Page 131 - September 2022

VETERINARY VIEWS
A well-balanced diet includes added amino acids for muscle support and these are best administered within 45 minutes after exercise (and once the horse is cooled down) to ensure fast recovery and to optimize the effects of supplementation.
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To meet the daily lysine requirement for a horse, he would have to be fed 34 pounds of corn, 15-32 pounds of grass hay, 2.2 pounds of soybean meal, or one pound of whey protein.
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Forage is not just filler, and the best benefits are realized by feeding a high-quality product that provides some proportion of protein
exercise, and once the horse is cooled down, to ensure fast recovery and to optimize the effects of supplementation. A human physiology
study demonstrated that a person on a strict carbohydrate-only diet breaks down the most muscle. Adding amino acids to carbohydrate intake reduces muscle breakdown and enables a high level of muscle synthesis. Adding branch- chain amino acids (leucine, iso-leucine, and valine) further enhances these positive effects.
Ideally, supplementation is made with a well- balanced protein formulation rather than trying to mix and match single amino acids. Commercial products from reliable feed manufacturers are available for this purpose. Balancer pellets provide essential protein, vitamins and minerals when combined with quality forage. It is a good idea to consult with your veterinarian and/or an equine nutritionist about the best source for providing balanced protein.
Electrolyte supplementation additionally assists muscle recovery from exercise, providing benefit within 30-40 minutes especially when provided with a small amount of sugar such
as found in some electrolyte preparations and/
or a small amount of sweet feed. Previous studies (Ecker et al) have demonstrated that electrolytes can delay the onset of fatigue by more than 22% and they are also able to reduce recovery time from 12 hours to 45 minutes.
POSTURAL EXERCISES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO A STRONG TOPLINE
When horses use their core abdominal muscles, they also strengthen the topline muscles. A horse that is allowed to move in a sprawled-out manner does little to build the abdominal and topline musculature and instead often appears rangy with weak muscling. The muscles beneath the neck become hypertrophied (overdeveloped) and the back weakens. This can lead to muscle pain as well as affecting efficient locomotion and musculoskeletal comfort.
Specific exercises under saddle and in
hand can benefit building core abdominal muscle strength. Hill work, cavalleti poles, and elastic bands further add to muscle resistance
to encourage better muscle development and strength. Such exercise stimulates a good topline build only if the essential building blocks of protein are included in the diet. The goal is to be able to visually appreciate a smooth transition of muscles from neck to withers to back to croup along with well-developed abdominal muscles. The muscles along the topline ideally blend smoothly into the ribs.
It is also important that a horse’s saddle
fits well, otherwise he may move differently
in an effort to protect sore muscles that are made even more sore by a rider’s weight on
top of an ill-fitting saddle. It is not unusual
to need to adjust saddle fit as a horse matures and improves in fitness. Regular monitoring of saddle fit is important to maximize a horse’s comfort when training and competing. Early
on, this may require saddle fit checks every month, and then as a horse’s topline stabilizes, it should be checked at least twice a year.
If the topline fails to develop well after applying excellent nutritional balance, muscle building techniques, and good saddle fit, then it is important to have your veterinarian evaluate the horse for underlying pathological conditions.
THE BOTTOM LINE FOR THE TOPLINE
Muscle development along a horse’s
topline is a useful evaluation tool to determine condition and strength. Periodic assessment
of muscle mass along the topline as well as attention to nutrient balance in a horse’s diet in conjunction with exercise provide information to help maximize a horse’s muscle development. Ensure that horses in your care consume enough essential amino acid building blocks for muscle to develop a healthy topline and for a horse to perform to his genetic potential.
Horses strengthen their topline muscles when they use their core abdominal muscles
Previous studies (Ecker et al) have demonstrated that electrolytes can delay the onset of fatigue by more than 22% and they are also able to reduce recovery time from 12 hours to 45 minutes.
Specific exercises under saddle and in hand, such as hill work, can assist in building core abdominal muscle strength – along with essential protein in the diet.
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