A Marine-Derived Calcium Supplement Increases Bone Density in Thoroughbred Racehorses

Bone density and strength are important for the long-term health and soundness of performance horses.  Marine-derived calcium mineral complexes have been shown to improve bone density and strength in laboratory animals and humans. This study evaluated the effect of a supplement containing marine-derived calcium (Triacton™) (TA) on bone density in Thoroughbred racehorses.  Thirteen horses (average age = 3.1 ± .4 y) were used in a 12-week training study. Horses were fed a timothy hay and fortified concentrate ration that supplied 64 g Ca and 42 g P/d. Seven horses received 120 g/d of TA which supplied an additional 15 g Ca and 7 horses received 120 g/day of a placebo pellet (CON).  Training consisted of jogging, galloping, and breezing. There was no difference in training intensity or duration between the two treatment groups. Radiographs of the left front cannon bone were taken from a dorsal-palmar and a lateral-medial view at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks of the study. An aluminum step-wedge was placed in plane with the cannon bone to use as an external measure of bone density. Radiographic photodensitometry was used to measure the density of the lateral, medial, dorsal, and palmar cortices of the cannon bone. Differences due to training duration and supplementation were determined using a 2-way ANOVA. Over the 12-week training period, the horses supplemented with TA increased dorsal and palmar cortical bone density (p<.05). CON densities were not affected by training. Medial and lateral cortical bone densities were not affected by treatment.

This research was published in Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology, 2018 .