Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

The knowledge you have in your head is just as good, no, better, than 
what all the new gadgets can give.  The choices available now in hoof 
coverings, saddles and other stuff are really nice though.  and science 
can now give us names and explanations for what goes wrong (sometimes!) 
and that's good.
Laney

Mom Alexander wrote:
> I've been seeing a lot lately about overhydration and the use of elytes 
> and IV's etc.,
>  and at first I was very concerned and thought about how I've been using 
> elytes.  It made me think back to 1979 (yes, I'm that old), my first 
> endurance ride.  I was in my late teens, I was riding a 21 year 
> old Standardbred that I had been doing 3 day eventing on for years and 
> decided to give endurance a try.  We didn't have heart monitors (or at 
> least the group I was with didn't have access to them), we didn't use 
> electrolytes (except in our feed at the end of the ride), beet pulp was 
> for cows,  we didn't load any carbs, we didn't have easy boots.......
> we just rode our horses, watched them closely, carried our stethoscopes 
> and a watch with a second hand (no digital watches yet),  knew how to 
> check our horses hydration the old fashioned way, fed hay at every stop, 
> let them drink as much as THEY wanted, and let them rest if they needed 
> it........and that was the way it was.  I am just now getting back into 
> it, and learning about all this new technology and using elytes and 
> special feeds... it kind of scares me.  I know knowledge is a good thing 
> and the horses now can go much  farther  and are in better condition, 
> but I do long for the good old days.  I've decided to use parts of the 
> new stuff and keep some of the old stuff until I feel more comfortable 
> with it all.  (I'm getting some Epic boots, but I will not use elytes 
> during a ride, however I will use beet pulp, but not a HRM...I'm staying 
> with my trusty old stethoscope and watch, and I'm going to try to have 
> fun and enjoy my horse.)  Don't get me wrong, I read everything and want 
> to be up on the latest science has to offer, but until I truly 
> understand it, I feel I can do more harm than good , and I would never 
> do that to my horse.  There's an old saying.....A little knowledge is 
> dangerous.....


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