This one can save you some money.
1 lb of table salt (sodium)
22 ounces of Morton's Lite Salt (potassium) (2-11 oz. containers of it)
1 ounce of Magesium
Tums (calcium) (I use a full container of the flavored one's from the dollar store which comes in a sort of opaque plastic bottle)
Grind up the Tums, add the other stuff, and mix extremely well. One ounce of the stuff = a dose of electrolytes. Mix it into a carrier such as yogurt, or applesauce, draw it up into a syringe. After electrolyting your horse ALWAYS follow by squirting water into the mouth to avoid oral burns from the salt sitting there. Do not electrolyte a horse that is not drinking.
When to use electrolytes? This is what my sources say...
The night before your ride.
The morning of your ride.
Hot humid weather/ give a dose about every ten miles (or at the vet checks).
Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian, always check with your veterinarian (or the ride vet) concerning the treatment of your horse.
Fantastic information! Thank you very much. I have never used e-lytes and had NO clue where to start. We live in a very dry area (humidity wise) and moderate temps, so our horses wouldn't know how to cope - and neither would we.
ReplyDeleteBionic Cowgirl