Creatine Supplements in Horses

Owners and trainers can spend an inordinate amount of time tweaking the nutrition of their horses to maximize athleticism. Sound nutrition and appropriate use of nutritional supplements can help prepare horses for competition and assist with recovery. In theory, creatine may help supply energy to the muscles of working horses, but according to a recent study*, creatine did not impact the performance of Quarter Horses used for barrel racing.

The study authors specifically wrote, “…it was possible to conclude that there was no improvement on the athletic performance for the animals used on the experiment, as there were no changes in time scores, heart rate and plasma lactate, variables considered as performance indicators, before and after supplementation.”

Horses included in the study were administered 28 g of creatine/100 kg body weight orally once daily for 45 days.

Creatine is thought to benefit athletes by serving as a precursor for phosphocreatine, a major source of energy, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), for contracting muscles.

“Based on the reasonable scientific basis for creatine supplementation and the fact that a few previously published studies on creatine supplementation in horses have found an improvement in athletic performance, further research would be beneficial,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., an equine nutritionist at Kentucky Equine Research.

*Teixeira, F.A., A.L. Araújo, and L.O. Ramalho. Oral creatine supplementation on performance of Quarter Horses used in barrel racing. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition (Berl). In press.