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Electrolytes? Yummy, says Oklahoma barrel horse

ShaggyHis registered name is Legacy’s Badger Dulce, but he wouldn’t mind if you just call him by his everyday name, Shaggy. And like his cartoon counterpart of Scooby Doo fame, this boy has personality to spare. Owner Stacey Murphy of Weatherford, Oklahoma, has been running barrels since she was eight years old. “Shaggy’s the most fun horse I’ve ever had!” she says.

The nine-year-old quarter horse came into her life almost two years ago now, via a friend, who intended to sell the gentle guy for a kids’ horse. Such a transaction wasn’t in the cards for Shaggy.

“I rode him and we just clicked from the get-go,” reflects Murphy on the steed she teams up with predominantly in barrels, though he’s also a capable calf-roping, pole-bending equine athlete, too.

Their relationship hasn’t been without trials. He’s had some respiratory problems over time. Then Murphy had the misfortune to suffer a broken ankle. Her ankle is healing and his ailments are being monitored and addressed. Their future together looks bright. 

RockStar, Restore and More

RockStar is a popular energy drink. For humans. Some horses apparently like it too! It wasn’t too long ago when someone was throwing one back, when the horse said, “Hey, I’m thirsty too!” That’s not exactly how the scenario went down, but word has it that Shaggy did drink the beverage right out of the friend’s cupped hand. “He’d go for cookies, candy and chips, too, if I’d let him,” says Murphy of the horse with a discerning palate.

And what about Formula 707 Restore™ Electrolyte Paste? Shaggy sucks it right out of the tube. Licks the tube. Has, on occasion, tried to eat the tube. One important note: Restore is not a feed product; tell that to the horse! “He really likes it,” chuckles Murphy. “I’d been trying different things to help keep him hydrated, but he wouldn’t go for other brands; this is the one he likes.” And Restore seems to be just the thing the high-performing horse needs after a demanding run. The paste is a convenient on-the-road solution that supplies the calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium and chloride needed to restore electrolyte balance lost when a horse sweats.

Why electrolytes matter

Electrolytes are minerals in a horse’s blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge. It is important to maintain the balance of electrolytes because they affect nerve impulses, blood pH, muscle action, and other critical processes. Horses lose electrolytes every time they sweat, and horses working hard or in competitive situations can lose up to 50 grams of electrolytes per hour, which they must quickly replenish in order to remain at peak performance.

Horses in competition on a hot day can lose up to 30 liters per hour in sweat, and the salts in horse sweat are some four times more concentrated than those in humans. Keeping electrolytes balanced with a regular regimen of Formula 707 Restore™ at home and Restore Electrolyte Paste™ on the road makes good sense, especially in hot summer weather.

A solid 2D barrel horse

This year, Murphy’s goal was to qualify in the amateur class for the AQHA World Show in Oklahoma City in November. She says she may have to push that goal out a year. Patient and persistent, she and Shaggy have already won about $5,000—and that’s with her full-time job and their recent health setbacks.

Whatever happens, she notes that she plans on supplementing Shaggy’s performance with the Restore paste he so loves for a long time to come. That’s one lucky horse!

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