Re: Carbs - only part of the picture

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-06-23 23:37:45 EDT, Tivers writes:

<< I think, in general, endurance horses are smaller in stature that
racehorses. Also, there are a lot of racehorses that are fed no more than
Truman's horses. Cheap claimers, mainly. The first thing to go in a starving
stable is the horse's nutrition. >>

A lot of top endurance horses are fed a lot less than Truman's horses as far
as grain goes.  The difference is the amount of roughage consumed.  My
stallion that was PNER mileage champion in 1995 would consume 40 pounds of hay
or more in the 24 hours preceeding a ride, and would continue to do so
throughout the race.  He did consume more grain on race day than other
times--maybe 3-4 pounds on a 100-miler.  He ate 1-2 pounds on other days.  He
weighs about 950# in running shape, and stays just a touch chubby, even when
running every other weekend.  Watch for my article on "bulking up" coming out
soon in Equine Athlete.  My experience has been that there is a MAJOR
difference in feeding endurance athletes vs. sprint athletes, and it has a lot
to do with volatile fatty acids, etc.  Am pleased to see that more and more
research is showing what we have been observing for years.  As you have so
often pointed out--mistiming the carbohydrate ingestion in race horses can
cause a sleepy race and a high horse minutes later.  Since our endurance
horses have to maintain a steady state of energy delivery for hours and hours
with no "highs" and no "lows", it stands to reason that their feeding
strategies would be altogether different.

Heidi