July 2010 Reader Athlete – Dr. Heather Hoyns

By
Sky Barsch Gleiner
Posted June 30th, 2010

Age: 55
Residence: West Windsor
Family: Single
Occupation: Equine vet
Primary sport: Endurance riding
VS: You’re competing in the Vermont 100 Endurance Ride in July. How do you prepare for a 100-mile horseback ride?
HH: I start with a horse who is at least seven years old, has had two seasons of competitive trail riding, and has completed several 50-mile endurance rides. This means that the horse has a good base; that his bones, tendons, ligaments, hooves, muscles, heart, and lungs already have a degree of fitness. I start riding seriously (planned rides at pre-determined distance and speed) in February. That means riding or ponying (leading the horse alongside another horse that is being ridden) the horse three to four days per week, about an hour, twice a week, and one-and-a-half to three hours on one or two other days. Distance ranges from 5 miles early in the season to 15 to 25 later on. I’ll usually do the first 50-mile endurance ride of the season in late March. During the competition season, the 50-mile rides serve as longer conditioning rides. The horse then gets a week off from work after each competition. A horse will do one endurance ride about every three to four weeks. I try to do one 50-mile ride three to four weeks before the 100. Most of my weekday rides are done by myself, but a few of us do try to get together on weekends to ride, and we’ll try to trailer to a different location so the horses don’t become bored with the same training route.
VS: Do you do any cross training?
HH: With the horses, we do some dressage to help with flexibility, and some interval training for heart and lungs. I do some treadmill running, stretching, and some moderate weight lifting.
VS: Do you ride the same horse the entire way?
HH: Yes, you do.
VS: How long does it take to complete the course?
HH: For a 100-mile ride, the fastest time I’ve done is 8 hours and 15 minutes. The rides allow you up to 24 hours, and there are a number of veterinary stops along the way.
VS: So someone is checking on the horses.
HH: Every 10 to 20 miles there is a veterinary check for metabolic soundness, and to make sure the horse is not lame. There’s a rest period while you’re there, it’s anywhere from 15 minutes to a half hour.
VS: What’s your horse’s name, and what breed is she?
HH: The mare I’m currently riding for the 100 miles, her full name is Wileaway Farahs Comet. She’s a 10-year-old Anglo-Arabian.
VS: Are most of the endurance horses Arabs?
HH: Yes, they are usually Arabs or part Arabs. They are narrow and deep, allowing more room for the heart and lungs, so they are designed to go long distances. Their blood vessels are closer to the skin; like thoroughbreds, they are considered hot-blooded, so they cool off faster. And they generally have good feet. Other horses that you see are mustangs, Morgans, appaloosas, and a lot of cross-breeds with Arabs. That’s not to say other breeds couldn’t do it, but these breeds tend to be more genetically disposed.
VS: What kind of tack do you use?
HH: I use a special endurance saddle called a sports saddle. Some people ride with English tack, some people with Western.
VS: Is it synthetic material or leather?
HH: Mine’s leather. A lot of the rest of the tack is synthetic, because the horses get so sweaty. The synthetic material is really easy to clean—you can just throw it in the dishwasher.
VS: What pace do you ride?
HH: You’re trotting or cantering most of the time. If the terrain dictates, you’re going to walk, such as a steep hill.
VS: Can you describe the Vermont 100?
HH: Originally the Vermont 100 didn’t have any runners in it. It was just horses. But we added the runners, at the request of, and at the benefit for,Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. It’s the only ride in the country at this point that’s held concurrently with the runners. This ride is one of the few rides that has multiple out-crew locations. We do one big loop. Many of the other rides cloverleaf back to a main area, which is easier for the vet checks. We leave out of the field in West Windsor, cross the Taftsville bridge and go over to Pomfret. Then we ford the Ottauquechee River, and the runners go over the bridge. Then we go to South Woodstock, up through Reading, down into Cavendish, back through Reading, and then up Heartbreak Hill. Then we head on over to the other side of West Windsor. By then it’s dark for most people. We finish up passing by the Old Prison Farm, up a trail, across the Hartland-Brownsville Road, and up the “trail of the Bloodhound,” through the woods lined with glow-stick-lit, water-filled milk jugs to the finish!
VS: Who passes who, the runners or the horses?
HH: The winning horses overall move faster, but they have mandatory hold times. The runners don’t have that hold time. So we pass the runners, then they pass us in the hold, then we pass them again.
VS: Why do you do these rides? What do you like about them?
HH: I love going to different places and seeing different people. And I love just going out and the challenge of doing it. And the horses enjoy it. People think it’s too much for the horses, but they love it.
VS: Where have you traveled to for these rides?
HH: I’ve been to Utah, Montana, Idaho, Florida, North and South Carolina, Canada.
VS: When did you start riding?
HH: Many years ago. I did 4-H in high school. I did my first endurance ride in veterinary school.
VS: What has been your favorite ride, or the ride that you feel most proud of?
HH: My favorite has always been the Old Dominion down in Virginia. They’ve moved the course three times, and I’ve ridden it in all three places. It’s just a fabulous group of people, and like the Vermont 100, it’s one of the big loop rides as well. Some people don’t like that ride because the terrain is rough, it’s quite rocky. The views are spectacular, you’re in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the views from the top are just incredible. With that terrain, you’re not going to do it in eight hours.
VS: How did you get introduced to horses?
HH: I was a kid and liked horses. I was always saying, “Mommy, Daddy, I want to do riding lessons.” I got a horse for my 15th birthday. I took that horse on the 100-mile Old Dominion when he was 22.
VS: What do you enjoy about being a vet?
HH: Pretty much everything. I just love working on horses. They’re really, really neat animals. They have such interesting personalities. And I love the variety of things we do with them.
VS: You mentioned you are a lapsed Master gardener—how did you learn?
HH: When I was in vet school one summer, I ended up rooming with a local woman who was trail riding and competing. She had a friend who did vegetable farming, but he also was a computer techie. He got this contract that started that summer, and he wasn’t able to be around much, so she and I took over the business for the summer. It was a way for him to not lose his business and for us to make some extra money. Then, when I moved up here to Vermont, I took the very first Master gardeners course offered in Vermont.
VS: Do you prefer vegetable or flower gardening?
HH: I love vegetable gardening because I love eating them. The flowers are pretty, so I always end up throwing some flowers in my vegetable garden.