[BaileyTW]

Wow, watch out guys!

I trailered down to Fair Hill, MD with a friend to ride today. I didn't think it was too terribly hot, though it was cooler and less humidity the past week. Anyways, had to stop once for my horse to cool off, but I actually got put out of comission from heat exhaustion!

I was fine through the ride, and loading back up, but once I sat down in her truck it hit me. My vision got fuzzy and a little spotted in my peripheral, and I got a bit of a headache. So I drank some cold water and felt a little better, but when we got back to the barn and I went to unload I felt really dizzy and the vision spots and headache got worse.
But I took my horse back to the barn and put him in his stall with water and I sat down and tried to eat a pop tart while he drank, and after the first bite I felt bad, and after the second bite I puked, and then it just got worse from there.

I made my way back up to her house (after rinsing my horse off... of course) and laid down and was on her couch for the next 5 hours until I could eat a piece of bread and keep it down, then had some tylenol for my headache and felt good enough to drive home.

Ayways, I took the time to write all this out so in case you guys start to get any weird vision fuzzies or headache or nausea, get inside and drink cold water!!!

[chicamuxen1]

Your symptoms are also signs of dehydration. Most heat exhaustion is caused by dehydration. I've done this myself, once so severely that I was ill and passed out several times over a week and had episodes for the entire summer. Both times I failed to drink enough water while exercising (riding, cutting firewood) on hot days. I've learned my lesson and make myself drink a lot more. By the time you feel thirsty you are dehydrated. You should also add electrolytes to your own water yet most humans fail to take care of themselves sufficiently.

Bonnie S.

[Guilherme]

I was taught long ago that you drink BEFORE you get thirsty. By the time you think, "I'd like a glass of water" you are already dehydrated.

The last thing I do before I leave the house for the barn is drink a glass of water. The last thing I do before I get up at the barn drink water. Note that I'm drinking water, not a "water substitute" like GatorAid, etc. And damn sure not an "energy drink" that might take more water to digest than it contains.

For extra "electrolytes" and minerals I eat a banana.

I'm amazed at the number of trail riders I see without a canteen. A quart of water can make a ride a much more pleasant experience and stave off heat related discomforts. Humans are not like horses; we must drink small amounts frequently, not large amounts infrequently.

G.

[ChocoMare]

While drinking before is advised, actually drinking enough DAYS before is what you should be doing.

I have had a kidney stone...once. If you've never had one but had a baby, trust me: you'd rather have another baby than pass a kidney stone. Consequently I MUST drink tons of water alllll day long so that my urine stays diluted and my kidneys are able to flush things out much more efficiently. I'd rather have my arms and legs pulled out of their sockets than get another kidney stone, so I drink my water!

However, this past Monday, for assorted reasons, I got very busy at work and failed to stop and refill my big cup the usual 4 - 5 times. That evening, after only doing barn chores (big time paddock poop pickup) for about an hour, I was totally wiped out, exhausted and limp.

So when the docs et al say "Drink 8 glasses of water a day minimum," they mean it.

I've had heat exhaustion before too as a dumb teenager. I'd prefer not to repeat that either!

[BaileyTW]

See, that's what gets me, I did have a big water bottle with me. And I was drinking throughout the ride, and then we had more water in the truck when we got back, and I drank then too.

I guess when I lost the pop tart that could have triggered more dehydration.

[wateryglen]

I recommend you drink a bottled water while tacking up/grooming and then a bottle while untacking. Make sure you've had good fluids the morning before a ride too. One way to know if you're well hydrated is how often and how much you pee. If you're going a couple of hours without peeing (like greater than 4)then you're not hydrated. And if the amounts are teeny=not hydrated!! Your kidneys don't lie! LISTEN to them!!

I think a lot of women deny themselves water to avoid having to pee. Thats bad! You should always empty your bladder right before you get on. Water sloshing around bladders isn't good. And if you have to get off and pee on the trail? So be it. Most of us can make it back IF we emptied before we rode. And that nervous bladder thing is normal but can be minimized with emptying!

Some of the symptoms you described also sound like low blood sugar to me. Horsefolks should eat also before riding. Not a full meal but something. Snacks good. If you are lightheaded = EAT! Something high in sugar or carbs to get your blood levels up then drink. Or...drink a sugary drink like OJ or juice and later plain water for the fluids. If you feel nervous, sweaty, jumpy, lightheaded, that vision thing you described, shakey.....thats blood sugar. It corrects quickly; in a matter of minutes after you take in some carbs. We need carbs when we ride. Don't worry, you'll burn it off!!

