Electrolytes – a hype or a must?

With summer finally here and temperatures rising, it is the perfect time to look at the importance of electrolytes.

All about electrolytes

Some equestrians feed them to their horses daily, while others only feed them in extreme heat or during a strenuous competition. But when do horses need those extra electrolytes, and why? Here Lieselot Hamerlinck, managing partner at Cavalor, a premium supplements and care products manufacturer, discusses the role of electrolytes and when to use them.

Just like humans, horses sweat to control their body temperature. The downside to this process is that in addition to a serious amount of fluids, the body also loses a large quantity of electrolytes. These fluids and electrolytes must be replenished after sweating to avoid dehydration and to ensure all biochemical processes in the equine body continue to function properly.

The driving force behind fluid transport

Electrolytes are minerals that pass electrical impulses through the body. They have the ability to bind with other ions to form salt crystals. Electrolytes are especially important for fluid regulation and maintaining the pH balance in the body, and can be regarded as the driving force behind water transportation through the entire body. In addition, they have a big influence on muscle and nerve functions. The most important electrolytes are Sodium, Potassium and Chloride.

The importance of water

Electrolytes play an important role in fluid regulation and hydration in the horse – but of course water is also crucial in this process.

When you administer electrolytes, it is important that the horse has plenty of fresh drinking water available. A 500kg horse drinks around 25-30 litres of water a day – in high temperatures, under strenuous labour or in lactating mares, the need is significantly higher.

To help prevent horses from not drinking enough during transport or competition, it can help to add a palatable flavour to the water a few days in advance, with the idea that they will then drink better when you are away from home.

We also recommend that you regulate the amount of fluids your horse is getting by using buckets only – so you can effectively measure how much they are drinking in one day.

The body’s own system

Electrolytes leave the body in various ways: not only through sweat, but also urine and faeces. At rest, the amount of electrolytes a horse absorbs is closely related to the amount of electrolytes that leave the body through the urine. The more electrolytes that are absorbed through hay, feed or supplements, results in more electrolytes that will pass via the urine.

When the horse starts sweating, however, more electrolytes will leave the body through sweat and the electrolyte count of the urine will decrease. In this way, the horse can maintain its electrolyte balance.

To maintain the electrolyte balance, it is important to ensure the amount of electrolytes that are absorbed in the body are proportional to the amount of electrolytes that leave the body through sweat and urine.

If the amount of electrolytes that are absorbed is lower than the amount that are secreted through sweat and urine, the kidneys will compensate for this deficiency thanks to an electrolyte saving mechanism.

In this case, it will take two to three days for the electrolyte pool to fully recover. For sport horses which frequently sweat a lot, this bodily system is, therefore, not always efficient enough.

Administering electrolytes after sweating

The mechanism mentioned above does not only explain why horses that sweat frequently should be given additional electrolytes; it also clarifies why the timing of electrolyte administration is so important. If you administer electrolytes with the feed in the morning, without the horse working immediately after, the absorption and secretion of electrolytes will increase.

The reason for this is that the horse cannot store electrolytes, so when they are not used up immediately, they will be secreted. That is why it is so important to give the electrolytes right before sweating and especially right after sweating. This way, the absorbed electrolytes can compensate for the losses through the sweat immediately.

White or foaming sweat

It is often thought that the colour of the sweat indicates how much electrolytes are lost (through the sweat), but this is not completely true. The colour of the sweat is influenced partially by the presence of a particular protein, called latherin, which is responsible for decreasing the surface tension of the sweat, enabling it to pass through the horse’s coat more easily. Therefore, there is no reason to panic when a horse’s sweat turns white and foamy as this is simply a way of passing the heat more efficiently.

Transport

In addition to training, horses can lose a significant amount of electrolytes during transport.  On a 24-hour journey, a horse can lose approximately 5% of its body weight in fluids. Therefore, it is extremely important horses receive plenty of fluids and electrolytes before, during and after transport.

Before the journey, be sure to provide plenty of hay and easily digestible feed such as mash, combined with electrolytes. During and after the journey, it is also advisable to provide plenty of roughage and easily digestible meals, in combination with electrolytes and abundant fresh drinking water.

Salt alone is not enough

If we want to replenish all the electrolytes lost in the sweat in order to speed up recovery, it is advisable to provide a complete electrolyte mix. Regular salt only contains sodium and chloride, and cannot replace the lost potassium. All electrolytes influence each other; with the administration of a particular electrolyte affecting the absorption of the other electrolytes. Therefore, the electrolytes should be administered to the horse in the proper balance.

Also, the addition of fructose to certain electrolyte mixes will aid in the transport of the electrolytes through various membranes. These electrolyte mixes contain additional base substances that support the recuperation process. When choosing an electrolyte mix, look at the label to see which carrier is used.

For example, fructose is a functional carrier while wheat semolina or alfalfa have no nutritional function when it comes to electrolytes.

Electrolytes throughout the year

While electrolytes are mostly given in summer, there is no value in adding them to the daily ration.  Adding electrolytes is only beneficial during transport, exercise, competitions or other situations where the horse excessively sweats.

Providing electrolytes at those times is advisable regardless of the outside temperature or season. Of course horses sweat more in summer, but keep those winter indoor training sessions in mind!

Any questions or advice needed?  Contact the Cavalor consumer line on +32 (0) 9 220 2525 or visit www.mycavalor.com. 

Cavalor offers a range of electrolyte products that cater for both pre and post exercise and in different formats depending on preference. Each of these offers a perfect balance between various minerals meaning that horse owners can rest assured that their horse is receiving the very best. The range includes: Electroliq Balance (RRP £22 1000ml), a liquid mixture of easily absorbed vitamins which makes adding to feed or water easy and Electrolylte Balance (RRP £14.50 800g) – the palatable powder version. For sport horses that have to deliver brief and powerful top performances An Energy Boost (RRP £7.50 per tube) provides a mix of high-quality electrolytes, vitamins, amino acids, sugars and salt – important elements for the competition’s horse’s body . Visit www.zebraproducts.co.uk or call 01352 763350 for stockists details.