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Re: [RC] Metabolics of Endurance Horses - Barbara McCrary

Matthew Mackay-Smith used to say the TB was capable of being a good
endurance horse, as he had both types of muscle fiber, but "the
Thoroughbred's cross to bear is his feet."  Meaning, he tended to have poor
hoof quality.  I heard him say this, probably in a convention speech, at
least 20 years ago.  I've always remembered that expression "cross to bear."

Barbara

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <milamj@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2004 4:29 PM
Subject: RE: [RC] Metabolics of Endurance Horses


Heidi,

What is the difference in the muscle mass. I know there are two
different muscle types- at least in humans: fast twitch muscle and slow
twitch muscle. The fast twitch is the white meat or sprint type muscle
on our turkeys and the slow twitch is the darker turkey meat that is the
endurance type muscle. Kinda crude way of differentiating, but
effective.

Do arabians just have higher ratios of the slow twitch muscle?

There are actually three fiber types--fast-twitch, slow-twitch, and
intermediate.  The ratio of the three is something you are born with.  The
fast-twitch are indeed the sprint muscles (your "white meat") and the
slow-twitch are the aerobic ones (the "dark meat").

The intermediate fibers are "recruitable"--ie they have the potential to
become either fast or slow twitch, depending on how the horse is
conditioned.

And yes, Arabians as a breed tend to have much higher percentages of slow
twitch fibers, whereas horses such as QHs have much higher percentages of
fast twitch fibers.  You will also see variations between individuals
within a breed.

The number of intermediate fibers the horse has limits how much you can
influence him more toward aerobic activities or toward anaerobic
activities by conditioning him toward one or the other.

Heidi


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We are talking about all the tools we can use to keep our horses safe and
alive at the rides. Training/conditioning is one of the best tools
available. It makes us better horseman and women, it benefits our horses
and could quite possibly be the key to preventing most crashes.
~ Lisa Salas - The Odd Farm

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

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Arabians were bred for years primarily as a war horse and those
requirements are similar to what we do today with endurance riding. 
~  Homer Saferwiffle

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

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Replies
[RC] Metabolics of Endurance Horses, k s swigart
RE: [RC] Metabolics of Endurance Horses, Jerry & Susan Milam
RE: [RC] Metabolics of Endurance Horses, heidi