Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Title: Re: [RC] RC:Core Temp

I've wondered about people using ice water, mostly with regards to the hindquarters.  I don't have any real personal experience endurance wise as I'm fairly new to the sport.  However, back a few years ago, the use of ice was one of the nasty little tricks in 4H market lamb competitions.  People would ice the hindquarters of the lambs to tighten up the muscles and make them feel more massive/compact/etc for when the judges manuely assessed the lambs.  The practice has mostly been suspended and any lambs that feel cold are disqualified.  I'd assume that you'd have to have pretty darn cold water with tons of ice to cause a real problem but it still make me a bit nervous.

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From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of rides2far@xxxxxxxx
Sent: Thu 2007-03-22 19:26
To: drnikisahak@xxxxxxxxxxx; ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [RC] RC:Core Temp

> 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 the big news after the Univ. of GA studying us at Biltmore was
you could use ice water, and it wasn't a problem in our sort of weather
to put water over the horse's back & rump. I still wouldn't put *ice*
water up there but no problem with pouring a bucket of water down their
back and them hitting them with the sweat scrapers & doing it again. That
had always been an absolute no no before.

On the core temp, it's important to take temps at these rides. Our vets
don't get all excited about a panter he's disipating heat.  SHADE SHADE
SHADE!!!! Don't stand a horse out in the sun even if you are putting
water on. A breeze  really helps. At the Olympics they brought in the big
6' "Chicken House Fans" to blow across the horses and misting tents. 

My personal experience is you have to slow down on the climbs. They build
too much core temp up and there's no breeze (speed) to help lower it.
Also, I've seen horses doing fine in the woods when moving, but come out
in the sun, stop and their temp goes up. Slow walking supposedly helps
pump blood to the surface for cooling and is better than standing still.
Roger Rittenhouse rigged himself up a thermometer to go under his saddle
once. I think he said he just got one from the hardware store but I was
always afraid if I tried that it would break. I'm sure he didn't put a
glas one there. Maybe he'll share the details.

Of course  I still think  sponging on the fly is underappreciated.

As to the electrolytes. Steph said:

>>>>messes with  osmotic balance in gut (high concentration of salt in
one dose). <<<

What happened to the old line that if a horse's electrolytes were
depleted, that drinking clear water would disrupt the osmotic balance?

Angie

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