MANAGING AN ATHLETE – TOP TIPS FOR CARING FOR YOUR HORSE AT AN EVENT
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With the Olympics occupying our screens and closer to home, the upcoming World Cup Qualifier down in Shongweni, here at HQ, we’ve been pondering what it takes to optimally care for your horse at an event. Here are a few of our top tips:
1. Transport
While in the box, horses are constantly using their muscles for balance. With this in mind, you ideally want to arrive early to a competition, if possible, to allow your horse time to recover. After the event, wait until he’s cool and rested before you load him and head home.
For long journeys, it is advised to take 20- to 30-minute breaks every four hours to let the horse rest. Horses are able to rest while the box is stopped but can’t get their heads down to clear their airways, so if the area is safe to unload (well off the road away from obstacles and, ideally, surrounded by a fence), it can be a good idea at this point to get them out to graze for a short while.
2. Warm-up
The whole ‘recovery’ process after exercise actually starts as soon as you get on your horse at a show. A proper warm-up primes the body and optimises functions for the upcoming exercise by increasing oxygen delivery to the tissues. Warm-up also allows muscle tissues access to energy stores and increases the temperature within soft tissues to improve the elasticity of the tendons and ligaments, which helps to prevent injury.
3. Cool-down
One of the most important steps in a horse’s post-exercise recovery is removing heat and metabolic byproducts from his deep muscles. For this reason, jumping off your horse straight after your round should be an absolute no-no. Your horse should be allowed to continue walking for at least 20 minutes after intense exercise. Slow movement, like walking, increases the amount of heat and lactic acid that is removed from muscles compared to standing still. This facilitates rapid cardiovascular recovery and minimises muscle soreness over the following days.
Did you know?
A horse’s ability to return to normal temperature depends on his fitness level. A well-conditioned horse will have developed physiological adaptations that help to dissipate heat in the deep muscles.
4. Cooling techniques post-cool-down
To cool your horse’s core, hose him with water. Start at his legs and work up his body as he tolerates. Fans and hand-walking also improve airflow across the horse’s body, and misting fans add an element of cooling. It is also important to seek shade to protect your horse from the sun’s heating radiation.
If it is a cold day, cool your horse with cold water (perhaps avoiding the very large muscle groups over the haunches), and once he is back to normal temperature, consider adding a sweat sheet.
5. Addressing the legs
All equine athletes benefit from leg icing following heavy exercise to cool the limbs and reduce inflammation. For strenuous work or for horses with a musculoskeletal injury or concern, ice is very effective to reduce pain and inflammation but you need to completely submerge legs in ice water to cool tissues beneath the skin effectively. The best way to do this is to fill a tub, bucket, or boot with ice and water. You can also use commercial icing systems, which keep cold water flowing through the leg boots and add compression.
Another useful device is a cold-water salt spa. The salt makes the water hypertonic, so it has a ‘drawing’ effect to decrease oedema (fluid swelling). Cold water removes heat, and the jets and water movement massage (the legs) to increase circulation and also decrease oedema further.
Commercial ice boots that contain gel packs have some ability to lower temperature, especially in superficial tissues, if applied correctly. However, it is best to change the ice packs at least once in a cooling session for maximal impact.
Top tip
Soak legs in water before applying ice boots—this helps conduct cold into the tissues.
6. Water, feed, and electrolytes at a competition
All horses need water to keep their metabolism and body working effectively. Allow horses to drink whenever they desire.
Some nutritionists also recommend adding electrolytes to your horse’s feed during shows. There are varied opinions on the use of electrolytes for competition horses and whether they should be given all the time or just at events, but all horses should either have access to free choice salt or have salt added to their food, whether at competition or at home.
Horses should be allowed to eat hay or green grass at every opportunity, as forage is an excellent storage vehicle for fluid and electrolytes in the intestines. However, you should withhold concentrate feeds until the horses are well cooled down to ensure blood flow is redirected from the muscles to the intestinal tract. With athletes competing at very high levels, it is often best to only feed concentrates after a few hours.
7. Monitor for signs of dehydration
A horse needs to be well-hydrated to perform, regulate body temperature and recover well from exercise. To monitor your horse’s hydration levels, check for skin turgor, or how fast the skin snaps back when pinched; it should be about one to two seconds on the point of the shoulder. NOTE: While people commonly pinch the neck, this is not as reliable due to differing amounts of fat beneath the skin. If you see a delay in the skin snapping back, the horse is already 3-5% dehydrated, which impacts both performance and health.
To encourage your horse to drink well before and after the event, make sure the water is room temperature, not ice cold, and add a small amount of molasses to the bucket if needed. Some find it effective to put some salt on your horse’s tongue to encourage drinking.
Signs of dehydration
Knowing a horse’s normal routine and behaviour is critical for recognising that something is wrong. For example, it is a good idea to monitor manure production—not only the number of piles but also the texture. Dry faeces indicate dehydration, while faeces covered in a gelatinous mucus point toward dehydration along with a sluggish gut, with the potential to develop an intestinal impaction.
Attitude changes often indicate dehydration and/or heat stress. Any alteration in the horse’s bright, alert interest in his surroundings is a warning sign. Deflated posture, poor tail tone, lack of response to stimuli, reduced appetite, and reduced urination volume or frequency are other signs of dehydration and metabolic stress.
8.Back at home
Once your horse is home, turnout will help him recover. Simply walking around a field will increase circulation and help clear the body of metabolites, reduce limb oedema, and prevent stiffness. Bodywork is also helpful for relieving stiffness, particularly in large muscle groups.
Take home message
Use these strategies at every level of competition to help your horse recover following an athletic event. The steps you take immediately upon completion, as well as back home, can help your horse return to exercise while maximising his athletic longevity