Restricting horses water intake before shows....

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starbagtherainbow

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Hi guys,

I read in a recent copy of Horse and Hound that before competing, some riders will:

- Withhold water from the horse altogether
AND/OR
- Give their horses diuretics (in racing to reduce weight)
OR
- Restrict the intake of the horses water.

Just out of curiousity, what's your opinions and does anyone do any of the above? It's just I've never heard about this before...
 
i encourage mine to drink little and often at events
he won't usually drink normal water so i soak a handful of sugar beat in a full bucket and he does drink this , he is a laid back boy and i want him to have as much energy as poss,
i find it helps if he drinks plenty especialy in this heat

however my instructor used to event at 4* back in the oldendays
she had a very pingy tb and she used to withhold water from him to keep his feet on the ground during the stressage faze then give him gluccose before sj/xc to pick him back up.

you would not get away with this now a days but think it was a popular trick back in the days before oxyshot/calmers etc
 
I was/am friends with a very nice lady showjumper who witheld water from one of her horses for 24 hours before the next class.

Wasn't something I thought was good, or would do myself. But it made a very uncontrollable showjumper manageable, in fact he got placed the day after the 24 hours. He was also fed calmer pastes, which went along with the water witholding.

So no, not something I would do, but its possibly a short term solution for some horses.
 
Before the Atlanta Olympics the Americans funded a great deal of research on how to manage horses most effectively in hot weather and hydration was a key point. The old wives tale that water should be restricted for competing horses was pretty much put to rest and, what's more, it was proven that rationing intake can actually increase the chances of a problem because insufficient amounts of water can "turn off" the thirst reflex. (This happens to people, too, and is often how people end up dehydrated without ever actually feeling thirsty.)

I haven't heard the weight theory but can't say I'm surprised. I wouldn't think the trade off would be worth it, performance wise! Human athletes - especially jockeys - are famous for dehydrating themselves to make weight so makes sense some bright spark would try to apply it to horses. I guess it might not be the best for a horse to drink a huge bucket of water right before a race but why would an adequately hydrated horse behave that way?

Withholding water for "calming" purposes is surprisingly common and I do wonder how many people were actually given the "horses shouldn't drink before exercise" explanation when that was actually the hidden purpose. I can't see how you'd ever catch anyone at it as, like blood doping, it's undetectable unless you know a horses regular limits and even then, fluctuations would be so easily explained. I've also known people who feed a large amount of dry bran to "calm" horses, under the theory it "leeches" fluid out of the horse's system. I can't see that being very effective but it does go to show people will try anything.

I think a lot of people do stuff like that in horses because "it's what's always been done" and it sort of sounds sensible, not because there's any scientific basis.
 
I think you may have misread the thing about racing. Water is often withdrawn prior to a race to prevent 'bleeding', where the blood vessels in the nose and the lungs burst during heavy exercise and the horse then as a nose bleed which interferes with the breathing. By reducing water intake the volume and therefore I presume pressure of the blood is reduced. When I go racing the horses get a couple of sponges full of water in their mouth whilst they are being saddled up.
 
Laura_Grey said:
I think you may have misread the thing about racing. Water is often withdrawn prior to a race to prevent 'bleeding', where the blood vessels in the nose and the lungs burst during heavy exercise and the horse then as a nose bleed which interferes with the breathing. By reducing water intake the volume and therefore I presume pressure of the blood is reduced. When I go racing the horses get a couple of sponges full of water in their mouth whilst they are being saddled up.
Click to expand...

So the same effect as Lasix, basically.:)
 
I will allow him to drink when we arrive at the venue, and after my tests/round. If I'm staying around for a couple of hours, then I will offer him water at regular intervals also.
 
Laura_Grey said:
I think you may have misread the thing about racing. Water is often withdrawn prior to a race to prevent 'bleeding', where the blood vessels in the nose and the lungs burst during heavy exercise and the horse then as a nose bleed which interferes with the breathing. By reducing water intake the volume and therefore I presume pressure of the blood is reduced. When I go racing the horses get a couple of sponges full of water in their mouth whilst they are being saddled up.
Click to expand...

Just checked the magazine and it says "A point-to-point trainer and a National Hunt trainer I know used not only to withhold water, but give diuretics the morning of their races to reduce weight."

It was a letter written in by someone so she may have heard wrong. I have no experience in racing - it just got me wondering! :)
 
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starbagtherainbow said:
Just checked the magazine and it says "A point-to-point trainer and a National Hunt trainer I know used not only to withhold water, but give diuretics the morning of their races to reduce weight."

It was a letter written in by someone so she may have heard wrong. I have no experience in racing - it just got me wondering! :)
Click to expand...

Gosh! Thats not nice is it. I am sorry, I must say I have never heard of that before.
 
think about it - if you were told your not allowed to drink anything for 24h how would you feel?

I honestly think that horses should be offered water whenever they need it relentless of what they may be doing [unless their competing being ridden ] especially in weather like this - a dehydrated horse can lead to them collapsing much like humans so honestly noooooo wouldn't go for it because it could cause more harm than good
 
It is a traditional method used for getting a good dressage test. I was told this by a member of the junior eventing team as it is undetectable. They were told by one of the top 4* riders in the world who has used this. I always offer horses water after I have tried them to buy!
 
I can see the reasoning for not jumping on a belly full of water but not for witholding water for any length of time.
I think it's a practice used in racing not anything else, and eventers certainly don't do it, one even has a weighbridge that lives in the box to ensure the correct level of water to weight loss can be achieved.
From a cruelty point of view imagine how horrible it must feel on hot days to have no water, I get a headache if dehydrated, I wonder if horses do too?
 
I am fascinated by that research Tarrsteps, when at Cheltenham I was surprised by horses arriving at 9a.m having no water when they weren't racing till 5.15pm. Horses tend not to drink massive amounts unless under exertion or after water has been withheld so I would be inclined to make water available at all times. Dehydration affects performance so I still don't get the rationale behind it. :confused:
 
starbagtherainbow said:
Just checked the magazine and it says "A point-to-point trainer and a National Hunt trainer I know used not only to withhold water, but give diuretics the morning of their races to reduce weight."

It was a letter written in by someone so she may have heard wrong. I have no experience in racing - it just got me wondering! :)
Click to expand...
I do not think for one minute that trainers will give a horse diuretics before a race as they will show up on a dope test.
However racehorses are usually witheld water before a race as it does affect the performance.It is a very common method of 'stopping a horse'to give it plenty of water before a race.
 
I have heard of giving a horse a large bucket of water before a race to 'stop' them before as well.
It also works in Endurance rides, becasue although you are going more slowly over a longer distance, it can be enough to slow your horse down sufficently over the first stage putting you out of touch with the leaders and therefore contention. The comparision I was given was run 100m, then when you have recovered, drink 1L of water and try and run 100m again - its alot harder!

I found this out as I had someone try it on my horse at a comp. Fortunatly stopped them before he drank too much, but spoke to the vets on site at the time as I was worried about doping, and they explained what was probably going on.
Incase you are wondering my horse had free access to water untill 1or 2 hr before the start, then none except for a few mouthfuls just before we set off.

But some of the stories about giving diuretics or no water for 24hrs strike me as cruel and stupid. There is so much literature on the importance of hydration to human athletes, concentration and reaction time that I'd be really worried about jumping/racing a dehydrated horse.

With diuretics before a race the only possible reason I can think of would be in the horse has a history of 'Tying-up'. Diuretics help flush the system and may help prevent it. But I think the science there is questionable.
 
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