs, he then looks at the ground and sees some rocks with hair on them Zach slabs some desitin on their so the saddle pad doesn't rub him.

6:15 am
Zach heads out of camp

10 am
Zach and Bo get Back from 25 HARD miles

10:07
Pulse is taken and 1 hour hold starts!

10:20
Zach Vets Bo out, he trots back and DOESN'T look at Rob and Katie this time. I get back and my card is not handed to me. Rob apologizes and says that i will have to.... Ride the BEAST 25 more miles.

11:25
Zach Leaves for Next 18 mile loop with sponsor and Tinker Hart.
{I hate this Loop! Why are their no trees in Nevada. Why did i pick this for his first ride! It is SO hot tailing my horse up this long (miles) sandy (deep sand) hill WHY THE HELL am i Doing this!} Zach, who really loves this, is just tired from his hands bleeding from being pulled on.

1 pm
Zach and Bo arrive back at camp

1:05
Zach spots Crysta taking pulses and heads over to her. His pulse is a bit to high so he heads over to the hose and sprays Bo down

1:10
Bo's pulse is down and 30 minute hold starts.

1:15
Bo is vetted out and Rob declares he is... Fit to Continue! All A's with one B on skin tent.

1:50
Bo and Zach head out. Bo seams a bit tired but there is only seven miles to go, all flat and nice footing. Zach had ridden sassy on this loop in the spring and they did it in a half an hour.

2:30
About 1/2 a mile out Bo goes down, Zach thinks he was just rolling so he pulls the tack of, quickly and strips all other gear.

Bo doesn't get up.

He is acting weired. He rolls over and is laying flat. Zach PANICS! he takes him Camelbac and empties the cold water over Bo's chest and neck. Bo springs up, and is almost standing when Zach runs out of water. Zach takes his phone and calls his mom to get the vet out here NOW. Bo is looking worse and worse and goes back down on his side. The truck arrives and Rob Does his thing, Pulse 56 Temperature 101, Guts NONE.

They get Bo up and back to camp and administer 2 full bags of IV fluids. He is back to normal in about 20 minutes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So what happened:
Bo just got tired and said "I'm done"
He hadn't eaten much, a mash and a few bites of hay, but his vet scores were GREAT and guts were ok at all the checks
There was no hay out on the trail and I should have called my mom to bring down some hay.

What went right:
he stayed sound (that was my goal for the ride, as all rides)
He had low pulses, fair recoveries, Thoroughbreds just take a bit longer.
He was very strong

I don't think i need to say what went wrong, I'll say what I need to do to get him through 50 miles.
I need to; condition him more than i did with Sassy.
Need to get him to eat,some how
Expose him to ride day stress (i can bring him along to rides with sassy)

Talking to Connie Creech, she knew i felt awful and blamed myself, she assured me that things happen and that starting THIS horse on an LD would just have taught him to race, and he gets to be done after 25 miles. She said it is ok to go to LD's now that he HAS gone 49.5 miles (DANG! So close!) he will get better.

I also talked to Kristine Hartman, and i took away a different feeling. She is always so nice to me, we rode some of the starts together, she ends up winning most of the rides that i have seen her at. Her and her husband(? boyfriend?) were really great supporters all day and all year. Thanks Kristine!!

I believe he could be a very successful 50 miler and possibly an XP horse (XP, would i want to ride him for 4-5 days in a row, Yes. Could i ride him, physically day after day, maybe :)

I'll post the pics later and some more info.