The inherent risks of prohibited substances associated with horse feed and supplements have historically been highlighted by a series of high profile post-race and post competition positive tests. This can occur due to inadvertent contamination of a feed or supplement with an ingredient that contains a naturally occurring prohibited substance or an intentional ingredient may naturally contain a substance that’s prohibited. Being aware of the risks and your responsibilities as a rider or trainer is a good start to staying on the right side of the regulations.
Most trainers will be familiar with lactic acid, although misconceptions might exist as to whether its production is good, bad or indifferent. Lactic acid is produced in muscle as a consequence of anaerobic energy generation and whilst it can be metabolised or reprocessed within muscle, it can and does accumulate during acute periods of maximal […]
Vitamins are a key part of the diet for every horse but are particularly important when we ask more from our horses in terms of exercise performance. The physical signs associated with an obvious deficiency or excess of one vitamin or another are rare; but despite this we should not presume that the level of vitamins provided in our horses’ diet is optimised for performance. Horses are generally quite tolerant of minor deficiencies or excesses with regards to vitamins and so the margin of acceptable intake to prevent health issues is mostly quite wide. Maintenance of health, however, is a separate issue to optimal performance, which is the ultimate target for horses in race and competition horses.
A horse with raised muscle enzymes is always a cause for concern for riders and trainers, whether it is a single isolated incident or a regular occurrence. The muscle enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase, AST and creatine phosphokinase, CPK) when present at a high level in blood usually indicates muscle damage. This may simply be a result of overexertion during training, but can signify a more serious issue in the form of exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) or ‘tying up’. These horses, which are quite often fillies or mares, can be notoriously difficult to train and compete with many lost training days resulting in a decreased opportunity to race or compete.
There has been a slow but steady increase in our knowledge of this disease or syndrome, which in more recent years has been helped by the application of genetic based tests for some forms. An increase in our understanding of the metabolic basis for the syndrome is imperative and will help us to better manage these horses in terms of nutrition and training.
