Off the boil

Is your horse feeling tired all the time? Karin Kruger MRCVS looks at some of the possible reasons for a drop in energy in the performance equine

- Karin Kruger

IT is no surprise that lethargy or fatigue may lead to poor performance or adverse behaviour in a horse, but the cause of the problem could be less obvious.

There are some horses who have a good reason to be tired, such as those in heavy work or those suffering from a clinical disease. However, there is also a subset of horses who seemingly have no reason to be lacking in energy; they aren’t obviously sick, lame or in pain. Some appear to get out of breath quickly while others take a long time to recover after exercise. Others just simply don’t seem to want to work. They may sweat excessively or not at all, and may even resent the rider’s efforts to encourage them by pinning their ears or bucking in response to the rider’s leg.

In many of these cases, there is an underlying reason for the horse’s lack of enthusiasm, which can be addressed to improve the horse’s disposition.

LIKE humans, not all horses are perfect athletic specimens. Throughout their life they may be plagued by various niggles that sometimes prevent them from performing optimally or enjoying their exercise. Perhaps a horse has poor conformation that makes his job a little harder, or maybe he has sustained mild injuries and wear and tear over the course of his career.

We need to work with each horse as an individual to prevent or address any problems that stop him from enjoying his work. When horses are not physically up to the work expected of them, we should question whether our expectations are realistic. Does this horse have the ability and the training to perform how I am expecting him to?

If the answer is yes, then there may well be a subclinical problem that is not severe enough to present observable symptoms. With an accurate diagnosis, we can often manage problems sufficiently to allow the horse to lead a happy and productive life. And the sooner we do, the more likely we are to be able to get.