[jnel]

Okay this may sound funny, but every time you pee check the color. If its bright yellow you need to drink more water, if it is light yellow almost clear then you are ok.

[chicamuxen1]

Unless of course , like me, you take a B vitamin supplement. In that case your urine is a bright intense yellow!

Funny Story: when I was in the USN my number (last number of your SS#) came up for a routine urinalysis. This was just routine stuff, every command held monthly piss tests. The command's Master At Arms (like MPs) had to do the collections and they hated the job. Having to go into the head and stand outside a stall while somebody pees into a cup is no fun.

So, I was in a class that day, off base and didn't get the word that I had to "contribute" until late in the day. I rushed back to the base and go to the gym where they did the collections. They were standing around waiting for me, pissed off because I was late. I go into the women's head with a female MA and go into a stall with my cup. I fill the cup and finish emptying my bladder. I set the cup on the floor so I can have my hands free to buckle my belt and I manage to kick the cup over. DA#! How embarrassing is that. What a mess, the MA is cursing, I'm apologizing. No more pee in me either. So I have to go out into the gym and explain to this Senior Chief, sorry, no pee. Of course this makes him suspicious of me. What am I hiding. Now they all have to wait longer while I sit around drinking coffee and trying to make urine. Boy, did I get some dirty looks from those sailors.

Finally, I feel I may be able to fill a cup again. The MA who goes into the head with me has been instructed by the Senior Chief to keep an eye on me with the stall door open. We are both embarrassed. I fill the cup, barely. Of course it is bright, bright yellow because I take lots of vitamins. The cup is sealed and labeled and I carry it out into the gym for all to see. I know that Senior was positive that I was a drug user. You should have seen his look at the cup of yellow!

Awww, the memories.

Bonnie S.

[Rachel L]

I think a lot of women deny themselves water to avoid having to pee. Thats bad!

I agree, and have spent some miserable days trail riding for this reason. I have a better strategy now: when I horse camp, I bring a liter of water with me to wherever I sleep. When I wake up, the first thing I do is drink the liter of water. Feeding the horses, eating breakfast, tacking up, etc. gives me enough time to "process" the water and pee before going out on the ride. I start my ride well hydrated and don't have to stop 14 times to pee during the ride.

[gabz]

A banana to start the day when riding long hours is excellent. A hard boiled egg (or 2) is another. They travel pretty well in horn bags too.

Do not be afraid of sugared drinks either. They contain sugar and sodium - which can be helpful to both you AND your horse - HOWEVER!! Do NOT replace water with soda. The soda is extra stuff. You can drink part of it and give the rest to your horse in his/her water.

I agree that you were probably suffering more from a Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) attack as much as from dehydration. Been there, done that.

foods with flour are bad for hypoglycemic attacks. OJ, apple juice, even regular soda (not diet) are better.

[Guilherme]

A banana to start the day when riding long hours is excellent.

Then you're gonna love this!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3ZYP...eature=related

G.

[gabz]

Too FUNNY...
I was just thinking of how some people feed bananas to their horses to hide bute or something...

...
Would you like to try strained peas???? or ... Whirled peas???

[patti]

... and do training for hazmat responders and Superfund site workers, where heat stress is a HUGE issue. And I've also managed to suffer from heat exhaustion once or twice when I failed to practice what I preach.

There was a really good article about this in Endurance News recently, but be aware that there are a bunch of electrolytes -- sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium -- getting any of them out of wack or depleted can cause you trouble. So while the banana is a good source of potassium, if you're relying on diet to provide your 'lytes, consider adding something salty, something dairy, something rich in magnesium too. So on endurance rides, at vet checks I tend to eat the following: cheese (calcium), almonds (magnesium), Pringles (sodium chloride) and bananas.

Most experts say after an hour of sustained exertion, you should be replacing electrolytes as well as rehydrating with water.

At this point, the typical recommendation is alternating gatorade (or some other electrolytic replacement) and water, which is what I do on endurance rides, and I find that makes me feel best. Gatorade has carbs (sugar) too so can help you out if you have a tendency toward hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which like someone mentioned, causes similar symptoms.

And bingo re: pre-hydrating. It's hard to play catch up.

Many of the same rules apply for using electrolytes with our horses, but most of us do a better job with the ponies than ourselves. :-)

Good luck.

