July/August 2025 Issue

Page 8 July/August 2025 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Hydration is the Key to Cool your horse *looks* dehydrated is too late—by then, blood volume is already reduced, and absorption becomes more difficult. Skip the Bicarbonate Endurance horses should not receive electrolytemixes that contain bicarbonate. After heavy sweating, their bodies tend to be alkalotic, and adding bicarbonate can make that worse. Prioritize Recovery Post-ride hydration is just as important as pre-ride prep. Horses continue to sweat after exercise, and replenishing both water and electrolytes helps restore body bal- ance. Don’t offer dry hay or feed right away. Consuming water alone may flush out what few electrolytes remain, as it dilutes the blood and increases urination. Instead, let your horse drink water with electrolytes until satisfied, then introduce hay and feed. Support Cooling During exercise and heat stress, blood flow shifts away from the gut toward the muscles and skin to help the horse cool off. Monitoring your horse’s rectal temperature and ob- serving signs like skin vasodilation (flushed skin or visible veins) can help you assess whether cooling is effective. Once cooled, more blood returns to the gut, improving diges- tion and absorption of electrolytes. This helps restore blood volume, eases cardiovascular strain, and supports continued cooling. In Summary Hydration and electrolyte man- agement aren’t just performance tools—they’re essential to horse welfare. A thoughtful approach that includes diet, preparation, and smart supplementation can go a long way toward keeping your horse healthy, comfortable, and competitive in the heat. (Continued from page 7) Syzmanski Wins AHP Award East Coast Equestrian contrib- utor Lois Syzmanski was honored with a second-place award in the American Horse Publications 2024 awards competition. The article, ‘Wildfire, Treasured Misty of Chincoteague Descendent is Lost but Her Filly Lives On’, placed second in the Public Awareness JournalismArticle (print or online) class. The critique read: Such a dra- matic story, and with one or two tweaks this would have been a winner. The Ranada quote about her eight-year-old self would have been dynamite had you used it im- mediately after your lede. Lots of great detail about the rescue effort, and you did the legwork getting many voices of the people trying to help the mare. Just the right amount of facts and emotions. Good work. The article appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of East Coast Equestrian and is available to read online at https://eastcoast- equestrian.net/news/archive-2024. php. This brings to 19 the number of awards for editorial excellence the publication has won. Like what you see? Subscribe today! Eventing season is in full swing. Fending off the heat and burning up the Starter course is Hazel J. Reed aboard Samantha Schwartz's veteran Rumble Fish June 14th at the New Jersey Horse Trials, Horse Park of New Jersey, Freehold Township Photography by Amy Dragoo, www.akdragoophoto.com