Depends on the loading/exercise procedure. We have now run more than 2,000
racehorses after a glycogen loading protocol and have zero reports of tying
up. Perhaps it is different with endurance horses.
> David Snow (an equine exercise
physiology god who produces a ton of research on this kind of thing)
told me at AESM last year that glycogen storage is considerably higher
in horses than in humans, that glycogen storage concentrations in a
normal horse is equivalent to that in a "loaded" human athlete.>
This should tell you something--horses are more dependant on stored glycogen
than humans.
> Also
that repletion after exercise is much slower (up to 92 hours) in horses
than it is in humans, which is why horses cannot compete as often as
humans after competitions that totally deplete glycogen stores.>>
Again, the importance of glycogen availability.
> In Dr.
Snow's opinion, all that is required in endurance horses is a normal
high-energy diet>>
Doesn't compute from the above observations.
>and to avoid efforts at glycogen-loading per se, as
> tying up has invariably been a factor time and again in research trials.>
Is this published data? What was the loading/exercise protocol?
>>I wouldn't presume to speculate on benefits during short-term, maximal
exercise, as obviously Tom has the experience in this area. The
situation is entirely different, so probably the effects are entirely
different, as well.>>
Mebbe, mebbe not. My opinion: there is no equine exercise physiology god. We
know next to nothing about equine exercise physiology in relation to optimum
performance/conditioning in the various events of the equine athlete.
ti