Ridecamp: [RC] Rider hydration & human electrolytes

Flora Hillman capella@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Regarding human hydration during endurance rides:

While water bottles are fine for most casual rides, Camelback water packs are the most expedient means of getting fluids into the endurance rider AT THE PRECISE MOMENT THE RIDER NEEDS/DESIRES IT.  If a rider has to worry about freeing one hand to extract a bottle from a holder, flicking (or pulling) open the top, and tilting the head back to drink  -- all the while trying to maintain control over an often less-than-cooperative equine who has it?s own time/speed/control agenda -- then, more often then not, a rider will ?wait? for a ?better? time to drink.  Not a good idea -- especially if that moment fails to materialize before the rider begins to get far too thirsty.

One drawback to the camelback are the carriers that are designed to be carried on the rider's back. I absolutely REFUSE to carry ANYTHING on my back because it DOES affect the rider?s balance and staying power due to the possibility of fatigued shoulder and back muscles. Thus said, I went to my local biking store and purchased the smaller 32 oz. capacity bladder that fits right in any of the available equine cantle packs on the market.  Put the empty bladder in the saddle pack, and fill it from there.  The opening of the bladder is wide enough to accommodate ice cubes for those long, hot rides, and will help keep your water nice and cold.

Close the zipper of the pack leaving just enough space for the drinking tube to be run out of either side -- right or left -- that is most comfortable for you to reach down and retrieve it.   Even tho the cantle bag is at fanny level, the drinking hose is long enough to easily reach the rider?s mouth while the rider is either in the saddle OR while walking alongside the horse.  The hose clip can grab any available surface spot on the saddle (front or back) -- out of the way of the rider, but keeping the hose within immediate reach when needed.   I don?t coil my tube, but rather give it one twist to have it fall in a figure 8 pattern that lies flat agaist my pony's side.  It is less likely to catch on anything, yet immediately straightens out the second I bring the tube to my mouth.

 I found that all the ?junk? I originally carried in my pony?s saddle pack (including trail snacks) was easily relegated to a small foxhunter's leather pack hung on the side of my saddle, and an extremely lightweight, small nylon ?fanny pack? that I wear around my waist (holding my rider card, the ride map, whistle, chewable antihistamines  (for bee stings or bug bites), hoof pick, and a few sundry odds and ends.

That left my particular saddle pack which is a modified hunter?s waist pack redesigned to slip over the back of my saddle's cantle. You can pick up these hunter waistpacks from Wal-Mart or K-mart for about $10.  They have a HUGE amount of interior room  free to carry (in the front) the camelback (filled with half water/half Gatorade, along with ice cubes depending upon the heat and humidity), and an Easyboot in the rear compartment, as well as the two water battles (one with 100% water, the other with 100% Gatorade) on either end of the pack.  I learned long ago that most of what we carry is expendable -- but water is NOT.

The major drawback to camelbacks is the difficulty of cleaning them.  They are just not designed for it!! However, I?ve found a way to keep mine fresh and sparkling clean with virtually no effort at all.

Cleaning the tube is easy -- just go to your local sporting goods store and buy a gun stock cleaner.  (For those who are unfamiliar with this product, the stock (or gun barrel) cleaner is a series of narrow screw together rods with a small, flexible plastic tip that can hold a tiny wad of  soft cotton material for running down the inside barrel of a gun to clean the interior.  My husband suggested this tip, and it works like a charm!). It is the perfect size and length for cleaning the inside of the drinking tube.

Second, to prevent the buildup of black fungus in the bladder (because no matter how hard you try to  dry it, you just can?t get at all those hard to reach interior corners without a great deal of effort, and plastic is the perfect breeding ground for fungus and rot) simply STORE YOUR CAMELBACK IN THE FREEZER after you?ve rinsed it out.  Then, when you want to use it, bring it out and set it on the counter for a few moments.  Any water in it will immediately thaw, and the plastic will immediately become as pliable and soft as before.  No muss, no fuss ?. no black rot.


Regarding human electrolytes:

Just as it is important to chose AND USE the correct electrolytes for YOUR particular horse, you need to consider the same for the rider.   In my research (and use) of a number of electrolytes for my Welara pony, I?ve found that for his hydration/gut/performance levels to be at their peak, Perform ?N Win is heads and tails the best of the pack. At the same time I?ve also found that (for the rider) ?Pedialyte? is arguably the most exceptional human electrolyte product on the market.  It is SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED to replace fluid and electrolytes in humans, and was developed for children who are suffering from diarrhea and vomiting. As a result, it is OUTSTANDING in it?s ability to immediately replace the key electrolytes that riders lose while competing.

Pedialyte (by Abbot Laboratories, Inc) can be found at any grocery or drug store in the children?s section, and is packaged in lightweight 8oz plastic bottles that can be carried in the saddle pack.  It comes ready to drink in a cherry flavor that is pleasant and not overly sweet -- just enough to encourage a sick child (we all know how picky THEY are!) or a thirsty adult to happily swig it down. The only drawback is the twist-off top that doesn?t allow it to be closed once open.

I found I only needed to drink half of the bottle (4 ozs) mid-way through a 50 mile ride (and I ride in the VA-MD-NC area of the NE where heat and humidity are constant companions with the advent of summer), and then finish the remaining 4 ozs off at the end of the ride.

My stamina and ?ability to go on? increased 100%, and I?ve found that I?m almost as fresh and ready at the end of a 50 mile ride as I was at the start -- and that includes all the getting off and running/walking with my pony when the trail demands it.

In closing, DON'T underestimate the fact that you are <underline> 50% of the partnership with your horse </underline> during an endurance ride, and taking care of yourself is JUST AS IMPORTANT as taking care of your mount.  Always.


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