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Re: [RC] RC:Core Temp - Truman PrevattHit the nail on the head Nik. After the 1992 Olympics were the staggering eventing horses were seen on television world wide - the IOC got concerned. Barcelona, Spain was heaven compared to what Atlanta, Georgia could be in August. The USOC went to the University of Georgia - should have gone to a real university like the University of Florida not some paper mill but that's a different story ;-) - to do extensive studies on heat dissipation and effective methods of cooling. UGA actually used some endurance rides in their study. It turns out that dissipation is the issue. It is the bottleneck and the faster you can get the heat dissipated - the better off you are.This lead to some of the more aggressive cooling protocols - ripping tack as soon as possible and huge amounts of cold water, ice on the juggler, etc. We didn't have staggering horses after the eventing in '96 - although that was about what the temp was. I remember a ride in N. GA some years ago in June. It was about 100 when we show up to camp. The humidity was high. The next day was cooler but the humidity higher. The crews had taken a lot of ice up the mountain to the check ( three on the mountain that day) for the 50. The use of ice packs on the juggler not only got your horse down - it cooled him to the point that he relaxed, rested and ate and drink well instead of worrying about somehow getting his core temp down. The vets had a brilliant idea that day - longer holds. True you had to go a little faster but if you cooled out your horse properly the longer holds were a God send. There are two issues in this type of conditions. Heat dissipation is the first issue. If this is not accomplished - nothing else matters. After that is proper (notice I said proper) balancing of electrolytes through supplementation. As what seems all to usual these days we have the extremes - shove 8 pounds down the gullet every chance we get and the total abstinence. Got to love the good old United States - we don't seem to be able to find the middle. We Americans seem more intent on justifying our stand than the welfare of our horses at times I fear. More likely it's a few 5 to 10 grams every 5 miles. But every horse is different and the art of riding a horse is to know exactly what to do when. As one that has taken a good friend to the local emergency room for "heart problems" while we were putting up fence in August only to have them hook him up to an IV with electrolytes and take him home a few hours later - electrolytes do matter. They especially matter in hot and humid conditions. PS a Kenyan marathoner can run anywhere any time - most are probably all related to Kip Keno or Tegla Loroupe and someone should do some DNA testing on the. I'm not sure they are human! Truman Nik Isahak Abdullah wrote: John, -- “Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us?” Justice William O. Douglas =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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