Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Ridecamp Archives
ridecamp@endurance.net
[Archives Index]   [Date Index]   [Thread Index]   [Author Index]   [Subject Index]

[RC] Electrolytes - katswig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Truman said:


Electrolytes are lost in copious amounts by horses
in endurance rides. Electrolytes are essential and
are not stored in the system.


Well...this second statement is not entirely true.  While electrolytes ARE
essential, some of them ARE stored in the system.  Both calcium and
magnesium are stored by the horse in its bones.

I believe it is calcitonin that enables a horse to retrieve calcium from
the bones when needed, and since a high calcium diet suppresses calcitonin
production it is feeding a high calcium diet on a regular basis that is
indicated as a cause of "thumps."  Not so much a lack of stored calcium but
rather an inability to mobilize it from stores as needed.

I have not been able to find much information at all about if/how/under
what circumstances horses are able to store and/or retrieve magnesium in
the bones, but I do know that they can.

Personally, I wish I could find out more about magnesium, so if anybody
knows anything about it, please let me know.

kat
Orange County, Calif.

p.s.  With respect to electrolytes for endurance horses.  I have had way
more success in providing them by giving the horse food stuffs that have
electrolytes in them, than in shoving them down the horse's throat.

As a runner, I have found this to be more effective for myself to.  I don't
do "sports drinks" I eat potato chips and/or baked potatoes.  I used to eat
bananas for their potassium content until I found out that potatoes have
just as much potassium in them as bananas and I MUCH prefer the taste and
texture of potatoes.

When I did the 75 mile Ride & Tie, it was baked potatoes that saved me at
the 65 mile vet check.  Not just because of their electrolyte content and
their carbohydrate content (both of which were important and I was trying
to give myself along the trail with sports drink and dried fruit with no
success) but because of the "bulk."  I needed to FILL my gut.  If I had
taken the time to eat one of those potatoes at the 50 mile check, then the
last five miles into the 65 mile check probably wouldn't have been so hard.


From my own experience both with myself and with my horses, when it comes

to providing the essential nutrients (of which electrolytes are just a
fraction) for maintaining exercise over extended periods of time, the most
effective way to provide these is with food.  And if I and/or my horse
doesn't feel like eating, I need to take a break until we do.  Little
supplements of nutrient rich "concentrates" (e.g. electrolyte
drenches/sports drinks, Gu/Carbo-Charge) can help to stimulate appetitite
for the foods that contain enough of what we really need, but that in and
of themselves are not enough.


--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-