The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE

See our "who's who" page! ^

[HairOfTheDog]

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - Who's Who *pics*

This is a horse chat thread where we share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.

I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!

I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and MissTargets will now be pinging everyone most mornings. Let MissTargets and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.

So... like the previous threads, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.

Previous threads:

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - thread ONE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread EIGHT

New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Thanks everyone.

The heat is worrying me a bit. I would have liked to get a little more weight off him:), he seems to be a very easy keeper. But I have a feelings they will slow the pace down a bit. I've seen that happen before when it's this hot. But that is a two edged sword. Makes you be out longer, later in the day when it's getting hotter, so whose to say whats the best.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

All the best to you.... Do call after the first day on Saturday. We'll be at the beach house for the day, but calls will forward to our cell phone, and I'll post your update :~D

[ShakeNJake]

Are you carrying tube electrolytes with you? I use them at shows during hot weather. I have a horse that handles hot weather well because he sweats profusely. But, I also have to keep his system functioning properly so always use tubed electrolytes to keep his bodily fluids balanced. They will also tend to drink more water using the electrolytes which is good in hot weather.

It would have been easier for you if he had tolerated the sponge before this ride so you won't have to dismount. I am sure you know the areas on his body that give the most cooling effects: poll and lower legs (veins/arteries near the surface to dissipate heat). Also, remember it isn't the water itself that provides the cooling effect but the evaporation of the water. During the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, they discovered that by using cold water and immediately scraping off as much as possible, they were able to maximize the evaporative cooling effect. If the water was left on the coat without scraping it off, it only made the horse hotter by the sauna effects.

And, don't forget yourself! Drink plenty of water and/or sports drinks (you need the electrolytes yourself too)!

[FrogInABlender]

...During the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, they discovered that by using cold water and immediately scraping off as much as possible, they were able to maximize the evaporative cooling effect. If the water was left on the coat without scraping it off, it only made the horse hotter by the sauna effects...

I remember reading that too and I'm sure it's true because when I've bathed the horses in cold water, then go to rub my hand under their bellies, that water dripping off of there is as warm as bath water.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

No, I don't carry electrolytes with me. That's only been allowed in the last few years. I have a reciepe for some homemade stuff that I have always used. Reg salt, lite salt and calcium carbonate.

I've been reading some stuff on the tube electrolytes, that says they can cause ulcers. Probably you have to use them often to do that. Since I've never had problems in that area, I'm just going to get by with how I've been doing things. My old vet said that with good feed, and being well condititoned that the horse shouldn't need the tube kind for a two day event. I mostly put the salt mix in his feed to encourage more drinking.

Becky

[BladeRider]

I had a racking horse mare that loved to share our Gatorade with us. Eve used to about knock you down to get a squirt fom the bottle. She was picky about the flavor. She only liked the green Gatorade. Jake and Blade don't seem to care much for it. Good luck and have fun, that is what it is all about!

[ShakeNJake]

What you are feeding is basically the same thing as what you can get in the tube. The tube is just a convenient way to get it in the horse between meals. If trying to save money, you can use your homemade mix, add it to some applesauce, and then give it using a tube that you can buy and reuse. I don't use the tubed stuff as a general practice but only as a supplement when at an event. I just add salt to their feed on a daily basis even during the winter. It helps encourage them to drink more water during cold weather too.

With one horse who had trouble with the hot weather (a Connemara) we put out 1 bucket of fresh water, and 1 bucket of water with Gatorade added to it. He loved it and it helped keep his sytem functioning properly in the hot weather.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

In situations where I really really want him to eat some of the mix, I mist a little water on his feed, so that the mix sticks to it. I might have to do that this weekend:)

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

...you can use your homemade mix, add it to some applesauce, and then give it using a tube that you can buy and reuse...

That's what I do. I put it in one of those big multi-dose wormer tubes. But I only do it when I'm riding and it's about 95 degees and the humidity is about 95%. When it gets like that, my horses sweat like they've got a running hose on them.

[ShakeNJake]

Good idea. I wet down my horses feed at every feeding. I feed Platform pelleted feeds. I mix in their supplements, and then make a mash out of it. It is a highly palatable feed and they just eat it all up and lick the feed tub to get anything left sticking to it.

I also add about 1/4 c apple cider vinegar to the feed along with the water. They love the taste. Apple cider vinegar will also retard algae growth in your water tanks if you add some to it when filling them.

[ShakeNJake]

Great management technique isn't it! Yep, those were the tubes I was talking about. When they sweat a lot like that (and my do) they need the supplementation because they have sweat out all their bodily salts.

[FrogInABlender]

...I have a reciepe for some homemade stuff that I have always used. Reg salt, lite salt and calcium carbonate...

What's the recipe and where do you get the calcium carbonate?

[FrogInABlender]

...Apple cider vinegar will also retard algae growth in your water tanks if you add some to it when filling them.

How much would you put in a 150gal tank?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I got the calcium carbonate at my feed store.

The reciepe is 1 part lite salt, 1 part calcium carbonate, and 3 parts regular salt.

What it do is cut the top off the lite salt box and pour it in a container, and then use the empty box to measure the rest of the stuff.

Becky

[ShakeNJake]

I have a 100 gal and put about 1 cup. So, for 150 gal, I'd put about 1 1/2 to 2 cups. I have never had a horse refuse to drink water that had apple cider vinegar added to it.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Thanks for the tip about the apple cider vinager. I'm going to try that.

Becky

[ShakeNJake]

Did you get that recipe from The Horse Journal? They ran it a couple of years ago. Dr. Kellon, their technical editor, is a wonderful resource. She and I were both members of a horse science list on Yahoo groups for several years. Sadly, the list has died now since its owner and moderator, Tom Ivers, died last year. It was chock full of great information: real information that was grounded in actual science. Tom Ivers knew more about endurance methods than anyone else on the planet. He often was hired by teams as a consultant including the Saudi team and the Kuwaiti team.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

No, this receipe was printed in a news letter from the organization that puts on the rides I'm going to.

Becky

[BladeRider]

I got the calcium carbonate at my feed store. The reciepe is 1 part lite salt, 1 part calcium carbonate, and 3 parts regular salt. What it do is cut the top off the lite salt box and pour it in a container, and then use the empty box to measure the rest of the stuff.

Explain what you mean by "lite salt" You mean the salt subsitute you get at the grocery?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I've always just kind of guessed at how much to give to the horse, I never found anything that said. I put a couple of tablespoons in.??

Becky