Electrolytes and Horses - What you Should Know

From Thistle Ridge Stables

Hot and sweating horses go hand in hand and with it comes the loss of electrolytes. What are electrolytes and why are they so important? Read the following ‘primer’ to educate yourself on what exactly electrolytes do and why they are important to our horses.

As we exercise our horse it generates energy in the form of heat. To dissipate the heat from the body the horse sweats. The sweat evaporates from the horse’s body to help regulate the body temperature. If the horse didn’t sweat their body temperature would rise to dangerously high levels.

How Much do Horses Sweat

To determine how much sweat a horse produces horses were weighed before and after exercise and the following was determined:

Type of work/exercise      Range of weight loss (lbs)

Standardbred                                      12 – 33
After a 1 mile race

Field Hunter (after 3 hour fox hunting)  24 – 100

Thoroughbred (after race training or breezing) 10 – 16

Endurance horses (after 54mile race)     22 – 88

To think that a horse can loose 100 pounds of sweat is enormous. The water in sweat comes from within the horses body but also from individual cells. When cells are recruited for sweat the body takes water from the blood plasma. When this occurs and sweat losses are large, it may affect the delivery of blood to the muscles and inhibit the ability of the horse to continue working properly.

What is Sweat

Sweat is a concoction of sodium, chloride and potassium. There is also calcium, magnesium, trace minerals and protein present. It has been tested that Chloride is present in the highest concentration followed by sodium and potassium.

How to tell if your horse is dehydrated

The easiest test is the neck ‘pinch’ test. At the base of the neck graba fold of the horse’s skin. If the skin remains tented for more than a second, then the horse is showing signs of dehydration.

Check the horse’s gums. The gums should appear a pink colour and when pressed the colour should immediately return. If a white depression or thumbprint remains then the horse is dehydrated.

Getting a horse to drink is important and sometimes owners and trainers do some pretty inventive things to get them to drink.

Some trainers flavour the drinking water with apple juice or drink crystals, like kool-aid, for several days before going to a show or event. This will help if horses are finicky and won’t drink the water at the event if it has a different smell or even taste a bit different.

• Sometimes horses tend to drink if the bucket is held for them.
• They also tend to drink more if they see other horses drinking.

Getting Electrolytes into Your Horse

Electrolyte supplementation is not usually necessary for horses in regular exercise that have a balanced ration, access to hay and grass, water and free choice salt block. If however, they are racing, performing endurance activities or worked hard several days in a row the expenditure of electrolytes may be excessive and the horse may require additional electrolytes.

Purchasing an electrolyte mix is the easiest way to supplement the loss of electrolytes. Making a home mix can also be done. Using a mix of Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Calcium (carbonate/acetate) and Magnesium (oxide) in the proportions of 60:30:5:5 (source:http://www.aera.asn.au/qera/veterinary/electrolytes.html).

An average rule of thumb is to replace 1-3 grams of sodium for every litre of water the horse drinks. If the horse is sweating (and loosing sodium) a lot it is important to replace this only if the horse has drunk the equivalent amount of water. For example if the horse is sweating heavily and the horse may be sweating out as much as 6 grams of sodium in his sweat every hour “but you can only replace this if he has drunk around 6 litres of water each hour”.

Most horse diets are deficient in sodium. Adding common table salt to the diet or free choice salt lick is one way to make sure that horses get ample sodium.

Most horses need little in the way of supplemental sodium. In times of heavy work, excessive heat and humidity or extreme training conditions may require the addition of electrolytes into the diet.

Dehydration can be worsened if electrolytes are over supplemented. Excessive electrolytes are eliminated from the body in the urine, not stored for later use.

From http://www.thistleridgestables.com

Before heading into the ring make sure that you know the rules. Nothing is more irritating to the judge than having to explain rules to disappointed competitors.

Some of the more common rules are known - like 2 cumulative refusals and your out. But what constitutes a refusal?

