 |
[RC] E'lytes...Overeating at Vet Checks (horses) - frank solanoBruce Weary wrote:
"The vets can probably
comment on whether the type of feed has any effect, but Matthew Mackay-Smith, the medical editor of Equus magazine, feels it is a viable theory. Now, to put it in perspective, a ruptured stomach is a rare event, like a broken leg or falling off a cliff.".... ....but, a theory, nonetheless, Bruce.
So, I'd still prefer a horse who I had to watch more carefully because I was concerned he might be eating too much forage, or drinking too much water.
All things being equal (which they never are), a horse NOT being offered appropriate amounts of forage, FIRST, and then the amazing concoctions endurance riders come up with is probably going to have a problem.
Certainly a horse who ate too much of certain things, as they are wont to do, such as sweet feeds, alfalfa and the like, is more than likely going to experience an adverse reaction to it, such as "dying", or some other approximation of Ill-Effects-Due-To-Human/Horse-Interaction...(IEDH/HI.
How the horse is prepared and how the trail is ridden, how the goals are pursued on the day of an endurance endeavor, are STILL the major determinants as to the majority of ill-effects a horse might experience due to endurance aspirations.
In my estimation, it is what happens on the trail that will dictate the outcome of the day more than whether a horse eats (if that's possible) too much at a vet check. I say, feed'em up (forage/variety-hays) and get back down the trail with smart intent and an honest assessment of what the horse is capable of on that day.
Thanks for asking, Bruce about my ability to ride horses again. Yes, I ride every day...some working the Wildcat Hills for miles and some schooling on the flat....so I am almost completely physically recuperated. Now, if I had a horse trailer, I'd probably be able to get to some rides, too. That day will come.
Frank Solano
#8422
|