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Research Update: The Effect Of Equine Bodyweight On Performance

A recent study conducted by scientists in Sweden and Iceland examined the effect of altered body weight and body fat content on exercise performance and recovery. Nine horses were divided into two groups, and changes in bodyweight and fat content were induced by feeding a high or restricted energy diet. After 36 days, horses were switched to the other diet and the study was repeated. In the last week of each diet, bodyweight and body condition score were recorded, body fat percentage was estimated using ultrasound, and a standardized incremental treadmill exercise test and competition-like field test were performed.

Bodyweight, body fat percentage, and body condition score were higher (5 to 8 percent) in high energy horses compared to horses fed the restricted energy diet. In the standardized exercise test, horses on the high energy diet performed more poorly and recovered more slowly compared to horses fed the restricted energy diet. Additionally, locomotion asymmetry was greater in horses fed the high energy diet compared to the restricted energy diet. These results confirmed that increased bodyweight and body fat in horses lowered physiological fitness, reduced symmetry, and decreased performance ability. For more information on this research, read the paper published in Physiological Reports.

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Obese Horses More Likely To Move Unevenly

In an effort to determine how added weight affects equine fitness and performance, Dr. Anna Jansson and a research team from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Hólar University published a study in Physiological Reports in which horses were fed controlled diets to add or restrict weight gain. The scientists used nine Icelandic horses that they split into two groups. Changes in body weight and fat were induced in the group being fed a high-energy diet for 36 days.

During the last seven days of the study period, researchers recorded body condition score and weight, and percentage of body fat was estimated with an ultrasound. Each horse was then given an exercise test on a treadmill and a field test that mimicked a competition, which was scored by judges. Blood samples were taken, as well as heart rate, temperature and respiratory rate.

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On the treadmill test, the horses that had gained weight had a higher heart rate and temperature, and heavier respiration. Blood tests showed that heavier horses had lower physiological fitness.

The team also found that overweight horses showed a marked gait asymmetry compared with leaner horses, as was shown both by sensors placed on the horses while they moved. The heavier horses moved most asymmetrically on the day after their field test.

Judges overseeing the field test also scored heavier horses lower than their leaner counterparts, suggesting that weight affects performance.

The authors conclude that higher body fat and body weight lowers equine performance, made horses move more unevenly, and delayed their recovery from exercise.

Read the full study here.

Minimize Gastric Ulcers In Rapidly Growing Weanlings

The prevalence of gastric ulcers among Thoroughbreds in training and racing is well known, but gastric ulcers also occur frequently in Thoroughbred foals and yearlings. Reports suggest one-quarter to one-half of foals have gastric ulcers.

“Ulcers compromise the health of the horse, affecting appetite and feed conversion efficiency. In young foals, growth rates can be negatively affected. As many horse owners know, diagnosis with a gastroscope and treatment with omeprazole are expensive, so preventing ulcers is vital,” explained Clarissa Brown-Douglas, Ph.D., a Kentucky Equine Research nutritionist.

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In addition to the general stress associated with weaning, the type of feed a foal is offered, such as high-starch concentrate, can also contribute to the development of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS).

Tradition dictates feeding weanlings high levels of grain-based concentrates (such as oat-, corn-, and barley-based feeds) to achieve the accelerated growth required by Thoroughbred yearlings for sales. However, these high-starch feeds are linked to rapid growth rates and implicated in the manifestation of developmental orthopedic disease, including osteochondritis, angular limb deformities, and physitis.

Considering the potential negative effects of high-starch diets in young, growing horses, there is evidence that the same level of growth can be achieved by feeding a diet in which the energy is provided by fiber as opposed to cereals.

A recent report showed similar growth rates in foals born in the United Kingdom and fed either an all-fiber or a traditional cereal-based creep feed.^* In this study, average daily gain, height at the withers and hip, heart girth, and body length were all similar between the groups of weanlings fed either the all-fiber or high-cereal creep feed for 18 weeks. Specifically, the average daily gain was in line with other reported growth rates of Thoroughbreds at the same age.

This study also examined the effect of the two different feeds on stomach pH of the weanlings. Horses fed the all-fiber feed maintained a more consistent and less acidic gastric pH compared with those fed the cereal-based feed. The researchers deduced that the high-fiber ration had the potential to help reduce the incidence of acid-precipitated gastric ulceration.

“This work supports several other studies that have reported a high incidence of gastric ulcers in weanlings, suggesting high-fiber diets protect against gastric ulcers in horses of all ages. Many feed companies are now producing feeds for young, growing horses containing high levels of digestible fiber, including beet pulp and soy hulls, with less reliance on cereal grains,” Brown-Douglas relayed.

In sum, this study adds to the increasing pool of data supporting the use of high-fiber diets to achieve growth rates comparable to traditional cereal-based diets in young horses.

Reducing the risk of the incidence of gastric ulcers in weanlings during their rapid growth can be achieved in one of two ways: by offering a high-fiber feed rather than a traditional cereal-based feed and by supplementing their diets with Triacton, a research-proven supplement developed by Kentucky Equine Research.

Triacton contains a specific source of calcium proven to buffer the gastric and hindgut environments, restoring gastrointestinal normalcy. Triacton features the added benefit of boosting bone mineral density, which is advantageous for growing foals.

*Moore-Colyer, M., P. Tuthill, I. Bannister, and S. Daniels. 2020. Growth rates of Thoroughbred foals and in vitro gut health parameters when fed a cereal or an all-fiber creep feed. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 93:103191.

Diet And Exercise Key To Managing Tying Up From PSSM

Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) is a glycogen storage disorder in horses that causes muscles to cramp. It occurs primarily in horses with Quarter Horse bloodlines, like Paints and Appaloosas, but it can also occur in draft horses, draft crosses and Warmbloods.

In normal horses, insulin goes from the blood and is stored as glycogen in the muscle and liver cells. In horses affected by PSSM, a large amount of sugar (glycogen) is stored in the muscle and up to four times the typical amount of polysaccharide (an abnormal form of sugar) accumulates in the muscles.

Horses with PSSM are generally in good weight and have a quiet temperament. They often experience a PSSM episode when they begin training or go back into training after a layup, when their movement is restricted. The episode normally comes on after the horse has been walking and trotting for about 20 minutes.

When a horse has a PSSM episode, their muscles get very stiff and hard, especially over their hindquarters; they will sweat profusely, refuse to move, and their flanks may tremble. When they stop moving, the horse may stretch out as if urinating. Foals with PSSM often show signs of muscle pain and weakness when they have diarrhea or an infection like pneumonia.

Horses that have PSSM should not be fed sweet feed, wheat, oats, barley, molasses or feeds high in starch. They should also be exercised daily. Exercise encourages the body to use glucose properly and improves energy metabolism in skeletal muscle.

Researchers have found that if horses have only their diet adjusted, about 50 percent will improve. If both diet and exercise are adjusted, more than 75 percent of horses with PSSM will have few or no tying-up episodes. Though it may seem counter-intuitive, horses should be turned out and encouraged to move as soon as a PSSM episode has dissipated.