Ridecamp: [RC] electrolyte recipe

>> he offered a few 
> recipes and so did some of the riders that spoke, but I have 
> misplaced them.  I was hoping to find some here.  

1 cup salt
1 cup lite salt
1/2 cup calcium (crushing Tums in a coffee grinder works)
One dose = one 35mm film canister.


Also when is the 
> best time to give your horse electrolytes and are there definite 
> times when you should not give them?  

I give them the night before, the morning before, and if it's hot and I'm
moving on every hour.  If it's cool I may just give them at vet checks...
no more than 15 miles without a dose though.  There's a lot of educated
people who say give them sooner, and give them after competition. I
probably should, but I just hate to bother him.

>I seem to remember the 
> recipies haveing mostly dry indredients so my next question is HOW  do
I give it if it on the trail if it is not pastey like the store 
> bought? 

You can carry a dry dose in a 35mm film canister and mix it with water at
a stream if you like. I think most of this comes back out though.  It's
also sort of hard to mix it...Do you pour the dry in from the top, then
add water on top and let it stop up the end? Do you pour the dry in and
then replace the plunger, then suction water up into it? What are the
odds you'll do this without the horse yanking and making you spill it?
(slim to none for me)  He also seems to spit most of it out when I use
water.

I prefer to mix yogurt or applesauce (2 good sized teaspoons + one dose
electrolytes) and then scoop it into a 60cc irrigation syringe.  I have
put duct tape over the end of the syringe to keep it plugged, then stood
it inside a baggie and put that in my pack.  Problem with this is when
the duct tape sticks too well and I'm trying to hurry because nobody else
stopped to dose and I become very frustrated and practically bite the tip
off the syringe to get it out. 

I tried mixing a bunch and keeping it in a waterbottle, then squirting it
into the syringe. I actually did this at a trot at the National
Championships but don't recommend it.  I found that a waterbottle of
electrolyes is really heavy, and it leaves a funny taste later when your
daughter tries to use that bottle at a basketball game. 

The syringes are important.  I tried buying 60cc syringes and nothing
would come out.  Turned out I bought them with tiny tips that were meant
to attach to a needle.  Teddy of Running Bear has nice big ones with
large tips.  Someone told me they're called irrigation syringes and you
can get them at medical supply stores.  They come with little plastic
tips that would probably keep the stuff inside but I lose those at the
first ride I use them in.  My recommendation is, mix them, put the tip on
the end which *you* vow not to lose. Stand them in a sturdy freezer type
bag in your pack.  Hopefully that will work. 

By the way, the older articles recommend all sorts of ways to give them.
I've tried Turkey Basters...he bit the plastic one and broke it. With the
stainless steel one it was impossible to tell when the stuff went in and
the top came off too much.  I tried cutting the top off a squeeze-it
drink bottle.  Messy. Can't beat the syringe.  I buy enough syringes to
mix all mine the night before and put them in the cooler. One less thing
to worry about.






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