Brambles' All Tucked Up?

[shandy84]

We went on a 21 mile fast drive on and off road on Sunday just gone. Bramble worked really well and did build up a nice sweat, but nothing over the top.

When we unharnessed her it was quite obvious she had lost a LOT of weight and looked very very tucked up around her belly/hip area.

It's been a couple of days now, she has been rugged as she was skinny and it's been cold, but she is not gaining any weight when normally she piles the pounds back on just by glancing at grass.

She lives out 24/7 in a long grassy field so gets plenty of food. She is otherwise in herself bright and happy, no worries really. She's up to date on worming etc I don't like to feed her too much sugary foods as she becomes very silly on them and gets fatty pouches on her shoulders etc not where I want the weight.

The YM seemed to think she needed to be really slim going into winter, but that seems mad to me as she'll risk looking awful come spring?

What would you guys do? Is it just the drive that caused it? I want to ride more but want to sort this out first really. :)

[Mehitabel]

probably dehydration if she got up a sweat - it hasn't been hot so she's unlikely to have been thirsty enough to drink as much as she really needed. i'd put some salt in her feed to encourage her to drink or give her a very sloppy sugarbeet soup dinner to kick start it.

[Wally]

Some of our lot would run up really light after a 20 mile endurance ride, it comes back in a short space of time with good grub. Don't let it worry you too much.

[shandy84]

She's only fed grass at the moment Wally, do you think she's trying to tell me something? I have her on simple systems enduro complete which is basically a chaff with energy enhancing bits :o that are very low in sugar?

Mehitabel, so because she wasn't warm she didn't drink? She's a dozy plum, how much salt would you supplement her with? After every drive or just on this occasion?

I think i'm used to her being such a big plump monster that to see her skinny was a hell of a surprise. She's normally out naked with no feed until November?

[Mehitabel]

it's possible - they tend to drink only when they're thirsty, and in wet weather the grass is wet so while it is enough to stop them being actively thirsty, probably not enough to rehydrate - you do have to make a special effort (or i do, anyway) to rehydrate after something out of the ordinary. if i've had a sweaty exercise day or given blood, for instance, i have to make myself drink a fair bit more than i want to after wards and the next day, otherwise i get shocking dehydration headaches.

i'd go for a tablespoon of salt in feeds for the next couple of days, or make up a bucket of water with apple juice, or mint cordial or something to make it tasty.

this is one reason behind the old tradition of bran mashes after hard work - bran can absorb a lot of water and so it's a good way ot getting fluid into them when they're unlikley to want ot drink enough.

[Santi]

You can buy electrolytes for horses, a bit more sophisticated than just salt it would replace the other salts lost out of the blood as sweat, the amounts to feed are on the product but i found my horse was less tired the day after exercise if i feed them after he is worked, as they aid recovery.

I would mix it into sloppy sugarbeet too, the unmolassed kind is really easy (speedibeet) only takes 10 minutes to soak so you don't have to plan ahead!

I really notice the difference if i exercise without using electrolytes and most athletes use them now.
:)