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FEEDLINE………
No 56
The multiple winner in one season is a rare commodity in any event and it would seem that in the last few years it has become even rarer. There may be many reasons for this, such horses are by definition ‘super’ and maybe the overall genetic potential of the ‘others’ have improved to such an extent that the gap between the best and the rest has narrowed and this also includes their nutrition and management. These days trainers are better informed and more aware than ever of the options available to give them the edge and such options are affordable. The recession will create cracks in management, too few to care for too many so it will become harder for some but overall the competition has never been so close behind. In such even playing fields the law of averages will ensure some success for most but to be above average is requiring real effort in every department and some interesting work from the US involving the speed of EIOS offset may be very relevant. EIOS is Exercise Induced Oxidative Stress; EIOS is characterized by excessive production of free radicals due to the high volume of oxygen consumed during intense exercise. These free radicals damage muscle cell membranes and cause cell leakage seriously detracting from optimum performance due to cellular constriction and minute circulatory damage. Speed of offset is the time taken to repair and recover from EIOS, the time taken to arrive back. In the fit horse recovery from EIOS is not usually a problem given time but a chain reaction can set in, if too much detriment is inherited from the race before, the damage in not just additional but compounded and form is lost sometimes for the rest of the season. EIOS is most likely to occur in horses in the frame more than with those that tail-off, so it follows that if any measures that can be taken to offset EIOS should be for the winning horse. There are many measures than can help offset EIOS but they take time. In conjunction with colleagues in the USA we have been working on a new supplement NEW JERSEY RACE GRANULES (NJRGS) which helps clear the debt of the previous race much faster allowing the winning horse to stay on top and not drop off in form.
Due to the nature of the nutrients required to be fed, a whole new system of presenting the supplement had to be devised. Pelleting or undue processing was out and so was any shelf life longer than 6 weeks which meant manufacturing only a day or so from start of use. To implement this Trinity Consultants has developed a ‘cold curing’ process where the patent pending ingredients, first used in paediatric nutrition, are gently ‘coated’ on to a palatable pre-stabilised substrate. Much of the process involves particle science and it has taken some time to perfect however the product is now ready for use and will be gradually introduced to the race world.
One of the factors in protecting from EIOS is cellular tocopherol (Vitamin E) status. In tests NJRGS was over 2½ times faster than synthetic and natural Vitamin E supplements in raising tocopherol levels over a 5 day period. This speed of offset is crucial when there is little time between races or when it is noticed that horses have gone ‘flat’ and their next race in only a short time away.
EIOS results in ‘leaky cells’ and this in turn leads to cellular imbalance, pre-muscular artery constriction and weakened capillary strength which in turn causes minute haemorrhaging and sports anaemia often not enough to notice but enough to disappoint and sometimes evident enough to lead to withdrawal. NJRGS effectively helps performance horses from bleeding by strengthening blood vessels, a safer approach than the administration of coagulants and medicines. Such benefits have implications for horses that tie up; NJRGS substantially reduces the likeyhood of trying up in the well managed horse and can also help in the recovery from tying up when fed in conjunction with Hydrobase. The connection between Hydrobase and NJRGS being that the former recharges the cells whilst the latter helps inhibit cell degradation and strengthens cell wall integrity.
The daily amount of NJRGS is 270grms for a typical racehorse and it is recommended that they are fed for at least two weeks prior to racing and very importantly for a week following if racing is to be continued. The Granules are fed in addition to the regular race diet at 2 Measures three times per day. A level measure weights approximately 45g. None of the nutrients in the regular diet will be compromised by NJRGS nor any favoured supplement indeed NJRGS enhances the nutrient efficiency of the total diet.
The science behind NJRGS dictates that they are fed as fresh as possible and it is recommended to purchase only that which will be consumed within one month from date of manufacture which is on a made to order basis, despatched the evening it is made and to arrive next day or as soon as possible. The essential time needed for the granules to cure is obtained during time in transit.
The cost of New Jersey Race Granules packed in 8Kg Buckets or Polyweave refill packs is likely to be around £1.66 per horse per day. Time will tell on how things go this side of the Atlantic but early indications of the effects of NJRG have been very positive with one of our local horses going to France on the ferry on the Wednesday coming fifth in a hard race and then returning to win on the Sunday in a very competitive feature race of the meeting. At the same meeting there was also a first and second in the same race with horses that had raced continually & successfully all summer but had succumbed to EIOS for two meetings prior so had been fed NJRGS for two weeks prior to this last meeting.
Two L’Essence de Vie green capsules taken every morning with a cup of tea is a very simple and inexpensive way of keeping ahead of what life throws at us especially as we get older. You certainly feel better on L’Essence de Vie; it helps strengthen the whole constitution balancing mind, body and spirit. There are hundreds of things you can take for your health and many people have their favourites that they find suits them, we recommend that whatever they are do not stop taking them, just take L’Essence de Vie as well. This is because L’Essence de Vie has two other unique properties. L’Essence de Vie gently ‘potentizes’ by getting nutrients deep into resistant cells, it helps makes popular supplements like Glucosamine etc. more efficient, it also reduces toleration factors which means the effectiveness of anything you take to enhance your health stays as effective as when it is started and does not get less effective with time. The claim made by many that L’Essence de Vie makes you loose weight is not it must be said to be not absolutely true it can though be relied upon to discourage excess weight gain if you are mindful of not doing so.
One of the most common reasons for horses going ‘off form’ and becoming tired and often lethargic is because on an upset in cellular balance. In the perfectly normal healthy horse 40% of the energy for maintenance goes into supporting the Ionic/Sodium pumps and to just maintain cellular balance if the horse is trying to correct an imbalance that figure can go to 100%. If you were only feeding enough calories for maintenance in the first place there would theoretically be no energy left at all for kinetic use. Its not quite as cut and dried as all that, there is no getting away from it, cellular balance (the balance between the inside and the outside of the cells) is one of the first boxes to tick whenever horses are tired and not as they usually are. The main protagonists in cellular balance are Sodium (on the outside) and Potassium, K, (on the inside) and imbalance cannot simply be construed from dietary levels as a significant portion of K is excreted in urine every day and this elimination does not immediately reduce if dietary potassium happens to drop due to changes occurring. Whilst Sodium levels are only really affected by perspiration K levels are affected by a host of things including active and non active stress, endocrinal function, bacterial and viral infections, injury, shock, Mg loss, diuretics, thyroid activity etc… which can all lead to PKD (Progressive Potassium Depletion). Feeding Hydrobase (Complex K and Mg) or K-Lyte (Complex K) gets potassium back into the cells (it is easy to get K into urine, much more difficult to get it back into the cells) this is why when asked to help ‘off form’ horses it is likened to the situation of going down to one lane on the motorway; first we must get rid of the congestion – feed L94 whole body tonic and then on Day 5 start widening the road again with Hydrobase.
Results with P45 this summer have been beyond expectation and we have been able to help stop several hundred horses and ponies from getting Laminitis. P45 is roughly half Magfluid and half A24 and knowing this an increasing number of clients with horses that are not necessarily predisposed to laminitis are finding it most beneficial and this is especially true in the Eventing world. It helps with a lot of issues and is fed at 25ml fed twice daily as a maintenance level and 25ml per feed thrice daily for more positive effect.