17 Dec Summer Tips with Sophie Warren
The heat of summer always sneaks up on me and suddenly I find myself searching for the fly-veils and making a quick call to Virbac for some Recharge and more electrolytes.
sALT
My team all get salt in their feeds on and off through the season, nice big, chunky butchers salt I find the best because that way they can eat it or sift it out as they require. Horses are amazing at knowing what they need, so if there seems to be a bit of a build-up of excess salt in one horse’s feed bin I’ll stop adding it to their feed for a few days or until they’ve eaten it. That way they get as much or as little as they need which will depend on their work routine and intensity and even how active they are in the paddock.
I also add electrolytes to their feed on days that they sweat, such as jumping and fitness days to ensure I’m replacing the salts lost during work. During intense competition and travel an electrolyte paste can be very useful as well, but I’ve got some other tricks for PRE-hydrating…
MY sUMMER MASH RECIPE
- Soak T&R claytons pellets in water for about quarter of an hour
- Add a small handful of salt
- Add electrolytes if required – either dissolve electrolyte powder or add a liquid electrolyte
- Make sure the mix is nice and wet so the horse is getting plenty of liquid while eating it
- Either serve on its own or mixed in with his usual feed
This is a fabulous way to ensure your horse has had some extra salt, liquid and electrolytes which will encourage him to drink. It’s a great way to pre-hydrate them on or before a really hot day and since using this during heat waves each summer I haven’t had any issues with dehydration.
Try it – your horse will love it!
pRE-cOMPETITION SNACKS
My horses all love a snack and at any camping show the first thing I do after setting up the yards and filling water buckets is make each horse a wet chaff and claytons pellets feed with some recharge and molasses in it.
Not only does it settle them in and make the beginning of an away show enjoyable, it also ensures they’ve had a little dose of electrolytes to get them drinking well from the very start of the show. I’ll repeat the process each day if it is warm weather or they sweat a lot during their work and often give them one post cross-country to give them a boost before the jumping phase.
enJOY THE HOT WEATHER!
Enjoy the hot weather and look after your horses!
Ride early or late during the hot days and when it is very hot try to keep their core temperature down by choosing low intensity work and reducing work time. Don’t forget to use aggressive cooling techniques if required!
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