typing up

Question
hello sir, may i know what does this mean, "my horse is tying up"?

Answer
Hi Rohit,
          A big problem with the racing and breeding industry is that we talk in 'jargon' and ordinary people do not understand what we are talking about.

Tying up is a term that refers to the action of a horse becoming tight in its gait. That is instead of being able to stretch out and gallop freely it tends to shorten its normal stride and slows down.
This is caused by many things but mainly it is to do with the fitness of the horse. The best way to describe it in human terms is when you have run a long way and your muscles are very tired. Your muscles tend to 'burn' and feel very heavy.

A horse gets the same thing when it over exerts. The cause is a metabolic one to do with the balance of lactic acid in the muscles.
The fitter a horse is and the more balanced the lactic acid concentration the less possibility of your horse 'tying up'.

I hope this explains well enough.
Regards,
Don Boddie
New Zealand.