2001 S. Lincoln Ave. If your New Year's resolution is to hit the gym and start using muscles you forgot you had, you may soon experience the same painful muscle cramps that some horses get. But no matter what it's called, what it means to a horse is rock-hard, extremely painfully cramped muscles. But typically, this condition occurs in a working horse, endurance horse, event horse, or racehorse that is given a day off to rest. Historically that day was Sunday, so on Monday when put back to work the horse would experience painful leg cramps and typically not want to move.
Cramps can happen after or during exercise.
You'll recognize an episode of acute cramping by the horse's increased heart rate and respiratory rate and rock-hard lower back, loin, rump, and hamstring muscles. Just as you might walk funny after a hard workout that made your muscles sore, the horse may move with short strides or may not be able to move at all. With the chronic form of the disease, horses often appear clinically normal, but may have very slight to moderate decreases in athletic performance. To diagnose a horse with this condition, a veterinarian will want to rule out hypothyroidism, laminitis, pleuritis, and colic. Elevated levels of these muscle enzymes indicate significant muscle damage.