Vetting is compulsory for all Competitive Rides and will be carried out for all riders at the start and end of the ride and for distances of 40 miles or more, also during the ride.
Your horse will pass the vetting if it is sound and fit and has a heart rate of 64 beats per minute or less. On the final vetting, the lower the heart rate the more competitive you will be as this is an indicator of how fit your horse is and how well you have ridden. It is used, along with your ride speed, to calculate your points score.
All horses must be presented for vetting without boots (except hoof boots) or any other tack. All riders must be wearing their numbered bib.
Pre-ride:
Ensure you know your vet time and are punctual. Have your vet sheet correctly filled out in full (including registration numbers, bib number and any issues/marks on your horse which the vet may pick up on). Hand your vet sheet to the vet’s assistant (Vet Writer).
The vet will then listen to your horse’s heart rate using a stethoscope. The vet will listen to the heart beat, counting the beats over a one minute period. This will be the starting heart rate recorded on the vet sheet. Your Horses heart rate must be 64 beats or below.
The vet will usually check your horse over for lumps and bumps and sometimes listen to the gut sounds. You will then be asked to trot your horse away from the vet for 30m so that the vet can check for soundness. At the end of the 30m, turn your horse (with you on the outside so as not to obstruct the vet’s views) and trot back towards the vet.
The vet will then tell you whether you have passed or failed the vetting.
You now have 30 minutes to tack up and proceed through the start.
Post-ride:
Once you have passed through the finish, you have to present your horse to the vet within 30 minutes of finishing. You can present to the vet as soon as you want within this 30 minutes as you will know the optimum time for your horse to recover. It is your responsibility to ensure you are there on time.
The vet will go through the same procedures as the pre-ride vetting and maybe also conduct a hydration test.
For more information about the vetting procedures, please see the Sport Endurance rules.