According to FEI Article 221 (Federation Equeste International) a refusal is considered “when a horse halts in front of an obstacle, which it must jump whether or not the horse knocks it down or displaces it.” That’s the easy description. But there are many interpretations of ‘stopping’ and other considerations that are judged. There are also, run outs, resistance and an uncorrected deviation from the course.

A refusal can be penalized if the halt in front of the jump is prolonged, or if the horse steps back, either voluntarily or not, even a single pace, it counts. This means if the horse jumps from a stand still it counts as a refusal.

What about Sliding Through the Jump

We’ve all seen horses slide through a jump. They get ready to jump and at the last minute just don’t lift their legs and end up sliding through the jump. When this happens the judge must decide immediately if it is scored as a refusal or a knockdown. A refusal would require that the bell be rung and the competitor must stop immediately and retake the obstacle after it has been rebuilt.

If the judge feels that the horse attempted to jump the jump but slid through it, the rider will continue and be penalized for a knockdown.



A Run Out



A run out is when the horse goes by the jump without jumping it. It can very succinctly described as when “ a horse or any part of the horse goes by the extended line of the obstacle to be jumped”.



A run out is considered a disobedience and is penalized as such. That is 4 penalties for the table A jumpers and the time taken for the speed or Table C jumpers.



A Resistance



A resistance is also considered a disobedience and is penalized as such. A resistance is when a horse refuses to go forward, stops, steps back or makes one or more ½ turns. If the rider stops the horse for any reason it can also count as a resistance. This may only be allowed if the course is rebuilt improperly. If the horse is ‘resisting’ for 45 consecutive seconds the horse/rider will be eliminated as per FEI Article 240.3.4.

Insuring the Horse - Is It Worth It?

Horse Insurance, Know Your Policy

 

Thinking about getting horse insurance? Learn the difference between horse mortality insurance and major medical coverage horse insurance. It could save you some money.

 

There are two main streams of insurance areas:

• mortality which pays out if your horse dies and
• medical insurance for veterinary care.

 

Mortality Insurance

 

The rule of thumb for mortality insurance is if you can easily replace the horse, then mortality insurance is not necessary. No matter if the horse is $3,000 or a $300,000 fancy show horse, if you can comfortably replace your investment then it is worth the risk to remain uninsured.

  

As an investment it may be wise to consider the cost of premiums versus the cost of the horse. If for example, you have purchased a horse valued at $100,000, the premium is 3% of the value of the horse per year. This adds up to $3,000 per year. If you continue to pay the premium for 6 years that is $18,000 spent on insurance. However if the horse dies after year 6, the payout will be $100,000 when you have invested $18,000 on insurance.

  

Read the policy carefully and make sure that there is a provision to cover euthanasia should a tragedy occur that the horse cannot be saved. Also most mortality policies include theft, should someone steal your horse.

 

Major Medical Coverage

 

The only way to get medical coverage is by having a mortality policy on your insurance. The major medical coverage is an addition on the mortality coverage. Any amount can be insured for the mortality portion so that the medical coverage can be obtained.

 

 It is always recommended to get major medical insurance. To see if it is cost efficient, consider stacking up the major vet bills against the cost of the insurance policy. Things like colic, pneumonia, suturing a wound could all potentially be covered.

It is important to carefully review the policy to understand what is covered. One area to study is diagnostics. Some policies outline diagnostic techniques as being 100% covered if they result in a treatment covered by the policy. Others identify as paying out 50% if it results in a covered treatment and some will pay nothing.

Check the policy regarding the horse's age. Some policies do not insure elderly horses. If major medical is wanted a minimal mortality coverage may have to be obtained in order to get the major medical coverage. As the horse gets older, be prepared to have higher premiums.

Other areas to consider are the professional care and hospitalisation care after a treatment. Some policies consider 20 days to be covered and some go as long as 90 days.

