Mosey fatigue
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Michele Einarson
Mosey is a 20yr old IR/EMS Foxtrotter. He has been off work thru the winter and another few weeks after a problem trim. Off work = 1/10 acre dry lot. Work = trail riding: hilly, rocky wild horse trails 2-3 times a week. His hay: ESC+starch=8%, protein=36.5g/lb. balanced per Dr.K’s NRC Plus class. His insulin is maintaining at 43 (range 10-40) on 5000mg Metformin twice a day. I usually ride him about 3 hours after his AM Metformin dose.
I’m finding that he fatigues to the point of shutting down after about 30 minutes on the trail, especially if it involves a hard uphill walk.
Is it simply a fitness issue? (He is NOT fit, but not fat). I feed extra Timothy Balance Cubes the night before and day of a ride to bring his DE up to “light work” requirements, but his CP is always 125-130% of NRC requirement. PLUS I’m feeding extra aminos (Top4Aminos from MyBestHorse).
I stumbled on this article: https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/health-archive/nutrition-report-amino-acids/. ““Excess protein may also hinder performance in the horse, …It contributes to what we call acidosis—a lowering of the pH within the horse’s body—which causes him to fatigue faster and not have as good a performance.” Consequently, in recent years, equine nutritionists have begun recommending that performance horses be fed a lower percentage of dietary protein to avoid the protein excesses that often accompany the extra calories they consume.”
Is he getting too much protein? Extra aminos not necessary? How to address this? --Michele & Mosey IR, Feb 2019 Reno, NV, USA https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Michele%20and%20Mosey https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=88791 |
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It's not the protein. There is not one single piece of research showing protein is harmful to exercising horses. In fact, most show suggested levels are too low.
Your problem is insufficient energy stores. Read this https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/files/5%20Core%20Diet/2.%20Feeding%20Recovered%20Laminitics%20When%20Back%20in%20Work.pdf . I would suggest the beet pulp and oats mixture in your case. Best to feed it shortly after work. To speed up the process, also give 3 oz of Karo corn syrup in the mixture for the first five feedings. Feed this ONLY on days he is worked. You can't "prefeed" calories unless it's within an hour of work that is only lasting an hour. Otherwise, it just gets turned into fat. Also very important is salt. He needs a bare minimum of 2 oz of salt intake/day plus an additional ounce for every hour worked. -- Eleanor in PA www.drkellon.com |
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Michele Einarson
Thank you, Dr. Kellon!
I'll add the oats/beet pulp mixture as you recommend and will check his salt for summer requirements. I'll also look into different protein sources, per your article, for a better variety of aminos, and maybe I can discontinue the supplement. -- Michele & Mosey IR, Feb 2019 Reno, NV, USA https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Michele%20and%20Mosey https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=88791 |
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