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I've never observed any issues in essentially sea level horses competing up to 8000-9000 feet.  (We ride higher than that here, but then we start higher, too.) 

 

As Jonni said, people are another matter.

 

Heidi

I am still confused... Does altitude matter or not?? I'm from NE Missouri -
where the highest hills can only be called "gently rolling." Training for
the mountains interests me greatly, but I want to know more.

In "Go the Distance" by Nancy S. Loving, DVM, she discusses altitude and
horses. Some of her points are:
"In regions of high elevations, altitude becomes a critical factor in
developing and assessing the metabolic health of your horse." p.130

"Even a well-acclimatized horse must ventilate more at high altitude than a
horse performing a similar exertion at sea level." p.135

"...a horse at altitude urinates more than usual. This is particularly
challenging to the long-distance athlete faced with arduous exertions over
many hours...thereby accelerating dehydration." p.136

"...many horses go off their feed slightly at elevation..." p.136

"...recovery from work is delayed at altitude relative to recovery rates
seen at sea level." p.137

She does mention a horse's large spleen, but then goes on to say "However,
the contribution of red blood cells from the splenic reservoir will not
carry a horse through the sustained exertions of a 100 mile competition, or
even a 50 mile event." p.138

Her definition of altitude is over 7 or 8,000 feet. So...is it a problem for
horses or not?? Please enlighten me further! :/

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