Muscle mass and strength are important for our horses as we head into autumn. We’ve previously covered Accelerated aging on muscles, which discussed how muscle is replace with fat during the aging process. We’ve also discussed Equine Muscles – Use it or lose it, which talked about the many reasons that muscle is lost and the role of exercise.
We know there is a plethora of ways that our horses lose muscle, but what can we do to prevent it or slow it down?
➡ Balanced protein:
As we head into autumn, our horse’s diets may change, as we shift from summer pastures to winter hay. What doesn’t change is that our feeds are frequently deficient in specific limiting amino acids, namely lysine, leucine, methionine, and threonine.
A recently published paper talked about muscle fiber diameter with a balanced protein diet, versus a standard protein diet. This paper demonstrated that at the end of 12 weeks, the muscle fibers were thicker on the diet that contained balanced protein. At the end of the 12-week study period, they reported that there was no detectable change at the whole-body level, but the change did occur at the muscle fiber level.
➡ The importance of the addition of specific amino acids cannot be overstated.
Lysine has been reported as being a limiting amino acid for over a decade.
Leucine is an amino acid that is incorporated into proteins, but also is a signaling molecule for muscle development.
Methionine has been decreasing in our horse’s diet’s due to less
pollution.
Threonine is also a limiting amino acid.
➡ Why add specific amino acids instead of just feeding a high-protein bagged feed?
Bagged feed contains the amino acid profile of the feeds in that blend. If the feed is high in hay content, the bagged feed will have the same deficiencies as hay. If the bagged feed is primarily grains, the profile will more closely match a grain feed. The amino acid profile of the bagged feed will have the same short-comings of the original feed stuffs.
➡ By balancing these amino acids, you can:
♦ better utilize the proteins present in your hay,
♦ better preserve muscle mass,
♦ potentially increase muscle mass and development,
♦ help stabilize the horse’s body against challenges, such as muscle loss due to the physiological demands of winter, aging, disease, or inflammation.
➡ What are some of the signs of muscle loss in horses?
♠ Lack of energy,
♠ Muscle weakness,
♠ Reluctance to be ridden
♠ Poor performance
♠ Gait abnormalities
➡ My suggestions for good horse husbandry practices?
Choice 1: Top 4 Aminos to give the blend of lysine, leucine, methionine, and threonine.
Choice 2: Top 3 Aminos, giving the blend of lysine, methionine, threonine, plus Branched Chain Aminos, supplying leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
We do the best that we can do to help our horses. Being mindful of their protein needs is one of the ways that we do that.
Disclaimer: Statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.
©Joan Kulifay 2024