Got a new filly that has an issue of tying up. The previous trainer did nothing to help her out. Currently she is on a starchless feed (re-leve), Vit. E and Sel, no B12 supplement. She was training good with no signs, so we thought we had her, then after a week and half, she tied up severely after jogging. We are baffled on what is going on with her. Bloodwork has been pulled on her and it shows double the normal level for tying up.
Any tips or ideas? She is a talented horse but with a chronic tie-up, we might have to give up on her.
Tying Up- Help
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ratherrapid
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commenting on tying up is difficult without knowing the complete exercise and diet regimen of the horse. culprit could be as simple as a cold weather workout without sufficient warm up except that you say this filly "keeps" tying up, which more indicates dietary and exercise prescription deficiencies.
without claiming to be an expert on the subject--you may imagine that tying up in horses is somewhat equivalent to the human "charlie horse" effect where the muscle cramps generally as more force is placed on it that the muscle has been trained to accept. in horses my guess this effect increases due to dietary deficiencies in particular of minerals. lot's of horses in training get insufficient calcium, salt, etc. necessary in the muscle contraction process. though again, i've never studied the subject, i'm trying to figure for what plausible reason you'd restrict any nutrient in a tying up horse and in partiularly carbohydrates. maybe someone would chime in with that one?
if i had a horse inexplicably tying up i'd start from scratch with gentle graduated exercise, distance and speed, and would feed human quality vitamins--Twin Labs Daily One Tabs, 5 tabs a day--and also a human quality comprehensive mineral supplement that you might find at a website such as IHerb.com. Problem with the horse supplements, you're unable to trust 'em. best of luck!
without claiming to be an expert on the subject--you may imagine that tying up in horses is somewhat equivalent to the human "charlie horse" effect where the muscle cramps generally as more force is placed on it that the muscle has been trained to accept. in horses my guess this effect increases due to dietary deficiencies in particular of minerals. lot's of horses in training get insufficient calcium, salt, etc. necessary in the muscle contraction process. though again, i've never studied the subject, i'm trying to figure for what plausible reason you'd restrict any nutrient in a tying up horse and in partiularly carbohydrates. maybe someone would chime in with that one?
if i had a horse inexplicably tying up i'd start from scratch with gentle graduated exercise, distance and speed, and would feed human quality vitamins--Twin Labs Daily One Tabs, 5 tabs a day--and also a human quality comprehensive mineral supplement that you might find at a website such as IHerb.com. Problem with the horse supplements, you're unable to trust 'em. best of luck!
Last edited by ratherrapid on Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
In addition to feeding Releve, we stopped training with a rider and only used a pony. She was eager and tough to gallop and it was adding to the tying up.
She did not get any days off while training, and after a race, she got two days off with walking and then a little Ace on the third day when she went back to ponying. She was already racing fit, so she didn't need to breeze, and she really liked going with the pony.
These changes didn't totally prevent tying up, but it became "maybe once a month and no more frequently than that" instead of "hold your breath each time she comes back."
We also found frequent complete blood counts to be useful as there were times she appeared fine, but had unusually elevated enzymes, meaning she was "silently" tying up to some degree.
She did not get any days off while training, and after a race, she got two days off with walking and then a little Ace on the third day when she went back to ponying. She was already racing fit, so she didn't need to breeze, and she really liked going with the pony.
These changes didn't totally prevent tying up, but it became "maybe once a month and no more frequently than that" instead of "hold your breath each time she comes back."
We also found frequent complete blood counts to be useful as there were times she appeared fine, but had unusually elevated enzymes, meaning she was "silently" tying up to some degree.
http://www.cvm.umn.edu/umec/lab/RER_new.html
Dr Stephanie Valberg DVM has put some great info out on this subject.
