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Re: [RC] [RC] - heidiYes I believe the symtomatology sounds to me like heat stroke.Horse brains and human brains are made by the same Maker using almost the same template anyway.Given the same biochemical and physical insults there are really limited ways in which they manifest outwardly.Con vulsuions and in this case further enhanced by the electrolyte im balance following fliud loss,extreme physical exertion etc etc. I think the real key here is electrolyte imbalance. We do see a quite a number of convulsions following endurance rides in our early days of doing endurance here on ex race thoroughbreds ,now very very rare as people in the endurance scene start importing more Arabs namely from our distant neigbour Down Under. Again, horses that retain the classical traits from selection as desert mounts to begin with are metabolically better suited to these conditions. The ability to regulate intracellular and extracellular electrolytes is an innate trait--that's genetics. One would not want to take a horse unconditioned to the ambient conditions, certainly. But likewise all the conditioning in the world will not make up for the lack of the innate ability. It takes both. You guys have thousands to choose from,so a lot of permutation s and combinations to play around.Even if Doc Heidi's theory about the much changed USA Arabian horse is right your sheer number of choice will certainly override this. The problem here is staying AWAY from the "combinations and permutations" and sticking with the horses that still reflect the classical desert traits. (And no, this isn't always an argument for purebreds, either--the "old" traditional lines of many breeds maintained this aspect of their Arabian ancestors as well, as long as they were bred to be riding mounts. Since capability under saddle is no longer a hallmark in ANY breed, even the Arabian, one has to go back and look for individuals that have maintained those traits in the face of selective pressure away from them.) Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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