Mine That Bird

[Rick B.]

MonmouthGuy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I found this article interesting as it dealt with
> the factor elevation training may have played on
> MTB\'s aerobic capacity.
>
> What\'s next, IEAH setting up a state of the art
> training facility in the Adorondacks?
>
>
> http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/mine-t
> hat-oxygen-a-vets-take-on-the-derby/

I asked about this on Sunday. No one responded.

http://www.thorograph.com/phorum/read.php?1,51157,51288#msg-51288

Not to dense, but wouldn\'t training at elevation have some of the same effect as EPO use?

[sighthound]

There are already non-state-of-the-art facilities (and some fake, won\'t really do anything facilities) in Kentucky and other states.  Why do you think a good portion of the US Olympic team trains in Denver?   Sure, training at altitude gives one a boost.

Edit:  But let me add, I doubt that was any significant facter in the Derby success.  That effect only lasts a week, 10-15 days or so.  More important parts of MTB success at the Derby, IMO, was that:

1) he was well-trained for distance
2) he\'s a small, agile, light horse that can skip over the mud better than bigger, heavier horses
3) once he was bumped at the start and squeezed well back, he had a 6 1/2 -furlong canter with no mud in his face until he had to sprint past tiring leaders.
4) Borel put him on the inside part of the 1-path, where no hooves had previously tread, very firm area of the track

[miff]

Hi Beth,

How does that differ from the pretty popular Hyperbaric Chamber being used by some trainers.

Mike

[sighthound]

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing oxygen under pressure - the same as you scuba diving.  

It\'s not documented to help exercise physiology very much (but some sure sell it to do so at $200+ a pop ).  Some think you can put a horse in the chamber in the morning, and run him in the afternoon and he\'ll have more oxygen in his blood.

That works best the more you \"believe\" it, IMO

It does help, in some selected cases, with repairing some scarring and damage in lungs due to EIPH post-bleeding episodes, infection (have to be careful with putting damaged lungs or lungs with emphysema under pressure).  

It can remarkably assist wound healing, assist antibiotic penetration in areas of low tissue oxygenation (decrease it in other cases).  It has approved and recognized human and equine medical uses, certainly.  

Trouble is, the companies will sell a chamber to anybody with money and let them throw horses into it.  You might remember there was an equine chamber accident within the last year, and a human chamber accident at a hospital within the last two weeks where one died (sparks and fire are virtually immediately lethal in 100% oxygen environments, and you can\'t let the pressure cause an explosion, obviously)

If you are Michael Jackson sleeping in your hyperbaric chamber every night, that\'s whacky.  

If you are using oxygen as the drug it is, under pressure, for proven and logical treatment modalities - that\'s different.  I had to get trained in hyperbaric medicine use at a human hospital facility.  Here\'s some good info regarding horses:   http://www.vet.utk.edu/vhms/review.html