>Can a horse do the above too much for a future
in endurance riding? I watch my friend's horse, a seven year old Arabian
gelding, who will pee at least two times and pass manure 10-15 times in an hour
and half ride. Oh , the manure is always runny, mushy and very
wet. His manure in the paddock is always normal. This horse has a
healthy appetitie and drinks well. When we return home its obvious he
really wants to pee while he's on the cross ties and will fuss until someone
holds a bucket under him (he hates to splash himself).
Well, yes and no...
A horse with a properly filled hindgut WILL pass
manure with considerable frequency under saddle. But that said--it SHOULD
be of a normal consistency. If it is not (and what you describe is not),
the horse is losing fluids and lytes that he shouldn't be losing. The
question is WHY is he doing this? Does he have an underlying gut problem
of some sort? (I don't know Dr. Henneman, but she brought up some very
good points in her recent post with regard to what antibiotics and
stresses can do to the gut flora, leaving a horse that is "normal" but not
really quite right.) So I'd suggest exploring such areas as dental care,
possibly a purge deworming, possibly some dietary changes, and most likely some
probiotics. And some diagnostics might be in order as well--to see if
there is a low-grade ulcer, etc.
With regard to urination--are the kidneys
concentrating properly? Might be worth checking out.
That said--I also think some individuals simply get
so "wired" about doing anything that their metabolic functions are upset in the
process. Like Type A people, they probably continually jolt themselves
with adrenaline when working, and that triggers all sorts of hormonal responses
in the body that may not be conducive to long-term work. And I think this
trait also tends to run in families. We see it reflected in heart rates as
well--the ones that DON'T jolt themselves with adrenaline can be suspiciously
checking out the "new place" at a vet check, or calling to a buddy, or whatever,
but their heart rates are not particularly elevated by all the
"goings-on." On the other hand, the "Type A" ones may have heart rates go
sky high just because a buddy left, or a strange horse walked by, or something
blew by in the wind. If that is the case with this horse, he may not be as
well suited to distance riding as some.
