Tying up in horses

Symptoms are most likely to appear within the first half hour of work. Some horses may not exhibit all symptoms. Tying up seems to be more common in younger horses that are either not fit or highly strung. The hind end muscles are usually the most severely affected, but all muscles may be involved.

Among the clinical signs of tying-up are, stiff gait, reluctance to move, firm painful cramping muscles, profuse sweating, increased heart rate and increased respiratory rate. Blood tests will show elevation of the muscle enzymes - creatine kinase (CK) and AST.

Sub clinical tying up can be a cause of poor performance but can be difficult to diagnose. Afflicted horses may only have elevated heart rates or increased sweating after work.

Blood tests are important to correctly diagnose and manage these horses.

1. Normal horse will have both values in the normal range.
2. High CK and AST, indicates the horse tying-up during training.
3. Normal CK and high AST, indicates the horse tied-up previously, but didn't tie up during the training.
4. Elevated CK with normal AST indicates tied-up during training, AST should be elevated the next day.

Diagnoses can be tricky, so contact your Vet to help you diagnose and treat clinical and sub-clinical tying-up.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that branched chain amino acids are 3 essential amino acids that are required for efficient function of muscle cells, for lean muscle growth and for repair. The key branched chains are leucine, isoleucine and valine that normally circulate in the bloodstream in specific ratios.

These have an overall effect on protein metabolism and are required in larger amounts than other amino acids during periods of strenuous exercise and stress, whether from a physiological or emotional causes. Importantly they are considered 'mutually antagonistic' in their absorptive qualities, meaning they must be available at the same time to ensure maximum absorption into the body.

As muscles burn up the normal circulating pools of branched chains during exertion, they begin to catabolize muscle cells and liver proteins as the only back up source. Muscle cells and liver proteins are the only back up source. Muscle cell damage results in a reduced ability to contract and relax during extreme exertion. Muscle fatigue sets in, the ability to use oxygen efficiently rapidly decreases and an increase in lactic acid can lead to performance reduction and tying-up.

Muscle cell catabolism and liver protein degradation can be reduced providing for better recovery. In one study, horses that trained on branched chains fed orally had up to 15% lover heart rates than non-treated controls. This indicated enhanced skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise training.

Branched Chain Amino Acids are part of the answer. Here at Ranvet we have done considerable research on the condition and we suggest that you consider the following:

Horses Branch Paste Muscle-E

Greyhounds Muscle-G