I'm curious as to how much actual, measured > electrolyte loss a horse that's being ridden *within it's conditioning > level* loses during a ride (even on a hot day), compared to the amounts > some people are putting in.
There are all sorts of numbers, but the amount of electrolytes lost depends on how much *sweat* the horse loses (since you don't lose e'lytes without the water to carry it). And the composition of the sweat can change depending on the type of exercise (ie, a sprinting thoroughbred sweats differently than an endurance horse), plus ambient temperature and humidity also changes the sweat composition. Plus, the type of diet, stress level and assorted other things can also affect mineral excretion through the feces and urine. So that's why field research (like the research ride and others) in actual exercising horses is so important---you can extrapolate numbers all day long, but it's actually measuring serum levels and looking at performance results that really proves the point. Susan G =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
