Re: RC: adjusting to altitude

[jlong@mti.net (Joe Long)]

On Wed, 31 Mar 1999 20:28:18 -0800, Kirsten Foruria
<kirsten@vermilion.reno.nv.us> wrote:

>Having had experience at altitude myself (and my husband regularly works at 13,000
>to 17,000 feet), I can tell you that at least in humans (I am assuming there are
>parallels for horses).... the best plan is two fold.  
<snip>

Those are some good suggestions.  But don't worry about the horses.
"Sea-level" horses do just fine at 8,000 - 10,000 feet, even when
racing hard for first place, as  the Race of Champions showed us.
Even the one in Utah where base camp was over 11,000 feet, 1st place
and the Top Ten had lots of "sea-level" horses.

Just be sure to take care of yourself.  Drink plenty of fluids, enough
sleep, and it may help to increase the carbohydrates in your diet.
There are drugs that help too, but you probably won't need them.
There's more good info at some websites, including:

     http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9702/htm/altitude.htm

and

     http://www.nevdgp.org.au/Travel/tinf/p_alt_s.htm

Finally, don't let it worry you.  At the high-altitude rides that draw
riders from all over the country such as the ROC and the Rocky
Mountain Ride, there has been little problem of people not finishing
due to altitude problems.  Come out and enjoy!

-- 

Joe Long
jlong@mti.net
http://www.mti.net     Business
http://www.rnbw.com    Personal


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