from Mike
<< Teddy, You state you started your loading 4 days before ride.
Specifically
what did you load with and how. Zorro gets a little stiff in the rear
shortly after rides. I have been supplementing with E and selenium through
feed additives. Does B12 help. At Carolina ride Jeanne Waldren said that
there were new studies coming that suggest that you take your horse off of
grain for a couple of days before a ride and to not feed it during the
ride.
Does anyone know anything else about this. Ride....Really Ride!!! Mike
>>
>>from Tom
I haven't seen those studies--would like to hear about them. Studies I have
seen suggest that post-race stiffness (muscle soreness) can be substantially
reduced by getting carbs to the athlete in quantity within 1 hour of the
finish.
ti <<<
AND, if you add carbs (presumably with grain) too soon (i.e. before good
recovery achieved) on a TIRED horse (as I have done), you can cause
complicatiions. Another horse of mine did the first day of a 2-day 80,
worked hard and felt strong..gave him grain in about 45 minutes and he got
colic...guts not mobile enough..too much grain too soon and they did not move
through the gut..just stayed in stomach causing gas pain I assume. A good
stomach pumping and a night's rest and he was okay (I did NOT go out to
finish the 2-day 80).
Teddy