Training distance to failure in young racing quarter horses fed sodium zeolite A

Summary Fifty-three yearling Quarter Homes were placed in race training at 18 months of age. They had been fed varying amounts of sodium zeolite A (SZA) since six months of age. SZA increased plasma silicon concentrations, but was not detrimental to performance as indicated by faster average race times for treated homes. Medium and high treatment groups also covered more distance and completed more training and racing cycles (strides) before injury, indicating SZA may be beneficial in preventing racing related injuries. There was a correlation (R2) of.54 between plasma silicon concentration and the distance traveled before injury in the group of homes which was prone to injury. Thus, feeding SZA may help prevent athletic injury to the horse by providing bioavailable silicon.