Re: Hydration

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Plentiful and not dark sounds good to me.

 

The other thing to consider when deciding whether your horse is peeing enough compared to the next horse is, are the rations equivalent between the two?  All other things being equal, the horse getting more protein than he needs (ie, the one getting alfalfa) is going to pee more than the horse on adequate but not excessive protein rations, ie a grass hay diet.  The higher protein produces waste ammonia in the body, which is degraded to urea, which is excreted in the urine---even though the body may be dehydrated and *should* be conserving water. 

 

Anyway, I wouldn't spend time counting how often the horse pees---if it's plentiful and a nice straw color (not ice tea or darker), I'd say that's fine.

 

Susan G

----- Original Message -----

From: Vallonelee@aol.com

To: Ridecamp@endurance.net

Sent: Friday, September 07, 2001 1:32 PM

Subject: RC: Hydration

Okay now you guys have me wondering.  All three of my horses don't pee all
that much put together.  I would have to say that in a 50 mile ride my older
guy (17 year old QH, 15.3H) may pee 3 times; the youngster (just turned 6,
14.3 Arab) may go 3-4 times, and my mare (9 year old, 1/2 QH, 1/2 Arab, 15H)
probably twice.  The most recent ride I did was the Norco Riverdance and we
finished in just under 7 hours with excellent hydration.  His urine was
plentiful and not dark.  So are my horses odd or what ????

Lee