Tying-up is a term used to describe horses that develop firm hard muscles following exercise. Horses sweat profusely, breathe rapidly and become stiff and reluctant to move.
Horses should be in the body condition score range of 4–6, depending on various circumstances. Therefore, if a horse’s body score falls below these figures, feeding to increase fat storage and weight gain is warranted.
Keep the diet for fussy eaters as simple as possible, being sure to minimise the use of salt, electrolytes and other supplements to only what is needed.
Adjust feed intake according to workload to help control behaviour. Reduce the amount of EasiSport, EasiFibre and EasiOil fed on rest days by 75% and on light work days by 50% of what is fed on normal working days.
The condition of a horse’s coat is a telling sign of his general level of health; a dull coat is indicative of a horse that is just not up to scratch healthwise.
Clinical signs include foot tenderness progressing to inability to walk, increased digital pulses, and increased temperature in the hooves.