Heat Stress In Horses
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‘Heat Stress,’ is the term used to describe when the horses’ cooling mechanisms stop working efficiently, consequently impairing another function. The cardiovascular system plays a key role in dissipating heat throughout the body and greater cardiovascular capacity may help to increase the time before a horse experiences heat stress. A dehydrated horse has a decrease in plasma volume, which in turn will decrease the capacity of the cardiovascular system, making it more likely that the horse will have to alter another function (such as performance) in order to maintain an appropriate heat balance.
Preventing Dehydration
- Make sure your horse receives no less than 1.5% of their body weight in forage per day. Not only is this important for their overall health, but research has found that horses drink in response to hay,
- Use Saracen Re-Covery Mash to encourage your horse to drink when away from home. Mashes are a palatable and reliable method to replenish water intake and can be used as a base for electrolyte replenishment programmes.
- Replace electrolytes slowly, over the course of 2-3 days. Restore SR contains the latest technology in electrolyte research, including a proprietary slow-release mechanism that allows sodium to be released gradually into the gastrointestinal tract for sustained absorption. When sodium is delivered slowly over a period of time, it is fully absorbed and utilised by the body.
Sweat vs Salt
All compound feeds and forage sources contain electrolytes; however, these sources are generally only enough for horses in light work or at pasture, and most will be deficient in sodium. For horses in work or during hot weather, additional electrolytes or salt may be required to replenish what may have been lost following periods of warm weather or sweating.
Sweat Score | Description | Electrolytes Required |
---|---|---|
Maintenance/Light Work | There are damp patches under the saddle, neck and flank. | Access to free choice salt or 1-2 tablespoon (30g) loose salt per day. |
Medium Work | Damp patches across the coat with foam present along the saddle, neck and hind legs. | Provide an electrolyte supplement that matches the composition of sweat (sodium, chloride and potassium!) |
Heavy Work | Neck, flanks and head are completely wet with white foam evident across the horses body. | Provide an electrolyte supplement that matches the composition of sweat over 2-3 days (Restore SR). |
Do you know the most effective method for cooling horses?
Research has shown that continuously wetting the horse is a far more effective way of returning rectal temperatures when compared to other methods. Passive cooling of horses through walking, intermittent cooling and scraping of water was not as effective.
The evaporation of sweat accounts for 70% of the horse’s heat loss, and so sweat production is crucial for a horses natural cooling strategy. Replenishment of electrolytes and fluid lost through sweat are therefore a key factor in managing the diet of any working horse. Re-Covery Mash and Restore SR can be used to encourage water intake, as well as replenishing important electrolytes slowly, so as not to increase a surge in blood electrolyte levels whereby they are excreted too quickly.
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RE-COVERY Mash™ has been formulated on a blend of ’Super-Fibres’, known for their superior digestibility and provision of non-heating calories, the banana flavoured RE-COVERY Mash™ can be fed as and when needed, alongside any diet because no vitamins or minerals have been added. Drenched in water, ideally with water sitting on top of the feed, the horse is encouraged to drink the fluid before eating the mash which includes a source of electrolytes to help stimulate the thirst response after exertion, training and travelling as well as during the change of season. Saracen RE-COVERY Mash™ will take 2-3 minutes to soak in warm water or 5 minutes in cold water and should be fed immediately, ideally before travelling home after competing.
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Restore SR contains the latest technology in electrolyte research, including a proprietary slow-release mechanism that allows sodium to be released gradually into the gastrointestinal tract for sustained absorption. When sodium is delivered slowly over a period of time, it is fully absorbed and utilised by the body. This is not always the case with the normal method of feeding a concentrated electrolyte dose, which causes a surge in blood electrolyte levels, and stimulates increased excretion of electrolytes, flushing out the electrolytes that have just been fed. Restore SR helps horses to retain the electrolytes provided so they can replenish their reserves in the most optimal manner—slowly.
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