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Earlier this year for the first time ever, Malik experienced an arrythmia.
I "suspect" it was high humidity which we were still conditioning for and
not accustomed to at the time.  We had been to several rides already with no
problem.  At the ride where it was first noted, we had been unable to
purchase the alfalfa hay that we normally buy for our rides and so only had
some nice grass hay to offer him (the guy had sold out his barn including
the bales he had set aside for my rides!).  It affected him.  I wasn't sure
how or why.  A vet at a later ride pointed out that a lack of calcium can
cause it.  Some horses use more or less of some of the e'lytes and if for
whatever reason Malik was using up more calcium then we needed to supplement
more of that with his normal e'lytes.  We don't normally e'lyte what you
would call a lot.  We use small, frequent doses as long as they are EDPP.
Anyway, I had a helluva time this summer buying the kind of alfalfa I
wanted...lots around but all in round bales, nothing in squares.  I tried to
solve the problem in several ways...I bought alfalfa pellets and started
adding it to his slurry.  I also bought Tums which he refused to eat.  I
bought alfalfa cubes, too which he did enjoy esp. finding them still crunchy
in his slurry.  I also bought calcium gluconate (for milk fever in cattle)
for "in case".  The alfalafa pellets and cubes have really done the trick,
haven't had to use the calcium gluconate but have it if I need it.  I did
find some decent alfalfa which seems to be all we need but still have some
alfalfa pellets/cubes in there anyway.  The trick is to only add the extra
stuff at the ride....don't feed it at home.  It has worked for us.
Miles of smiles,
Maggie


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