Essential performance products you shouldn’t travel without!
When it comes to packing for a competition or travel there are so many things to check off the list! Saddle, bridle, helmet, grooming kit… all of those every ride essentials need to make it in! But sometimes we can be so caught up in making sure all these items are packed that we don’t leave time to consider the competition specific products that we might need along the way too – especially supplements!
Here are our must have performance travel essentials!
Electrolytes
We have all been there- we get to a new place and our horse doesn’t want to drink. This is why
electrolytes are an absolute travel necessity, not just for the notorious nondrinkers, but for any trip or event where your horse is going to sweat. As soon as our horse has insufficient salts and
electrolytes, water intake is significantly reduced. A reduced water intake leaves our horses feeling flat and at a higher risk of dehydration and associated complications like colic.
It is vital that our horses are provided with a premium electrolyte to avoid dehydration and reduce the risk of poor performance. Our new 180g Travel size of Salkavite is the perfect size to pack in your tack box! Or, if pastes are more your style, Electro Paste! Both products will rectify your horse’s
electrolyte imbalance, encouraging their water intake and thus having resulting benefits to their health, performance, and recovery.
TOP TIP: Supplement additional electrolytes the night before you travel to ensure your horse drinks up well before the long journey ahead. 1 Electro Paste or 30g of Salkavite for a 500kg horse will do the job perfectly!
Calming
No matter how much we have trained and practiced, nerves get the better of everyone, including our horses! Our horses can become unsettled at events for many reasons: new environment, different noises and smells, their usual paddock friends aren’t around, and even the stress of anticipating the upcoming performance.
Two handy swab free options though you can keep in the tack box are Calm Paste and Settle’em Plus 180g travel size. Both products target Magnesium and B- group Vitamins B1, B2 and B6, which can quickly become deficient after sweat and have been shown to increase anxious behaviours when in deficit. Calm Paste does offer added Tryptophan and can be provided for a targeted approach (i.e., you have a class in the indoor arena on one day!). Settle’em Plus, in its convenient 180g travel size, contains 6x30g doses, and can instead be provided in the feed each day of time away to help ease the overall stresses of travel.
Muscle Support and Recovery
Our horses are asked to provide their peak performance at competitions, and often sustain this peak over several classes and days. As it is for human athletes, it is unreasonable to assume such a high intensity of performance can be sustained without the proper recovery support. At home and in
training, we tend to not reach this intensity, and forgo these valuable tools, but there is certainly no excuse for not providing such in this high-level environment. Whilst there are many physical tools we can use to aid our horse’s recovery, nutritional supplements can work exclusively or alongside these measure to promote recovery.
BCAA Powder; Now available in a 180g travel size, containing 6 doses, BCAA powder is a premium Branch Chain Amino Acid supplement targeted to assisting in muscle and tissue repair.
BCAA can be given before and/or after strenuous work to maintain cell integrity, preserve muscle glycogen stores and reduce muscle protein degradation, cumulatively resulting in a greater muscle recovery time.
Recovery Aid; Our all in one performance formula contains Electrolytes, B-Group Vitamins, Branch Chain Amino Acids and Antioxidants to cover all bases for optimal recovery. Recovery-Aid is available in a paste or powder, with the newest size addition being a 180g travel size. Recovery-Aid
does not contravene the rules of racing or competition and can assist not only with recovery, but also with horses that may be a little flat or even have gone off their food at a competition. It’s 4 in 1
premium combination makes it a very handy tool to combat various types of travel predicaments and is an absolute “don’t leave home without” product for those reasons!
So whether you are headed to the Arilla Cup a Boneo Park this week, the upcoming Australian Show Jumping Champships in Sydney, a show, or even clinic, make
sure to consider the “might needs” as well when packing the float! You can find our must have travel essentials at your local Stock Feed Supply, Saddlery or online.
Discover Ranvet’s Travel Essentials range here.
This article was written in conjunction with Ranvet.
