Exertional rhabdomyolysis (tying up) is a painful muscle disorder in horses with multiple causes, requiring individualized management approaches to prevent recurrence and maintain welfare.
Tying up welfare is acutely significant because episodes cause severe pain - affected horses may be unable to move, show sweating and distress, and can develop secondary kidney damage from myoglobin released by destroyed muscle tissue. Chronic management of genetic forms requires permanent dietary and exercise modifications that must be consistently maintained to prevent recurrence. The welfare obligation includes both emergency management of acute episodes and long-term prevention through individualized management plans. Horses with recurrent tying up may require significant lifestyle modifications including changes to exercise type, forage, and concentrate composition that some competitive environments do not accommodate, raising welfare questions about continued competitive use.