 |
RE: [RC] Study on electrolyte/ulcers - heidiI can remember more than one ride where a new person was standing in a vet check with a horse whose pulse was hanging saying, "What are electrolytes?" Angie, why do you ASSUME that such scenarios could only be due to lack of e-lytes?? There are many, many reasons why a horse can be standing at a vet check with a hanging pulse--inadequate energy levels, pain, simply overridden.... Everybody says, "imagine putting that dose in *your* mouth. Well heck, imagine walking over to the salt block and biting off a chunk and enjoying it. They do that too. I know that when I come in from a loop the first thing I grab is my can of Pringles. I don't eat a lot of salty stuff on an average day, but can't get enough during a ride. I remember one of our better front running horses who would spit his electrolytes out and the rider quit competing him because he kept getting in trouble without them. A horse that can't compete without them probably shouldn't. Just my nickel's worth. But don't equate your Pringles craving with stuffing OUNCES of e-lytes down a horse's gullet straight into his empty stomach. Your Pringles are food that contains salt. On those occasions when horses DO need e-lytes, they SHOULD be taking them in food as well--and if they won't eat the food, I'd question their ability to go on anyway. Don't assume that the only reason any of us do this is that everyone else does. We're not such sheep. How so? At the risk of sounding like Tom, how do you KNOW that your horse needs e-lytes? Have you looked at other possibilities? Have you run bloodwork? If there's proof that electrolytes horses have more digestive problems, etc. bring it on, but don't forget to weigh it against problems caused by not electrolyting when there are problems. Certainly some horses need them--in moderation. I saw all the "proof" I needed at the '97 PanAm when the horses receiving the heaviest doses of e-lytes were the ones in the treatment barn. I'm picturing that line up of 100's at the Biltmore ride. GORGEOUS horses at the top of their form...and all full of electrolytes. I'm picturing my horses dragging me around eating grass ravenously after a ride. They've had a lot of electrolytes and it doesn't seem to stop them from eating. No sign of upset stomachs, talking to me for their grain. If you don't want to use them, fine, but the non-electrolyte people start to sound a lot like the "no shoes" people. It's not a religion you know. Angie, no one is suggesting making it a religion--certainly not me. Quite the opposite--I'm simply tired of the religious-sounding litany that seems to be repeated ad nauseum that "if you don't e-lyte you can't do this sport." And that blind adherence to something that most riders and many vets don't even understand fully has done as much or more damage in my experience than going without. My point is that you need to KNOW what your horse needs. And NO horse "needs" e-lytes at the entry level of the sport. If e-lytes are his "limiting factor" at that point, he is being overridden, plain and simple. Horses need to get into the sport far enough to acclimate before there is even enough information about them to have a clue about whether or not they need them. FWIW, we are starting the third season on a horse that "may" need e-lytes--if so, he will be our first. But we have enough other holes in his program that the verdict still isn't in yet. If that proves to be his limitation, he will most certainly get them. My other little guy that has been going just a tad longer has no need for them whatsoever--what he needs is NOTHING that interferes with his food intake. E-lyting him would be counterproductive. The whole point of this is that no one should just ASSUME that their horse's limitation is e-lytes--they should try to fully understand that individual horse, and use what is appropriate TO THAT HORSE, not just stick stuff in him because, "Gee, the lineup at Biltmore is just FULL of electrolytes..." THAT is sheep-like thinking for sure. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|