Tying up

Article from 'Straight from the Horse's Mouth' - November 2008

Tying-up is a generic term commonly used to describe a painful muscle condition in performance horses. For horses that tie-up, there are a number of management strategies that can be implemented to reduce or eliminate the occurrence.

Because the same strategy will not work on all horses, researchers have recently begun to classify and study the many different conditions, which result in the symptoms of tying-up.

Below, we list some strategies to assist the horse predisposed to tying-up and, as mentioned above, the degree of effectiveness depends on the individual horse.

First, ensure before any strenuous work or exercise that your horse is adequately fit enough to do the work being asked of him. Just like humans, horses also need adequate time to warm up before any strenuous exercise. Equally important is the warm down once the ride is finished. This should include washing down and thorough drying before returning in the paddock or stable. If your horse is more predisposed to tying-up, then covering him well and turning him out to the paddock will ensure he can move freely and be allowed to stretch.

If your horse is being exercised in cold, wet or windy conditions, then the warm down phase is even more important. After the ride or exercise, ensure you towel dry your horse's back and loins as quickly as possible and apply a dry wool cover. This will help warm his back, as the wool assists in drawing moisture away and keeping warmth in.

From a feed perspective, one option is to remove oats from the diet and replace a portion of the grain in the ration with fat supplements. A good product such as Equi-Jewel is ideal for this. Another product specially designed for horses predisposed to tying-up is NRM Run Free.

The feeds formulated for horses that tie-up use fat to meet the energy requirements of performance horses and contain no or low oats, as well as ensuring satisfactory levels of Vitamin E and Selenium and added Chromium.

Keeping horses predisposed to tying-up off lush spring pastures is often beneficial, as is using meadow and grass hay instead of lucerne.

Finally, ensure the horse has access to fresh water at all times and purchase a mineral lick or electrolyte supplement to assist in recovery after exercise.

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