Hey Tami, Just be aware that the pinch test is not the best way to
tell how dehydrated your horse is at that moment. It's that last thing to
show evidence of dehydration and the last thing to recover and show
hydration. There are much better ways to check hydration, like jug refill,
cap refill, gut sounds, etc. Read up on it, ask ride vets, and riders that
have been around a while. A horse won't always drink when he needs
to. He can sweat away all his salt and that can make him completely quit
drinking. That's where electrolytes can save you. I live in South
Texas where it is hot and humid most of the time so I electrolyte
extensively. It's just about impossible to electrolyte too much down
here. I've seen horses die that either weren't getting electrolytes
or weren't getting good electrolytes. It's not as critical I've
been told in non humid areas but it's a matter of life and death
around here. I've read the stuff about ulcers and electrolytes and there
is just not enough information there to blame it on just the
electrolytes. Show horses get more ulcers than endurance horses and I
don't think they electrolyte those guys much. Anyway, keep in mind
that I haven't been doing this forever like some on this forum so I am still
learning. There is a wide variety of opinions
on how to electrolyte your horse. What you can do is get all the
information you can and make a decision that's best for your horse.
Talking to the ride vets at the ride you are going to will probably help the
most. Whatever you do, keep digging and getting all the info you
can. Don't just blow it off because electrolyting is messy and a pain
and your horse hates it. He'll hate being dead worse. (sorry, I
have a tendency toward drama, no really)
