Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Laurie Underwood jimmy@xxxxxxxxxxx
Wow guys, thanks for all of the great info!

Susan:  Thanks for the electrolyte suggestion.  I electrolyte heavily 
because of heat and humidity.  Before the ride, say on Thursday a.m., Lil 
gets one scoop of Appledex or similar feed-in electrolyte.  We continue 
that at each feeding until Sunday evening.  Then starting with the Friday 
before the ride, I dose her with Enduralites by Creative Science -- one 
scoop mixed with about two teaspons (not measuring) of baby food (usually 
carrots or sweet potatoes) with one measuring teaspoon of Morton Lite Salt 
added.  We continue this throughout the ride -- the morning of, at the vet 
check, the night after the ride and the morning after the ride.  Also, if 
it's really hot, like at the GERA ride, I'll also supplement all of that 
with a dose of Enduralytes at the vet check and after the ride.  After the 
May episode (which was the only time this has ever happened in the Spring 
-- these particular episodes have all occurred in the fall), I spoke with 
fellow riders and a couple of vets and decided to add the Se/Vitamin E 
supplement.

BTW, I usually warm up about 20 minutes before a ride, and I generally 
don't go out at a huge pace or with the front.  Up until last year, all of 
these particular cramping/tying up episodes had occurred on conditioning 
rides and all occurred almost at the onset of exercise -- after a few 
miles, the horse stops, sweating heavily with her left hind/flank area 
quivering to beat the band.  I am fortunate that Lil tells me to get off 
when she's in trouble instead of pushing on.

Susan and Heidi:  Should I contact the County agent for information on Se 
content?  I live in Columbia County, Georgia, but the hay usually comes 
from Morgan County, Georgia, which is about an hour west of here.  Also, I 
could have worded part of my post at little better.  When I said "is it 
even worth it" re the amount of Se I'm feeding, I should have asked if that 
amount is beneficial or if I should consider increasing it.

Thanks again for your help and your advice.

Laurie Underwood


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