Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Title: Glycogen Loading-Tom

I thought that I had read some stuff about glycogen loading before so I went and dug it up on another group. What about the insulin response? Susan Garlinghouse recommends a high fiber diet for endurance horses because it gives a steady stream of dependable energy when the horse’s body converts the fiber into VFA’s and those into glucose. When you switch to carb loading for the race, does the horse’s body then switch from using VFA’s to using straight glucose? And if the body then has no more glucose, as in, you stop the carb loading, is that what triggers the crash? Is that why you have to continue the carb loading after the race until the horse’s body gets back into the mode of converting VFA’s to glucose? It seems to me that it would be much safer for the horse if his body continued with the VFA’s, instead of switching to ready processed glucose.

Linda

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"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, "WOW! What a ride!"

-- Unknown