Electrolytes

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icklemadame

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I've been advised to try my little mare on electrolytes as she's been hunting 2x a week and has dropped a lot of weight. I posted pictures of her on here a couple of weeks ago and it was suggested - however I just wanted to check I'm using them right as I've just noticed on a post below that using them incorrectly can cause more problems!! I've been giving them to her in her water after she's had a hard day & has come home tucked up (she won't take them in her food) - is this right??
 
You can feed them in water or food.

My preference is always the food because you can guarantee that they have had them all if all the food is gone. It's strange that she won't take it in her feed - have you mixed them well in and tried adding some sugar beet??
 
I hope you are giving her a supply of fresh water too? I would never give in water but that is personal preference. She shoudl have the choice of water IMO.
 
She is incredibly fussy with her food and I struggle getting any in her at all, so adding electrolytes meant all the food was pushed onto the floor and nothing was eaten... (and she won't eat sugar beet either, so I can't hide it in this)

The first couple of times she had the electrolytes she had an extra bucket of fresh water as well, so if she didn't like the electrolytes she still had water, but she drank from both fine so recently I've just been putting it in her water, and she's been drinking it fine, but if you think I ought to still have two buckets I'll put another one in - hence why I'm asking!!
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I always give them to my boy after a hard's day hunting, especially if he's sweated alot, and i put 1 scoop in his feed, he doesn't seem to notice it! I haven't tried the water method because my boy won't drink from a bucket if i'm holding it! he's funny like that! even after a hard day's hunting, i offer him water and he won't take any....even slightly warm water!
 
I'd love to be able to give them in her feed so that I knew she was getting them - I swear most of the grains end up round the edge of her bucket... but I don't think she will ever be convinced to eat it... just switching brands of conditioning mix meant 2 weeks of hassle, mixing up the two brands, standing watching her eat, feeding tiny feeds at a time as she soon gets bored, and if she's not bored she's busy unmixing the brands - I swear a couple of times all that was left in the bowl was purely D&H, she'd managed to spend her whole night picking out the saracen bits and eating only them!! I tried tiny bits of carrot and apple, apple juice, apple cider vinegar - all rejected completely or picked at like a small child - why do I have a mare again?!?!?
 
I do love my boys....never gone near a mare.... sorry to everyone who has a mare!! But....boys have their moments too!!
 
Hmm i feed a scoop a day in feed and my mare can be a bit fussy and didnt like it at first but i kept giving it and she eats ti now

hmm yeah i would say always have fresh water if you are giving electrolyte-water as well BUT then its unlikely she will actualy drink the water with electrolytes in!

Which one are you feeding? as there are ltos of types, some just taste like salt, some like apple or other fruit, or cherry etc.

x
 
Applelytes - they smell lovely but taste yick (OH tried some it smelt so good!!) - problem is I can't afford for her to not eat her food 1. because she needs as much food as I can get in her and 2. because I can't afford to keep buying sacks and sacks of food!!
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but yes if I give her the option on water I'm guessing she'll mostly pick the fresh stuff over the electrolyte and I'll never get electrolytes in her!!
 
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I just wanted to check I'm using them right as I've just noticed on a post below that using them incorrectly can cause more problems!! I've been giving them to her in her water after she's had a hard day & has come home tucked up (she won't take them in her food) - is this right??

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It might have been my post below that you noticed - problems can arise if people simply feed electrolytes as a form of supplement - they should be treated as a replacement for essential salts/minerals lost through hard work. If you just give your horse electrolytes as a matter of course, you're actually increasing the amount of salts etc in the body - then if it doesn't drink enough to compensate, it's heading for dehydration.

It sounds as though your girl is working hard if she's hunting twice a week and you're doing the right thing by topping up at home - I don't think it matters whether she gets them in her feed or in water so long as she's drinking well. You could syringe them if you're confident she'll drink.

Sorry - don't mean to lecture you! It's a minor obsession of mine ...
 
Thank you - yes it was your post that got me worrying!! I've always been worried about using them and have just started because she is working so hard at the moment, but wanted to make sure I was definately doing it right!! So would you recommend fresh water as well as electrolyte water? She quite happily drinks the electrolyte water, I've kept a very close eye on her intake since I introduced them, but had worried she may need both...
 
I offer them to my lad in a bucket (the electrolytes, not him!) when we first get home, and he'll usually drink a bucket and a half straight off.

then once i've washed him off, i put him in with loads of hay and a bit of sugar beet, and plenty of fresh water for a couple of hours. (he has half a blue barrrel (the sort we usually jump) as a water bucket and that's 1/3 filled)

when i go back out he's usually drunk most of the fresh water too, and eaten half a bale of hay!

he is a sweaty horse, but this seems to work for us. He will eat it in his feed, but i figure he'll take what he needs in his water cos he sure as you like won't leave any food!
 
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So would you recommend fresh water as well as electrolyte water? She quite happily drinks the electrolyte water, I've kept a very close eye on her intake since I introduced them, but had worried she may need both...

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Yes, I would give her both. If she then ignores the electrolyte water you could think about the syringe option.
 
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