Electrolytes

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Miguel Maal miguel@supertube.com.br
For Lynn M. Crespo
 
Dear Mrs Crespo,
 
I read your contribution to FAQ/ Endurance net, regarding Electrolytes to be supplied to the horses in Endurance races, and founfd it very interesting. In fact I was very impressed by your clear explanations.
 
I am involved in Endurance riding in Brasil, and most of the races here are under extreme conditions, 90 farenheit and more than 80% of humidity, being the main problem to finish the competition. Besides I have observed that horses conditions during and at the end of the race varies very much, some good and many very bad.
 
I consider of maximum importance to maintain a good condition of the horse, since he should feel very bad when suffering of Potassium depletion.
 
Let me ask your help in preparing a mixture as the one you mention to be using with your horses, that I would like to test it here.
I will apreciate if you could email me the proportions of K, Na, Cl, and Mg, that I should use and what compunds I should use to provide such elements. 
 
From your article, I understood that you are supplying mainly K, however I do not know what the Equilytes are and its composittion (wich other elements it contains). Besides I do not know the relation betwen the K+ (in mg) and the actual weight in grams of the compound containig the K. 
 
For example you say that one teaspoon of KCl (about 10 grams) contain 2240 mg of K+. it would be a great help for me if you could explain  how to calculate the contents of cations, in order I can prepare the mixture here.
 
Local available mixtures usually contains NaCl, KCl, Calcium carbonate, some Magnesium compund and some of them have Potassium Sulphate. Usually the proportion of K to Na is 1 to 3, it means 3 times more Na than Potassium, and the proportion of Na to Cl is 1 to 2 aproximately.
 
Other aspect is the sacarose, glycose or dextrose content in the mixture, I understand that you do not recomend to include it, since you use unsweetened apple sauce, pls comment if posible.
 
Thanks in advance for your help, and look forward to hear from you
 
Miguel Maal