Exercise Performance in Silicon Supplemented Thoroughbreds

Abstract

Skeletal injury in racehorses is the most common reason for loss of training days. Silicon (Si) supplementation may help to decrease the injury rate in performance horses thereby improving exercise performance and decreasing economic losses from injury. The objectives of this study were: 1) To determine the bioavailability of a supplemental Si source (OsteonTM), 2) To determine if OsteonTM could improve performance in short duration, high-intensity exercise, and 3) To determine the plasma silicon response to a high-intensity bout of exercise. Twenty thoroughbreds were initially fed a diet of oat hay and alfalfa for 10 weeks. At the end of this baseline period, 10 randomly selected horses were given OsteonTM at 1.8% of the total diet, in addition to the normal feed, for 8 weeks. The remaining 10 horses were kept on the baseline diet. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for plasma Si concentration both before and immediately after a 201 meter race at baseline, and at days 28 and 56 during the treatment period. Plasma Si concentrations were higher in supplemented horses compared to non-supplemented horses. Exercise performance improved by an average of 0.68 ± 0.34 seconds (p < 0.01) following supplementation. Compared to resting values, plasma Si concentrations were greater post-exercise both with (p = 0.0477) and without (p = 0.0042) Si supplementation following the eight week treatment period. In conclusion, supplementation with a bioavailable source of silicon resulted in elevated plasma silicon levels pre- and post-exercise, as well as improved performance in short duration, high-intensity exercise in thoroughbreds. Our results, coupled with previous studies that have demonstrated reduced rates of injury among horses supplemented with silicon, suggest that supplementation with silicon may benefit the race horse industry. Funded by Platinum PerformanceTM