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For those of you who know more chemistry (and perhaps biology) than I
do, I am curious to find out more about where, besides the waters of
Epsom, England, magnesium sulfate can be found.

I know (from a friend of mine who grows plants commercially) that
magnesium sulfate is a common soil addative for assorted plants (which
is why you can buy it at gardening shops in large quantities for small
sums of money).  And it is my understanding (yes, I know I started the
sentence with a conjunction, I did it on purpose) that the reason for
using it as a soil additive is to provide the plants with magnesium.
Which some plants like? require? (those of you who know more about
gardening than I do will also know better why/when you might want to use
it as an additive).

My question is this:  Since magnesium sulfate is on the list of
prohibited substances in the AERC drug policy, could I inadvertently be
giving magnesium sulfate to my horse by feeding it a plant (like alfalfa
hay?) that contains a lot of magnesium because it contains the magnesium
in the form of the chemical compound magnesium sulfate?  I know that
alfalfa hay contains magensium, I strongly suspect that it also contains
some sulphur, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least that one of the
forms that magnesium takes in alfalfa hay is magnesium sulfate.  But I
don't know; it wouldn't surprise me to discover that it doesn't either.
Or does it depend on what type of soil it is grown in?

I would hate to run afoul of the AERC's drug rule because I fed my horse
hay that contains magnesium sulfate.

kat
Orange County, Calif.
:)

p.s.  Personally, I consider it irrelevant that there is no way to test
my horse to see if it had been given magnesium sulfate.  If magnesium
sulfate is a prohibited substance, I shouldn't be giving it to my horse
whether I think I might get caught doing it or not.  Although it does
rather beg the question of "withdrawl time" since it is impossible (or
at least it would be very imprudent) for me to withdraw my horse from
magnesium and sulphur.  Just how long before a ride am I not allowed to
give magnesium sulfate to my horse?





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