Description
Spurwing Electrolytes. During periods of training, performance and high temperatures and humidity, horses lose large quantities of electrolytes through their sweat. As with human athletes, horses, in these conditions, need extra electrolytes added to their diet.
Spurwing Equine Electrolyte contains all the necessary minerals needed to replace that which is lost during strenuous exercise. Sodium is necessary to balance the body water and maintain blood pressure. Potassium helps balance the fluids inside the cells and is vital for optimal muscle and kidney function. Chloride helps maintain the balance between the acids and bases. Magnesium is a very important co-factor for over 300 enzymes in the horses’ body of which without magnesium they cannot function. All of these are found in Spurwing Equine Electrolytes; an indispensable addition to your sporting horses lifestyle when in work.
Electrolytes are substances that dissociate into electrically charged particles called ions. They play a vital role in maintaining osmotic pressure, fluid balance within the body, as well as nerve and muscle activity. For horses, the main route of heat dissipation is through the form of evaporative cooling known as sweating. During exercise, chloride, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium are lost in the sweat and the loss of these electrolytes cause fatigue and muscle weakness, and will reduce the horse’s thirst response, which could lead to dehydration.
During heavy and strenuous exercise, a horse can lose up to 22 litres of water an hour when the temperature and humidity is high. Unfortunately sweating takes with it water and these vital electrolytes. The loss of fluid and electrolytes can result in a vicious cycle within the horse as the blood volume falls, the pulse weakens, the blood carries less oxygen resulting in a lactic acid build up and ultimately the horse can tie up. During an intense game of polo, water loss can be so extreme that blood volume is decreased and further sweating is not possible. If the horse is not re-hydrated death can result.
