Supporting muscle health
Tissue turnover
Performance horses rely on healthy muscles; as they get fitter they need to build new muscle and repair muscle damage incurred during training. The diet must therefore supply the specific protein building blocks, or amino acids, required. Some protein sources are more suitable for this than others as they will contain more essential amino acids. A feed containing a lot of protein is not necessarily of value to the horse if the protein is of poor quality.
All tied up
Additionally, the strain of training and competing combined with inappropriate nutritional management can contribute to muscular disorders such as tying up, otherwise known as Equine Rhabdomyolysis Syndrome (ERS). In recent studies, 55% of racing yards and 14% of eventers reported at least one confirmed case during the course of a year (Upjohn et al 2005, Thorpe et al 2005).
A large number of factors may contribute to an episode of tying up, which can occur sporadically within a yard, or recur in susceptible horses. Most recurrent sufferers probably have an underlying physiological susceptibility to the condition; but several “triggers” related to exercise and management will then cause the horse to actually tie up.
How you can help
One trigger that can be controlled relatively easily is the diet; appropriate nutritional management may help limit the likelihood of an episode. Cereal based compounds and limited fibre intakes have been seen to be associated with ERS; starch can also encourage excitability and nervousness, which may also contribute to an episode. Oil supplementation can be helpful in providing extra energy but it is important to bear in mind that adding straight oil to existing diets can create imbalances.
A balanced intake of sufficient vitamins and minerals is important for all competition horses; in particular, the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium.
For horses prone to muscle problems choose feeds which provide energy from a unique blend of fibre and oil and a carefully controlled level of starch, an optimum supply of vitamin E and selenium is especially important for competition horses and those prone to ERS.
For all competition horse’s feeds that contain high quality protein sources such as soya and lucerne are essential to provide the amino acids required for repairing damaged or developing muscle.