Yes there are things you can do nutritionally, behaviorally and physically. This is the horse that will take up more of your time and thought to figure things out. DMG is dimethyl glycine if I remember correctly. Vit E and Selenium, many products are including selenium in them now so read labels you don't want to give too much without realizing. This horse will do better with daily work, same routine day after day after day. Prevent hypoglycemia...ie feed at least 3 times per day. Prevent dehydration. I think I also tried regumate for a competition season way back when and it seemed to help. The article says it all. Hot sensitive filly with suspected talent? Best of luck
Dr Stephanie Valberg DVM has put some great info out on this subject.
Yes there are things you can do nutritionally, behaviorally and physically. This is the horse that will take up more of your time and thought to figure things out. DMG is dimethyl glycine if I remember correctly. Vit E and Selenium, many products are including selenium in them now so read labels you don't want to give too much without realizing. This horse will do better with daily work, same routine day after day after day. Prevent hypoglycemia...ie feed at least 3 times per day. Prevent dehydration. I think I also tried regumate for a competition season way back when and it seemed to help. The article says it all. Hot sensitive filly with suspected talent? Best of luck
Try giving her a probiotic with Enterococcus facium, Lactobacillus acidophillus and lactis, they produce L-lactate which a horse can easier metabolize. Research shows that continuous production of low levels of L-Lactate in the digestive tract should encourage the growth of lactate-utilizing bacteria. A buildup of lactic acid is a major cause of tying-up. D-Lactate is the lactic acid that is secreted during exercise and needs to be ulitized inorder to prevent tying up episodes. I know that Fastrack contains the good bacteria needed to combat tying up but I am not sure about other probiotic products. If you cant get Fastrack, check for other manufacturers. I have a research article for anyone who would like to see it 
Last edited by Gerry on Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Barn 31 T-breds
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I agree with Larrygene to a large degree. DMG and baking soda are cheap and effective. The only problem which could arise is the amount the filly will accept in her feed. Start with a couple of spoonfuls of baking soda and work your way up until you reach the point she refuses to eat it. It's very salty to the taste...
E-Se is excellent, but the horse's gut is not an efficient way to deliver it. A shot of E-Se once a month is much better, and you can lay off dietary supplementation of it.
Also, lay off legume hay, which is acidic and adds to the problem. A very light grass hay is the best way to go, IMO.
If the filly is excitable, that could be a contributing factor, too. Any training regimen which would provide the calmest experience is best... I've had a little bit of luck adding a magnesium supplement to the feed, also.
E-Se is excellent, but the horse's gut is not an efficient way to deliver it. A shot of E-Se once a month is much better, and you can lay off dietary supplementation of it.
Also, lay off legume hay, which is acidic and adds to the problem. A very light grass hay is the best way to go, IMO.
If the filly is excitable, that could be a contributing factor, too. Any training regimen which would provide the calmest experience is best... I've had a little bit of luck adding a magnesium supplement to the feed, also.
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fort_falcon
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We have SUCH problems with fillies ying up....solution: along with a Selenium Powder we get from a company called Prime Performance, we just DON'T trot them or jog them EVER....to warm them up we hack (slow canter) in the ring, and then they go to work...and they DONt have days off.
We take their enzymes frequently to moniter them. We aso use a Selenium injectable which can be given any time and has no withdrawl. Horses with a very high enzyme, we treat with a course of 15cc Fenylbute/arthridine an 5cc dexa 2% (dexamethasone) they get this injected IV - 5 treatments over a period of 15days.
I think that the selenium powder and the work regimin is the most important though....
We take their enzymes frequently to moniter them. We aso use a Selenium injectable which can be given any time and has no withdrawl. Horses with a very high enzyme, we treat with a course of 15cc Fenylbute/arthridine an 5cc dexa 2% (dexamethasone) they get this injected IV - 5 treatments over a period of 15days.
I think that the selenium powder and the work regimin is the most important though....
"But i don't want to go among mad people." Said Alice.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the cat. "We're all mad here."
"Oh, you can't help that," said the cat. "We're all mad here."
My mare with RER is a Graustark grand daughter. I am aware of another mare with same sire that also had RER. My mares ff consistantly produced durable runners through several generations therefore I am suspicious of this being something that came down from the notorious Ribot. Anyone else care to mention who in their horses pedigree they think may be the source?