Carbos, thanks Tom Ivers

[CBell6006@aol.com]

I too, have been following the Carbs vs. Forage vs. Fat thread with great
interest.  As an avid competitor in 100 mile rides I am always looking for the
most advantage, with the least amount of danger to the horse.  I do have to
come to Tom Iver's defense (not that he needs MY help, he's fully capable of
defending himself!!) with his information on Carbo loading.  I have been using
the GNC Heavyweight Gainer with great success.  I have completed four 100 mile
rides in four months with minimal muscle soreness and a horse with plenty of
energy.   The vets have consistently commented on how great my horse looks and
what great impulsion he has......even on the final check.  I personally have
not experienced any of the negative side-effects that were mentioned about
excessive Carbs......e.g..high pulse rates, tie-ups, etc.  I DO agree with
Heidi that horses need to get most of their Carbs from hay.  My horse eats
good quality hay and beet pulp-based feed at every check......But we are
asking the horse to use an EXCESSIVE amount of calories and carbohydrates,
possibly more than they can replenish at the vet checks.  So I feel that by
supplementing the Carbohydrates we are helping our horses (especially the 100
milers).  I see no purpose in using them for Limited Distance, CTR or training
rides, except maybe a dose at the end of a 25 mile ride to reduce post-ride
muslce soreness.

This list is chock-full of useful information.  Take a little from each source
and then do your own one-rat research.  I can vouch for the safety and
usefulness of the Carbo-loading though.  We are currently leading the Nation
in 100 mile points and leading the Southeast Region overall (at least as of
June, we don't get our AERC News in Florida for a long time :-)  Thank you Tom
Ivers, for sharing this innovation with this list.

Cindy Bell
Greenville, Florida
Wameco...the Carbo-Rat who only lost 8 lbs on the Goethe Challenge...had to be
the Carbo's....