Good luck on your ride. My normal electrolyte regiment is in the food on
Thursday night both feedings Friday and again the Saturday morning feeding.
I tend to feed about four hours prior to the ride start. Then again at
all vet checks and maybe inbetween if the vet checks are far apart or it is
a very humid day.
After hearing Gayle Ecker's presentation at the convention in 95, I decided
that maybe I should think about "preloading" right before I start the ride.
I did this at the 96 Far Out Forest 100. The first check here is a 30
miles but there is a water stop at 16 - where I always stop. At 16 miles I
would have not given you 2 cents for Misty making it. It was cool but
extremely humid and I didn't like how she looked and she didn't to want to
drink like she normally does. She didn't want hay or grain. I fed her
apple waffers just to keep the gut moving. She was drinking but not like I
liked. I gave her half the normal dose of electrolyes and off we went
slowly. I was getting myself ready to pull at 30 miles. In 30 minutes she
was drinking profusely and getting stronger. From the first check on she
got her normal dose. She finished the ride with all A's.
The only difference between this ride and other rides and was the
preloading prior to the ride. So I think one must be careful with
electrolytes and how we use them. I think each horse is a little different
and we need to establish what is best for each horse under various
conditions.
Just as you "can't use someone elses numbers when assessing you horses
heart rate you can't use someone elses method's for giving electrolyes -
you need to develop you own for your own horse.
-------Original Post --------------
>I do, however, believe in using electrolytes before a race, at all vet
>checks, and afterwards, as long as the horse is drinking "sufficiently".
>Gayle Ecker has written extensively and conclusively on the
>subject....results from research conducted through Guelph University (is
>that how it's spelled?) at the ROC and other big races. Gayle...can you
>tell folks on the list exactly where to find the stuff you've had published?
>
Truman Prevatt
Sarasota, FL