Tying-up? Chicken and egg question?

[SpruceRI]

Hi

Can anyone advise whether horses that tie up do so because of diet/hormones or the excitement factor??

Which comes first??

Reason I enquire is that my pony recently had a mild episode 'I think' whilst on the lunge. She had a buck and bolted off which is unlike her as she finds being lunged dull. And afterwards one of her flanks was quivering, which I assumed was the onset of azoturia.

Is tying up caused by them getting excited in the first place or do they get unusually excited because of some change in their physiology??

Many thanks.

 

[SpruceRI]

And also, management/riding of my horse in the future??

I have changed her diet to non starch, non cereal, non sugar, high fibre, high oil and Selenavite.

The lungeing incident was straight from her stable even though I walked her in hand for about 10mins before we started the lungeing warmup......

Are further incidents likely to occur when she's been stabled? Would she be better living out so that I can ride her direct from the field?

She largely lives out anyway, but over winter comes in at night when it's wet and has been exercised directly from the stable with no problems before this.

 

[Tnavas]

Mares are more prone to tying up than geldings and it often happens around the time they come into season. My filly had a really bad episode a couple of months ago. she is totally on grass and not in work. The vet gave her some bute for 5 days and said if it happened again then he could put her on regumate.

 

[Harveydales]

I think all the things you mention can cause an episode of tying up and also the bucking/bolting could be a reaction to the pain of a mild episode starting.

My gelding had a few episodes this summer, the first time in the 10 years I've owned him. With him, the main trigger was spending a night in a paddock with a mare who came into season and he spent much of the time mounting her. So probably a combination of muscular exertion, hormones and exctiment.

I've now got him on a similar diet to you and so far, so good. He lives out but comes in for a few hours every morning and is ridden from the stable but I'm very careful about warming up and cooling down. I also try to ensure he doesn't get cold quarter muscles by rugging and riding with a quarter sheet when the weather is really bad. I know what a worry it is once you've experienced something like this but I think you will be fine to continue bringing your mare in on wet nights. Just warm up and cool down sensibley.

 

[flintfootfilly]

I think there are various types of tying up, some of which are related to exercise. I'm no expert on them.

Earlier this year, I went to one of the "Vets with Horsepower" talks, which included a talk by Carolin Hahn of the Edinburgh Dick on muscular problems. She said that 40% of the horses/ponies which are referred to them for tying up are found to have polysaccharide storage myopathy.

One mutation for PSSM (or EPSM) has already been identified and can be tested for by blood or hair sample. The hair test only costsd £25 from Animal Genetics in Cornwall so is a very cheap noninvasive way of testing for that particular mutation (although it doesn't rule out the second type of PSSM). The other type can only be confirmed by muscle biopsy from the hamstrings at the moment.

If you google Beth Valentine Rural Heritage, that will come up with some useful info re EPSM in draft horses. Also, if you google Stephanie Valberg PSSM, it will come up with some more excellent stuff on PSSM in general.

Sarah

 

[SpruceRI]

Thank you all very much.

Will go off and google more info on the subject, esp PSSM and EPSM