In which electrolytes are discussed and (hopefully) de-mystified

If there's anything that boggles Green Bean endurance riders 

(and experienced competitors too!)

it's the topic of electrolytes.

The not-very-secret electrolyte recipe we use.
This generates enough electrolytes for two typical horses on an average 50.
Please note that this makes 14 of what most people call a "double dose."
We call it a single dose.  

The consensus among riders and vets is clear: elytes are absolutely vital for competition, totally optional for competition, or  completely contraindicated for competition.   

The best brand of electrolytes is definitely Endura Max.  

Unless it's Dyna Spark.  

Or possibly Northern Lytes.  

Or Stress Dex.  

Or Electo Ease, Acculyte, Finish Line, or some homemade formula mix made of lite salt and Tums.  

For mixers, everyone uses applesauce.

Except those who use yogurt.  

Or Maalox.  

Or Pro-CMC.  Or water.  Or Gatorade.  Or beer.

So, that's not confusing at all.  Right?
Photo: M. Bretherton

I take electrolytes very seriously.  If you don't, or you don't know why you should, I direct you to two articles written by Susan Garlinghouse, DVM.  As with everything Doc Garlinghouse writes, these articles make complex issues relatively easy to understand.  Her science is sound, and her writing is clear.  

AERC has mirrored the articles to keep them safe for eternity.  Go there now and learn:

BEATING THE METABOLIC PULL, PART ONE

BEATING THE METABOLIC PULL, PART TWO

In this post, I'll describe what Hana gets for 50-mile rides.  

I will also describe what Fiddle gets.  These two things are not the same.

Hana is pretty typical of endurance horses in our camp.

14.2 hand Arab mare.  Chestnut. 19 years old, about 800 pounds.
Usually finishes 50-milers in 8-8.5 hours.
Photo: M. Bretherton  

Hana eats well, drinks well, and keeps a good steady pace on the trail.  She is not a voracious eater, but she isn't picky either.  She will not eat every speck of her beet pulp, so we can't dump stuff into her feed and be absolutely certain that she got it all.  All her electrolytes are delivered via syringe.

Here is Hana's electrolyte regimen for a normal 50-mile ride in average terrain:

Thursday (ride day -2) : nothing.

Friday (ride day -1) Since this is the day before a ride, she may get a dose in the afternoon, and definitely gets a dose at bedtime.

Saturday (ride day) :
1 full dose before the start line.
1 dose at each vet check.
1 dose after the finish line.
1 dose at bedtime.

Hana also gets regular doses of OTC Jug and a probiotic during 50-milers,
which seems to keep her energy level strong and stable.

If any of the loops are especially long (20 miles, or 3+ hours), or if the weather is especially hot, Hana may get an additional dose or half-dose on the trail at about the mid-way point of the loop.

Sunday (post ride day, usually a travel day):  1 dose before departure.  Sometimes a dose with dinner.


Fiddle is less typical.

16 hand Standardbred mare. Dark bay.  13 years old.  About 1100 pounds.
Usually finishes 50-milers in 7-7.5 hours.
Photo: M. Bretherton

Fee's electrolyte needs are significantly higher.  She is a voracious eater of beet pulp and hay, and she is pretty good about drinking water at puddles, tanks, or whatever.  I can throw supplements into her mash overnight and be sure that she will get all of it, but if I'm in a hurry (to leave camp at the end of a vet check, for example), she gets a syringe.

I also substitute Pro-CMC for some or all of the applesauce in the electrolyte recipe if we are going further than 50 miles, or if the going will be slow (and thus, requiring more doses).

Here's Fiddle's regimen for a typical 50-mile ride in terrain of average difficulty:

Wednesday night:  a scoop of EnduraMax in her beet pulp.  This is in addition to the twice-daily 1-oz scoop of salt in her beet pulp.

Thursday: (usually a travel day): a dose  of electrolytes before departure, and another dose at bedtime.

Friday (ride day -1) : a dose after breakfast and again at bedtime.

Saturday (ride day) :
1 full dose before the start line.
1/2 dose every 60-90 minutes on the trail, unless a vet check is near.
1 full dose at each vet check.
1 full dose after the finish line.
1 full dose at bedtime.

I use wide-mouth ketchup bottles to store the elytes in my saddle bag.
A syringe will fit through the mouth of the bottle to suck up a dose.
With practice, it's possible to fill the syringe and dose the horse from the saddle.

Sunday (usually a travel day): a dose of electrolytes before departure and another dose after dinner.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday:  any electrolytes left over from the event are squirted onto her beet pulp until they are used up.

*It's important to note that, whenever possible, we also squirt a syringe or two of water into the horse's mouth after dosing.  This helps prevent mouth sores.


But how do I know that Fiddle needs so much more?
Experience (and doing things wrong) has taught me that my big, dark, heavy-muscled, fast-moving horse needs more elytes than any other horse I've used in competition.  If her heartrate hangs up, if she's reluctant to eat or drink on the trail, if she sandbags at mile 30 when she would normally be jogging along happily, it's almost always because I didn't give her enough.

One time it was cool and lovely (60 degrees, light breeze) on the trail, so I didn't dose her as heavily as usual, but the ground was soggy and made the WORK a lot harder.  We had to pull at 25 miles that day, because she got tired and peed pink.  Totally my fault.


So what does that mean for you and for your horse?
If your horse is fairly typical (in other words, similar in size, shape, age, and breeding to Hana), you can start with a routine similar to hers.  Tinker with the dosage sizes in training, giving more or less, and keep track of the horse's response.

(NOTE: few horses will ever like electrolytes.  It's like eating a salt sandwich.  Blech.)

Mess around with your heart rate monitor, and see if the electrolytes improve recovery.  Pay attention to your horse's willingness to eat and drink while using the electrolytes.  Some horses refuse to eat with the salt taste in their mouths, others don't seem to care.  Most will drink water more readily on the trail if they are given electrolytes before leaving the trailhead.

If your horse is larger, darker, moving significantly faster than Hana, or going over extreme terrain at speed, don't be surprised if you need more electrolytes to maintain a metabolic balance.  (You did read those Garlinghouse articles, didn't you?)

It would be lovely if there was an app for this.  You know, a nifty little gadget on my phone that would tell me how much to dose, at what intervals, given each horse's specific needs.

But that doesn't exist (yet).

So, the best practice right now is for riders to experiment, pay attention to results, and be prepared to change things according to the results.

Comments, questions, thoughts, anecdotes?

The box is open.