Are you going to check every last corner of every last stall in every last barn before you decide it’s lights out because you want to leave? If not, you are potentially putting someone in a dangerous position. But you’re probably ok with that I guess. Lights out when you think they should be out is the ultimate importance.
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This is the biggest reason to not water random horses you are not associated with.
I need to know if my horse is not drinking. A random unknown person watering and not saying something can lead to lots of panic about a horse not drinking enough.
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A thought about pulling water before competing…
It’s a common thing to do when it comes to racing and barrel racing. Because some horses are on Lasix. Because they are either known bleeders, or someone is concerned about bleeding risks.
I think Lasix (furosemide) is on the list of prohibited medications for USEF competition… but potentially permitted with MRF and a specific withdrawal time. I’m not going to claim to know the rulebook inside or out. Other people who know more can certainly speak to it.
But when water is withheld, it’s possible that there is something going on with a horse other than just a cowboy tactic because the horse behaves poorly. Although, unfortunately, that is a thing as well.
Anyway… always best to report concerns to officials. For multiple potential reasons. That’s their role.
We must be doing it wrong then. We have a couple of horses who race on Lasix. We never withhold water before they go for their shots, or after either. Lasix makes them pee, a lot! We don’t want them to dehydrate.
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Turns out a big reason why literally every horse runs on lasix where allowed has less to do with them being bleeders and a lot more with the fact that lasix as diuretic makes that horse lose water weight and be lighter during the race. Withholding water might have the same effect or increase weight loss prerace. But it’s not an allowed substance FEI or USEF.
@sascha even in my own barn, I check before turning lights out. Some barns (or aisles) are rather big these days and it’s not obvious when they are truly empty of people. The poster above who is turning off barn lights while she does night check, literally said she checks the barn/aisle for people before turning off lights. I mean at some point the lights have to go off, right? There’s really no other way to do it.
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I’m not trying to claim that it’s the “right” way to administer it. Just have read that withholding water in conjunction with administration is a known practice.
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That’s a fair point regarding the performance enhancing aspect when it comes to racing.
However… some horses also have issues related to EIPH.
It is a prohibited substance per USEF… but is also on the potentially permitted list with MRF and 24 hour withdrawal. At least as of 2023. Maybe that has changed more recently.
I have no idea of individual circumstances for a horse that would apply to a potentially permitted use of Lasix with an MRF and a 24 hour withdrawal… I’m not a vet.
If you ever do decide to give USEF rated shows a try, you’ll quickly learn to ask before you take it upon yourself to do things that affect other people and their horses, no matter how well meaning.
About McConnon, still nothing from the FEI or USEF.
Mc Connon is listed as the owner of Wakita 54, so it looks as if there is no removing that horse from him. Top Gun has a new rider and the other owner’s FEI and National horses haven’t been out since August. Burghley was McConnon’s last time out.
I think I remember someone on this thread saying that he had horses in training for other owners after the abuse allegations were made pulic. Is that still true?
I hope the silence by the FEI is due to an ongoing investigation. If he’s dragging out the proceedings with an attorney, it could be awhile until we know anything.
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Yeah, except if there are set hours, “lights out time,” why? The possibility of missing someone in the dark is real. The danger of the horses having lights on for another 1/2 hour until official light out time is, um, zero.
People in stabling can be very easy to miss. Three of us walked past the first stall in the barn door yesterday and said hello to the horse and carried on. I happened to turn around and only then saw part of the owner behind the horse who was standing on an angle and realized all three of us had been inadvertently rude. If it had been a quick check at night - breeze through from one end to the other - that person would have been missed.
The other week I got caught in a power outage while crouched in a tight space right up against a hind leg. That was no fun at home. Having that happen at a show because someone was worried about an extra 15 minutes of lights out time? I’d be right pissed.
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I’ve been in barns that have lights on timer switches, longest “on” available was 30 minutes. It was infuriating.
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WTF! I can understand wanting to (if you have a bunch of boarders who just can’t remember to turn them off), but how is that a good idea? I can’t imagine dealing with a sick horse or multiple other things and having to run back to turn on the lights again.
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I was in middle of a standing wrap when they kicked off. It was memorable because I was so pissed off.
The barn is public use when it isn’t hosting a show, so I’m guessing they had problems. Still, I wish there was an override that they could switch and then lock in a position. Super, duper annoying.
Myself and other competitors quickly learned to just hit the button to reset to 30 every single time we passed the switch, whether it was close or not.
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On a lighter note, that’s one way to test your wrapping skills I guess? 
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Oh I flunked. I was being an idiot and didn’t have my horse tied, she moved, and that sealed the deal. 
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I likely would have not had my horse tied either and would have flunked too. 
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Anyone seen the posts on Facebook/TikTok about another professional with the initials L.G? It’s only one video that’s been reposted of her beating a horse but gained little to no traction. Not to the level as AM but still disappointing to see.
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Yes, and I’ll add that I put electrolytes in my horse’s water at events, so if someone dumps the water or even just refills it without me knowing, I’ll assume she hasn’t had her electrolytes and is at risk of dehydration on xc. I need to know how much she drank, ate, pooped etc - don’t go in her stall or touch anything!
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Because the shows I go to don’t have lights out hours and people leave them on. They would be on all night if I didn’t turn them off. Not only is it not fair to my horses, it’s not fair to any horses. I’m sure people do night check and leave them on because there are other people there and everyone thinks someone else will do it. I spend a minimum of 20 minutes doing night check (including hand walking my horses by all the barns) and I don’t turn the lights off until I’m on my way out. I promise you I’m not missing anyone in the stalls.
@endlessclimb while I agree that 30 minutes is too short for lights to turn off automatically, I plan to have timers in my next barn, or at the very least, a set time that the lights turn off every night. Unfortunately people can’t be trusted to be responsible so that’s what has to happen. I was at a barn that had manual timers (like an egg timer) with a max time of 2 hours and they were great. If you were still there doing chores, you could spin the timer and extend the time at any point, but they would always turn off after a max of 2 hours. I wish all show grounds had them.
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That is because you only attend local shows.
USEF shows have rules by which people must abide. If one day you move up to rated shows you’ll find that it is not OK to break the rules because you mean well, and before you learn what the rules are.
If/when you ever move up to rated competition you will find that the people showing there do not need you to decide who can “be trusted” by you to follow the rules. There are many, many, people, who show at rated shows who abide by the rules and have done so for decades.
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This is something you do because you only compete in local, unrated shows.
What you do at local shows has nothing to do with USEF rated shows. The light rules, the drug rules, the Safe Sport rules, and the all of the other multitude of rules, are for rated shows.
You can ride rough shod over all of them at your local shows. It’s not necessarily the good thing that you seem to think it is.
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