Question

I have a nine-year-old Thoroughbred mare that is eventing at the Preliminary level and about to move up to Intermediate. Last year she tied-up three times between April and June, so we stopped competing her while we worked with our vet. We gave her the rest of the year off. We began feeding her Re-Leve Original and started competing her in February of this year and have had no more tying-up issues with her. She had bloodwork done two weeks ago and all looked perfect. Should she be on other supplements? If so, what would you recommend?

Answer

I am glad to hear that your horse is doing so well on the Re-Leve and that it is making a significant difference in her ability to compete. Because you are feeding Re-Leve within the recommended feeding rate, you should not need to supplement with anything else as long as your horse has free-choice access to salt or is getting additional salt in some manner. Electrolytes are also an option, particularly during hot, humid times, and during and around competitions.

There are always supplements that can provide nutritional support based on specific needs of a horse, but they are not always necessary for every horse or needed in every circumstance, like supplements that are formulated for hoof or joint health. For an event horse with a history of tying-up, however, you may want to consider products that support muscle and immune health.

There is enough vitamin E in Re-Leve to meet the horse’s normal requirement. If you would like to provide supplemental vitamin E, then I would recommend a natural (not synthetic) vitamin E like Nano-E.  To support the immune system during a stressful competition season, you could consider giving an omega-3 supplement like EO-3, which is a fish oil product.

Although Re-Leve is not available in some countries such as Australia and New Zealand, a great alternative feed for horses that suffer from muscle problems, including tying-up, is KER Low GI Cube. KER Team Members in areas where Re-Leve is not available will have options for low-starch feeds that are suitable for horses prone to tying-up.