Paste electrolytes are OK at Endurance rides. AERC rides have no
such restrictions... maybe figuring that the rider knows better
than the horse whether or not the electrolytes are a good idea.
CTRs restrict the action of "force feeding". Thus, while it is OK
to mix electrolytes into the horse's water (or feed?) at a CTR,
"drenching" or the action of giving paste electrolytes is prohibited.
I'd imagine giving electrolytes to a horse on a 25 mile ride is not
out of the question. But like most things it probably depends. It
depends on the horse (conditioning), on the rider (speed), on the
weather...
:) - kat myers
in San Mateo (No.) Ca. with Magnum the TB ex-racer