Hydration & Nutrition for Competition & Hot Weather Riding

It is possible to overhydrate, diluting the sodium levels in your body. If you know you are drinking lots of water, and you are experiencing headaches or muscle cramping, you may be overhydrating. Stop drinking if you feel water sloshing in your stomach. 

Eating salty foods in the days prior to a competition day can help build up sodium in your body. Eating salty snacks throughout the competition day can also help maintain sodium levels, particularly when you will be exercising or competing over a period longer than four hours. You do not need to resort to salt tablets unless your diet has been low in salt in general, or particularly during the time leading up to competition.

You do not want your blood sugar levels to drop or spike throughout the day. Eating high fibre foods in small amounts such as whole grain bread or fruits will help keep your stomach steady and minimize stomach jitters, while keeping you regular and keeping your blood sugar levels constant. It’s very difficult to concentrate or perform properly when your blood sugar is on a roller coaster, or you have eaten too much at one sitting and slowed your whole metabolism down. Eating light and often will keep your blood sugar up while avoiding lethargy from an overfull stomach. Your muscles, liver, and brain are fuelled by glycogen, a polysaccharide produced from glucose and obtained largely from carbohydrates. Your muscles can run on fuel consumed in the preceding couple of hours, but your brain will show fatigue much sooner. Eating a very light snack in the half hour before your ride will help keep your mind sharp. If you get competition jitters, frequent and small portions will help keep your stomach from getting too acidic from being empty too long, or queasy from too much/the wrong mix.

Starting your day with a high energy breakfast that is low in fat and high in fibre will give you fuel for several hours and a good start, without increasing stomach acidity or creating other digestive complaints.

I use oatmeal because it’s easy on the stomach, very high in fibre and energy, and provides glucose available to muscles for hours. It’s a great idea to pack a show-day snack pack that will encourage you to eat and drink regularly throughout the day to keep your blood sugar and energy levels up. Use whole grains foods with high fibre (such as brown bread or oatmeal bars.) These provide slow-release energy and are easier on the stomach than white flour based foods.  Experiment ahead of time with foods to find out which ones settle your stomach and make you feel full and satisfied, and which ones set you off. You don’t want to wait until the day of the show to find out!

Hunger on a show day will also make you jittery, if not irritable, and your horse will pick up on this. Here is what I pack in a show-day snack pack: nuts, dried fruits such as raisins, multigrain bread, granola bars, cheese slices, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, cucumber, small carrots, V8® juice, fruit juice, water with limes in it, grapes, bananas and other fresh fruits.

Too many fruits will run through you too quickly and not provide sustained energy. Dried fruits provide more sustained energy, while keeping it light. Eggs and cheese provide protein, and cheese has an added slightly constipating effect which will help if you tend to get ringside jitters and do not want to be running to the porta-potty.