[CristyC]

e-lytes, e-lytes, e-lytes. SODIUM, calcium, potassium, magnesium & phosphates.

You can die from too much water, not enough salts (e-lytes). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

A simple rule of thumb, easy to remember and follow, that my father, an MD, told me to do since I was young. (been competing CTR for 30 years now) Water before lunch and water and salts after lunch. A small bag of potato chips or pretzels at lunch can be one of the most beneficial things ever.

If you have muscle cramps, calcium and potassium (bananas). Now with Vitamin Water brands, you can get extra potassium in the fruit punch flavor. They also have one called Charge with all e-lytes barring salt.

They are nice because they aren't too sweet and what sweet there is is NOT high fructose corn syrup but some cane sugar and another slow release sugar (from how I understand it... still researching). Still less than half the sugar than an average soda.

My farrier thanked me profusely today for telling him of the Fruit Punch flavor with potassium!

[seabreeze]

Very timely thread since some areas might start to be getting cooler days here and there...with the relief from severe summer heat, we tend to not be as careful about water consumption...thanks for the reminder!

[chicamuxen1]

I highly recommend Cytomax Performance drink, http://www.cytosport.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=5 I've been using it for years. It was developed with marathon runners in mind and works great to prevent problems and assist with recovery. It's not as sweet or salty as many drinks, has a well thought out formula and really helps prevent muscle soreness and exhaustion. You can find it at bike shops, many type of sporting goods stores. I get mine at the local REI store. I've gotten puke feeling after trying a couple of other brands while riding but the Cytomax has never bothered me.

I had to escort a rider the last 10 miles of an endurance ride because she was suffering from stomach cramping. I lost out on a top 10 placing! Refused my electrolytes, insisted she never drank anything but water (she was out of course) obviously in great pain and discomfort. When she got into camp another rider who was a nurse forced electrolyted water on her and she immediately recovered. Take your electrolytes!

Bonnie S.

[wateryglen]

Bananas high in magnesium BTW. Potatoes (w/skins) are higher in potassium than bananas! Other high potassium foods? Tomatoes, citrus fruits, prunes, dried fruits (also sugars) and be sure to do some research re: which foods are high in what. And YES we are salt-o-phobic as a society (matched only by the carbophobics!) but we athletes need some. Aim for the minimum daily requirement of around 2000-2400 mg /day.(hope I got that right, it's from memory which ain't always reliable! )

Another thing about electrolytes....you can't "lyte load" like you can "carb load" that is you can't store up extra for use on those extra hot days. All you can do is make sure you have taken them in and your body self regulates your levels to within a normal range. Mostly it's your kidneys and they need access to the electrolytes WITH some water to do the job. Now you CAN replace lytes when your levels are low so....eat/drink properly before and after.

I agree that cramps are sometimes about salt not potassium as is often thought. Another factoid about potassium, if your kidneys don't have enough then it steals it from your muscles hence that weakness symptom. The big message? Physical exercise requires a proper, balanced diet and good fluid intake!! No dieting! No withholding!
Ride on my friends!!!

[Huntertwo]

I was taught long ago that you drink BEFORE you get thirsty. By the time you think, "I'd like a glass of water" you are already dehydrated.

The last thing I do before I leave the house for the barn is drink a glass of water. The last thing I do before I get up at the barn drink water. Note that I'm drinking water, not a "water substitute" like GatorAid, etc. And damn sure not an "energy drink" that might take more water to digest than it contains.

For extra "electrolytes" and minerals I eat a banana.

I'm amazed at the number of trail riders I see without a canteen. A quart of water can make a ride a much more pleasant experience and stave off heat related discomforts. Humans are not like horses; we must drink small amounts frequently, not large amounts infrequently.

G.

I find on hot days if I'm riding or working outside, water just doesn't cut it. I still feel weak and headachy.

Usually drink Gatoraide, although I hate all the sugar in it, so I'll water it down to 1/2 and 1/2.

[lisae]

I recently heard in situations like yours you are supposed to drink room temperature water not ice cold water. Something about your system is less shocked? I heard it third hand so who knows....

[BaileyTW]

I recently heard in situations like yours you are supposed to drink room temperature water not ice cold water. Something about your system is less shocked? I heard it third hand so who knows....

I heard that too. I prefer room temp/slightly cool water anyway, cold water tends to make me sick no matter what condition I'm in. lol.

Keep riding and take care, everyone!