Proper electrolyte management is critical for horse welfare during heavy exercise, competition, and transport, with dehydration causing significant performance decline and physiological stress.
Equine hydration management is a welfare issue that intersects exercise physiology, transport management, and competition welfare. Horses that arrive at competition dehydrated from transport and then compete without adequate rehydration face compounded physiological stress. Endurance horses that are not adequately managed during competitions risk severe metabolic crises including exhaustion, synchronous diaphragmatic flutter, and rhabdomyolysis — conditions that cause intense suffering and can be life-threatening. The welfare responsibility is clear: horses that are worked hard or transported long distances must have unrestricted access to water and appropriate electrolyte support. Electrolyte pastes given without water access are counterproductive — they increase thirst without providing the means to satisfy it.