By
Gayle Ecker
Vol.2, No.2, Spring 1999, Equine Research Centre's Journal
What
is sweat?
* Sweat is a watery fluid containing salts, also called electrolytes.
* Sweating helps the horse lose heat when body temperature increases.
* It is formed in the sweat glands in the skin.
* Horse sweat is 10 times more concentrated than human sweat.
* The main electrolytes in sweat are sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), chloride
(Cl-), magnesium (Mg++) and calcium (Ca++).
*Losses of electrolytes and water affect health and performance.
What
are electrolytes?
* Electrolytes are electrically charged particles in solution, some
have a positive (+) charge and some have a negative (-) charge.
* Sodium (Na+) is most abundant in the fluid outside the cells, where
as potassium (K+) is most abundant inside the cells (like the muscle).
* K+ helps balance the fluid inside the cells and is important for optimal
muscle, heart and kidney function.
* Cl- helps maintain the balance of acids and bases.
* Mg++ is important for many functions in the body and contributes to
bone growth.
* Ca++ builds bones and teeth and contributes to healthy function of
the heart, muscle, nerves and blood clotting.
How
to replace water and electrolytes?
* For optimal health, performance and recovery, replace lost water
and electrolytes.
* Use a good quality electrolyte designed to replace sweat losses in
the exercising horse, such as Perform'N Win.
* Avoid high sugar supplements, check ingredients carefully.
* Encourage your horse to drink frequently.
* Do not give concentrated electrolytes to a dehydrated horse.
* When using a product like Perform'N Win, use about 3 oz. per hour
of exercising, once the horse is used to the taste, add to the water
in the recovery period. Amounts needed to replace sweat lossed will
vary depending on conditions.
How
does sweat help heat loss?
* Sweat must evaporate in order to take heat away from the horse
efficently.
* If the weather is not and humid, the sweat will not evaporate quickly.
Sweating
Buckets?
* The human sweat rate is only 2 - 3 liters per hour.
* The horse's sweat rate can be 10 - 15 liters per hour. That's sweating
buckets!
Its
not the heat, it's the humidity?
* If a horse is exercising in the heat, endurance time may decrease
by 25%.
* If it is hot and humid, endurance time may decrease 50%.
* Always be aware of the humidity when exercising your horse.
* Learn how to monitor the temperature of your horse.
* Slowly acclimate your horse to exercise in the heat.
Are
you a weather watcher?
* If conditions include warn to hot temperatures, help cool down
the horse to "save sweat."
* Repeated applications of water with a sponge will help to take heat
away.
* Continue sponging until the water coming off the skin is the same
temperature as it went on.
* If weather conditions are hot and humid, use caution when exercising
to aviod overheating the horse.
* If weather conditions are very hot and humid, consider stopping all
exercise if more than one hour duration.
The
Equine Research Centre at the University of Guelph publishes an informative
newsletter called EquineCanada.