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RE: [RC] New Endurance Horse Electrolyte Research - heidiIt's really easy to gravitate from extreme to the other in choosing an elyting protocol and NO ONE ( including Heidi) advocates NO electrolytes during endurance---Heidi's approach (and correct me if I'm wrong) is providing elytes via vast amounts of forage, which is more than sufficient for a large number of horses under certain circumstances. The French team may insist they don't elyte their horses, but assuming they fed their horses during the day, then sure they did---they just may not have been doing so via an oral syringe, thus were probably providing elytes via forage, possibly via concentrate rations, or added to water, or offered free-choice. There are LOTS of ways to skin that cat. Basically, yes. There are some semantics involved here, of course, but Susan makes a valid point. E-lytes are naturally-occurring substances, and are found in food at levels sufficient for most work, for most horses. Horses who readily eat vast amounts of forage and who are efficient in how they manage their food often do not need ANY additional supplementation. (And Susan, I would add that that even means fast rides in heat and humidity, not just in slow rides in the NW, although weather is certainly a variable that must be plugged into the equation.) There are indeed many variables. First and foremost is the horse, followed closely by feed--both intake and quality/type of feed--and by having the horse adequately conditioned to the job that you ask him to do. I suspect that the French are all over all three of these variables, and that that is why they have no need to add supplemental e-lytes. My beef is with the knee-jerk approach too often taken in our sport where e-lytes are just automatically supplemented, without first ascertaining that all the other variables have been met (and Susan, you frequently point out that the main nutritional issue with "running out of gas" is usually caloric, rather than e-lytes--I concur!!). Some of the e-lyte protocols out there are downright alarming. IF they must be supplemented at all (which is often questionable), then they SHOULD be given, as you say, in "salt-shaker" amounts, small doses frequently, with food. But first, make sure you have a horse suitable to the task, that he eats sufficiently for the task, and that you have done your homework and have him in shape to do the task. If you haven't done those things, then e-lytes are not the answer. 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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