Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 24, 1994                   TAG: 9406290061
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER NOTE: below
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MAKING SURE STARS OF THE SHOW DON'T BECOME TOO HOT TO TROT

Morey Oare could be the next Michael Jordan or Deion Sanders.

Like those two, who are spokesmen for competing brands of sports drinks, Oare could hawk his own favorite line of beverages. He already swears by the product.

Of course, that product is made for horses. On a hot day, though, even a rider needs refreshment.

``It's kind of like Gatorade for horses,'' Oare said. ``It tastes like Kool-Aid. I know. I've tasted it.''

Many of the horses at the Roanoke Valley Horse Show have swigged the sweet orange stuff, too. This week's show has been one of the hottest and most humid in recent memory, with temperatures hovering near 90 and the humidity staying above 50 percent most of the week.

``This is about the hottest week we've had since I've been coming to the show,'' said Bob Ley, an associate professor of veterinary medicine at Virginia Tech who has worked at the Roanoke Valley Horse Show eight years.

``It's really dangerous for horses,'' said Oare, a participant from Warrenton. ``You've got to be sensitive to how much work a horse is doing on a day like this.''

Owners and riders at the Salem Civic Center have gone to great lengths to keep the horses cool. They are hosed down regularly and kept in stables equipped with large fans.

``There aren't a lot of options,'' said Oare, as he doused his horse, Spring Lake, after competing in one of the amateur hunter events.

``He sweats a lot. He handles [the heat and humidity] better than me,'' said Oare, whose shirt was drenched beneath his heavy wool riding jacket.

Most important, owners and riders have to make sure their horses are receiving enough electrolytes - minerals such as sodium, chloride and potassium that are lost through excessive sweating. That's where the ``Gatorade for horses'' comes in.

Oare prefers Stress-Dex - not just for himself, but for his horses, too - a concoction that contains the necessary electrocytes mixed with sugar to sweeten the taste. Owners whose horses do not possess such discriminating palates simply use a homemade mixture of table salt and baking soda. Salt is regulary mixed with a horse's feed or hay.

``Most people who do this as a business already have their electrolytes with them,'' said Ley. ``Their horses are already used to drinking it and are less likely to go off their feed or water.''

If that happens, Ley can give the animal electrolytes through a tube that sends as much as four gallons of water into a horse's stomach. If a horse's electrolytes and fluids are severely low or not balanced, Ley can provide them intravenously. He had to use both procedures earlier this week.

``For the most part, people coming here know that it's going to be hot, so they're usually well-prepared. We don't have many problems,'' Ley said.

Conditions improved and temperatures dropped when a storm barely skimmed the area Thursday afternoon.

``Thunderstorms help,'' Oare said. ``They help me, anyway.''