Azatoria (Tying up) and working?

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Hi, my horse tied up on 3rd Dec 2012 and started work again last month. She is rising 7. I feel it was the cold and feed related. I have no experience with tying up and am looking for others experienes and knowledge. My vet has said that the only way to see if it will happen again is to get on with it and see what happens. I am really worried as she was in a lot of pain and out of work for weeks. Ideally I want to hunt her again next season, I just don't know if this is a good idea. I understand the maintenance f tying up is keeping them warm, not to overfeed espeially when not working and warming them up and down well before and after work. How an I do this hunting? Has anyone any experience with this? Thanks :o
 
This article might be helpful. It's written by Stephanie Valberg who is a world expert on equine muscle problems:

http://www.ker.com/library/proceedings/10/The Management of Tying-Up in Sport Horses.pdf

The thing with tying up is that there can be various causes, some genetic and others nutritional or relating to general management. So you can try to work out which category your horse falls into, and go from there.

For my gang, it turned out they were getting far too little selenium in their diet (only 30-40% of NRC recommended daily intake) and their muscle enzyme levels have improved significantly after months of supplementing with a good vit/min supplement.

What makes you think your horse's attack was cold and feed-related? What work/management/feed was he on at the time? Had he been totally normal up to that point, or had you noticed anything that might have been muscle problems previously? Did you have blood tests done at the time, and/or since, and if so then what were the muscle enzyme levels (CK, AST, LDH) and did they come back down to normal quickly? These are all the sorts of questions which might help you work out the cause, and likelihood of it happening again.

Hope you find a good way foward with him.

Sarah
 
Thanks Sarah
I had no issues before at all. She was on balancer and I had just added some working mix as she was hunting one a week and haking for 1-3 hours 3-4 hours a week with one schooling lesson a week. She used to sweat up a lot during work and I needed to fully lip her every 4 weeks to help keep her cool.

The day it happened it was freezing and I rode her without a quarter blanket. I felt she was unhappy on the way home, she was swetty and felt unlevel. I walked her home and then she ouldn't move. I have had so many blood tests - all the levels were up, dont know figures. It took 6 weeks for the levels to beome normal again and in that time her kidneys bloked and she is now having a kidney scan next week to determine if the amount of water she now drinks is due to a problem. 9 gallons a night (dont know how much in the field as there are automatic drinkers)
Sally
 
I have been there and done that with my old endurance mare, so I feel for you. It really is the scariest thing.

Inevitably it is feed related. I don't the feeds you are using (am in NZ), but you should look at a diet that is high in fat. We have a lot of rice bran based feeds here now which are great or you can start adding oil (corn or soya) to your horses feed. I start them off on about 100 mls and build up to 250 mls a day over about six weeks.

Watch out for "hidden" carbs in the form of molasses.

Feed grain carefully !!!!!!!!

And on days she isn't working cut the grain way, way back especially if she is stabled.

My mare was ok in the end and there are a lot of myths out there about tying up. Am now competing on her daughter so was very cautious with her feed to start with. But can seriously recomend a fat based diet as being the best way forwards, especially with a hard working horse.

Good luck. :)
 
I was given the ride years ago of a lovely three-quarter-bred mare who had tied up very badly during a Long distance Ride, and had subsequently been out of work for almost nine months.

Her owners were, naturally, very worried that it might happen again. But with careful feeding, and ALWAYS warming up, warming down very carefully at LDRs, pleasure rides etc. she never got it again.

As yours is a hunting mare, I would suggest that, if you box to meets, you consider hacking if not the whole way, then parking 1-2 miles from the meet, and hackingg her on very steadily. Don't let her hang around at the meet. Aim to arrive just before hounds move off (bad for social life I know), don't wear her out, keep her days shorter than you perhaps used to, and at the end hack gently back home or to your trailer/box. Make sure she's warm (not over-hot though) once she's home, and a good massage a bit later in the evening.

The blessing about LDR was that, being mainly summertime, my mare could be turned out when she got home, so the gentle grazing exercise also helped.

I think Jenny's? (from NZ) feeding advice is also very sound.
 
I have 2 horses that have tyed up in the past.

1) A Pure bred Arab mare who has tyed up three times, all stress related. She is now on Magnesium Oxide and VitE and selenium and has not had a problem since. I warm up and cool down properly and if the weather is cold I always use an exercise sheet.

2) A pure bred Arab gelding. He tyed up after damaging his back in a fall. He is a chunky chap so again he is on Magnesium Oxide. He does not have a problem any longer.

Both horses are on a high oil/fiber based feeds with very little molasses.

I add salt to their feeds daily and when they work hard and sweat I give them some Electrolytes.
 
My TB has tied up repeatedly, only answer was to swap to high oil diet, Releve was where we started after the attacks, although now can manage her on Veteran Vitality and Linseed. Lowish protein is advisable and keeping sugar levels low can also help.

Good luck and keep her closely monitored
 
Hey!

Ive been in a very similar situation.. the first time is very scary as you aren't looking for signs, plus the first time it happened with me it was a very hot, humid afternoon and we had just freaked out at some cows so I thought the sweating was normal.

Since then my mare who's a QHxNF has tied up twice. I haven't had my little madam tested but possibly PSSM which is common in QH. I've had blood tests done when she hasn't been in work and even then she has a very high level of muscle enzymes in her blood.

At the moment I have her turned away for the winter, but my usual plan whilst in work is a very carefully monitored exercise regime, with a long gentle warm ups and cool downs and the work load is increased very, very gradually.

She can live off fresh air almost but I do add electrolytes to chaff and add in linseed oil when she is working. If I feel she needs it which is very rearly Equi Jewel is a rice bran based feed and is suitable for horses prone to tying up. Its a bit like Blue Chip (but more effective ;)) where one bag goes a long way.

I also meant to say, if I see a she looks like she is starting to stiffen slightly or there is more sweat than I would expect I'll get off and either walk her back in hand if we are hacking and then I rug her in proportion to the weather, but the main thing she stays warm and then turn her out so she can gently loosen up again. Often when I bring her in that night and she christens her bed she does get that tell-tale golden urine. By the next day she seem's fine, but I give a few days off and we start again gently.
 
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