Re: Energy for Rider

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-09-02 12:51:42 EDT, Beverly540@aol.com writes:

<< When we ride long distance
 together we stop along the trail and rest and eat when we want to. He wants
to
 cut down on the resting/eating part and he's  wondering what you guys eat on
 the trail to keep your own energy level up??? I make do with grainola bars,
 but he wants more. What's your advice?  >>

Hi, Beverly--

I am a grazer by nature (needing to eat a little all the time).  First of all,
I make it a point to eat well prior to the ride, even if it isn't something I
really "want" to do because of pre-race excitement.  Fueling the rider is just
as important as fueling the horse.  I make eating part of my horse-feeding
routine--I get up two hours before the ride to make sure that my horse has
feed, and I start my own eating at that point, too.  Over the next hour, I try
to make sure that I get fruit, cereal, whatever I can make myself eat that
time of day.  (I am not a natural breakfast eater, so I have to be this way at
home, too, unless I can work for an hour or so before I eat.)  I try to make
sure that I have solid food at vet checks--sandwiches, potato salad, fruit,
stuff that will go down well.  Sandwich fixin's that work well for me are
turkey or tuna, with lots of lettuce and juicy stuff in them, too.  I have to
drink milk--that doesn't sit well for some people, but I get sick if I don't.
The little six-pack coolers are so wonderful, because they can easily be sent
to checks at most rides, even if you don't have a crew.  On the trail, I eat
granola bars, and sometimes also carry a piece of fruit or a handful of
cherries or grapes.  Hard candy is good, too.  By having food in my crew bags
at the checks, though, I am usually pretty well set, as it is rarely more than
2 or 3 hours between checks.  If I am diligent at fueling up there, I usually
don't need much in between.  If checks are back at camp, I make sure my food
is made up and easily accessible before the ride, so that all I have to do is
pop into my rig and get it.  Otherwise I will space it off and regret it
later.

Heidi Smith, DVM--Sagehill Arabians (Oregon)