Muscatdaily.com - Full ArticleMuscat Daily staff writer
January 06, 2014
MUSCAT -
With the 2013-14 endurance races now midway in their season, the schedule for the horses, their riders, keepers and also veterinarians is busy.
How the horses perform, depends a lot on their training. Vets and trainers leave no stone unturned to see that the horses get the best of food and training for these races. As per the events calendar, five races were held last year and four more are slated this year, with the first race of 2014 on January 17 at Barka village.
Dr K P Nisar, veterinary surgeon associated with training of horses at the Ministry of Sports Affairs’ Oman Equestrian Federation, said the horses are made to follow a strict training schedule. Many precautions need to be taken and vets are constantly checking on their fitness.
“This is the time when the horses are ready to entertain viewers with a display of their talent. They also need to be healthy and fit,” he said.
Vets keep a close watch on the diet. For a horse to excel, its diet should have potassium and sodium salts in the right amount. Intravenous fluids give them the energy for long runs. There are blood tests every two weeks, Dr Nisar said...
Read more here:
http://www.muscatdaily.com/Archive/Oman/Vets-leaving-nothing-to-chance-as-endurance-race-season-enters-second-half-2u03