Before Signing the Check

Before signing on the line for your insurance policy check with a seasoned and well trusted agent and veterinarian to find which policy suits you best.

Read more at Suite101: Insuring the Horse - Is It Worth It?: Horse Insurance, Know Your Policy http://horses.suite101.com/article.cfm/insuring_the_horse_is_it_worth_it#ixzz0eV21Wfns

Read more at Suite101: Insuring the Horse - Is It Worth It?: Horse Insurance, Know Your Policy http://horses.suite101.com/article.cfm/insuring_the_horse_is_it_worth_it#ixzz0eV1HGsWN

 

Jumping - Finding the Right Spot

Sometimes getting in a little tight can get your horse to ‘snap’ up its knees. But sometimes a little deep can mean a chip and there goes your class. When is a little deep, too deep: when your horse loses its rhythm and causes a loss of flow to the round.

Where Should a Horse Take Off
A horse should take off from the sweet spot. This is located at the middle of the fence, the height of the fence away. Huh? If you are jumping a 3 foot fence the ‘sweet spot’ is located 3 feet away from its base. Similarly, a 2’6” fence has a ‘sweet spot’ 2’6” away from its base.

Getting in a little close can cause some problems. A tight spot, or too close to the jump, can lead to the horse being unable to make the distance, or put the correct number of strides in between jumps. It also leads the horse, jumping over its shoulder, and poor form.

Leaving from a long spot, or too far away from the fence, also encourages bad form and rushing at the fences. Jumping from a long spot makes the horse jump flat and it will sometimes hang a leg and take down a rail. Consistently riding from a long spot can encourage poor from and bad jumping style.

What Makes Your Distance
There are five main factors that determine where your take off is for the jump:

• The height of the jump. The take off point should be approximately the height of the jump away from the fence.
• The length of stride. The longer the stride, the longer your ‘spot’ will be. The shorter your stride the closer you will get to the base of the jump.
• The type or depth of footing. If there is deep footing, horses will be more likely to get closer and take off closer to the base of the fence.
• The type of jump. Verticals are usually jumped slightly farther out from the base than oxers. Horses will bascule over the middle of the oxer, so they will have to get closer to the base to satisfy the width of the obstacle.

• Location of the jump in the course. For example, riding a line from a vertical to an oxer is longer than riding from an oxer to a vertical. This is because of the arc the horse makes when jumping. The horse will physically land further into the line when jumping the oxer first so this will give him less usable space between fences.

If you see a tight distance coming don’t abandon your horse. Sit up, keep your eyes up and keep the energy coming from behind with a closed leg. Sitting up will help the horse to use his hindquarters and be able to lift up its front end out of the way. Keeping him balance and able to use his hindquarters will allow him to jump from a deep distance.


Read more at Suite101: Jumping - Finding the Right Spot: Getting Your Distances

New Blankets

Horses at play!

Solo (left sired by Tri-colore) and K-leigh sired by Popeye-K

new blankets!

Solo (sired by Tricolore) and DeL'aire sired by Voltaire

K-Leigh sired by Popeye-K

The Laura May Hay Test

This past summer has had its share of challenges, with the rain, no sun and did I mention the rain, buying and storing hay has been a nightmare. The beautiful aromatic stuff that flakes off the bale seems to be a thing dreams are made of.

If you have been fluffing, soaking and steaming then you need to get out of the spa. And get some hay that doesn’t need to be fluffed, soaked and steamed.

Does hay really need to be tested?

Every so often my nutritionist (read sales rep for Brooks’s grain, Tania) comes by to update and check on my feeding schedule. More often than not she asks, “Have you tested your hay?” I always respond with a resounding, “No”. It costs money and I often wonder if I test throughout the mow, it really doesn’t represent what I’m feeding. One bale may be from field ‘a’ in the back 40 and the next could be beside the highway and who knows from where in between.


