Question
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using electrolytes in a barrel-racing horse during a double-header rodeo?
Answer
The benefits and drawbacks of giving electrolytes to a barrel-racing horse during a strenuous competition would be similar to any high-performance horse that must perform repeatedly over a short period of time.
Forage (hay or pasture) in the hindgut acts as a reservoir of water and electrolytes for the horse. The problem with depending totally on this reservoir for electrolytes is that the release is slow and the horse cannot completely replenish what is lost in sweat quickly.
If the horse is not offered any hay or water (or the horse is too uptight to eat or drink) during the downtime of the competition, the horse is in danger of becoming dehydrated, especially if it is a hot day and the horse is sweating a lot. Dehydration can seriously affect performance. Giving electrolytes can help the horse from becoming dehydrated during the day because it will encourage a horse to drink, especially if the horse is not fond of drinking unfamiliar water.
A disadvantage of giving electrolytes without adequate water intake is that it can exacerbate dehydration. Electrolytes can be given the day of the competition as long as the horse has ample opportunity and willingness to drink. Serving forage of some type, whether it is hay, hay pellets, hay cubes doused with water, or fresh grass, is also important for keeping the horse hydrated.
Perhaps the key to proper hydration happens the night before a competition. If the horse starts a competition after consuming forage and drinking plenty of water, dehydration is unlikely. Preloading electrolytes the night before competition, by either putting the electrolytes in the meal or orally syringing the horse with an electrolyte paste, has been shown to help sustain hydration the following day.
Kentucky Equine Research (KER) has a new electrolyte, Restore SR, which would probably be the most appropriate for a barrel horse at a double-header rodeo because it has a slow-release form of sodium that will sustain hydration over the whole day. A one-ounce dose the night before the competition and another in the morning meal should help to keep the horse in top shape.
A word of caution for giving large amounts of electrolytes to a horse with ulcers: the salts in the electrolytes tend to aggravate ulcerated tissue. If giving electrolytes to a horse suspected or diagnosed with gastric ulcers, it is recommended to give one that has a stomach buffer, like Restore Paste.