I think I will start saying yes to Tania, my feed nutritionist to the hay test question next time because every hay bale I open up I give it the Laura-May test.


Steps to Completing the Laura May Test:
1. Lift bale – if it is heavy it probably means it has gotten wet and/or mouldy so it should be put aside to return to the supplier. My supplier is wonderful about this. If the hay is not good he will let me return it and will give me other bales in exchange.
2. Look at the contents of the bale – If it is alfalfa or majority alfalfa then again I set it aside to feet sparingly to babies, or horses in work.
3. Open Bale – if there is dust, mould or other then toss it.


This is just a basic test and all kidding aside I do study the hay before feeding. I know my fescue from my vetch, and trefoil from my alfalfa.


As the old saying goes you only have one chance to make a first impression and after opening a bale the contents are fully scrutinized.
Things I check for: Continuation of the Laura May Test:
4. Visual – the bale must be visually appealing. And I mean really, were not talking Mr. Universe here. It has to be green(ish) and free of mould (see 2. above) and be loose stems. Packed stems breeds mould and keeps dust. If the bale does not come apart when you open it then it probably means it got wet or not dried properly prior to baling so beware.
5. Aroma – If must smell fresh and ‘clean’. If you start to sneeze or are coughing up phlegm (I just wanted to type phlegm) beware. If there are mouldy, mildewy smells then don’t feed it. Use it for mulch on your neighbour’s garden, as the weeds will grow so don’t use it on your own.
6. Quality – This determines the nutritional value of the hay. The value is in the flower and leaf. Less value is in the stem. There should be a higher proportion of leaves then stem.

7. Types of Plants - Take note of the types of grasses and legumes present. Also there should be no weeds, thistles, burdocks etc which reduces the forage quality and prevents proper drying of the hay when it is harvested. Take the time to learn the types of grasses and legumes so you know what you are getting.


I’ve been known to fluff, soak and steam a few bales to get by with some dubious bales just to be on the safe side. Dusty hay can lead to a host of horse related ailments that are not worth having. Keep diligent and you can perform the Laura May Test before feeding your horse its hay.

How to Fit Your Horse's Blanket

Fitting your horse blanket… Here’s How

With the winter weather on the way and new blankets lining the shelves blanket buying and fitting can be a stressful time. Why not spend a little time and measure up your horse and buy a decent blanket that will last you instead of an ill fitting one that rubs.

Not all blankets are made equally and often have different cut along the shoulders that may or may not suit your horse. Don’t rush and find one that’s comfortable.

Here’s what I do.

1. Check the sales flyers and online! Sometimes they have good sales. I bought, this year 3 blankets at a $ 69 each. Great brand name Weatherbeeta and they are great!

2. Determine the size you need. Measure from the middle of the horse’s chest around the length of its’ body to its tail. If it is a half size go to the next inch or centimeter. Often blankets are sold in even numbers (76,78, 80, 82, 84) so keep that in mind if you land on an odd number then just go up to the next even number size.

3. Determine the type of blanket you need. Turn-out, stable, rain sheet, cooler all have different purposes and builds. Turn-out blankets are durable and waterproof for those creatures that go out during the day or those that live outside. Stable are usually non water proof and are suitable for clipped stabled horses that are in work and need to have blankets to help keep them warm. Rain sheets and coolers are other blankets with special uses during the horses training cycle.

4. Fit it properly. Check the blanket fit and ensure there is not possible sites for rubbing. Most rubbing occurs at the shoulders where a poor fit of the shoulder gusset slips back. This can be prevented by providing a ‘slinky’ under the blanket to prevent rubs. Other straps should be secured such as the surcingles should be secured tightly enough to fit approximately 1 hand width underneath. And leg straps should be tight enough so that horses will not step or hurt themselves on them.

Prior to putting it on the horse I spray new blankets with a coating of “Scotch Guard” to help make them waterproof and help repel dirt and stains.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at thistleridge@hotmail.com