As we push our horses to the maximum in terms of athletic demand or technical excellence meeting their nutritional needs becomes increasingly important. Good feeding can’t make a slow horse faster, overcome lack of fitness or undo a bad ride, but bad feeding can quickly undo any horse, and a good diet can help a horse reach its potential.
There are some very important considerations when putting together a ration for the performance horse. Fluid, electrolyte and energy supplies can all have a significant impact on performance and may determine whether or not a horse even finishes a competition or race.
Energy sources
Fibre
Fibre is the main energy source for most horses and is critical in providing energy to horses needing energy for endurance type exercise for example the three day event horse. Fibre is a slow release energy source that replenishes the horse’s muscle and liver fuel stores (glycogen stores) without encouraging excitable behaviour. It is of course also sympathetic to the horse’s digestive system and physiology and horses with insufficient fibre in their diets are at increased risk of problems such as tying up and colic. Compound feeds containing a high proportion of digestible fibre are very useful for horses taking part in endurance based activities or horses with excitable temperaments.
Fibre is of particular use in maintaining the horse’s hydration status because it binds water as it passes through the gut, therefore acting as a fluid and electrolyte reservoir.
Oil
Oil is also an important energy source for the performance horse as it can very efficiently fuel prolonged low intensity exercise. The use of oil as an energy source during steady work can reduce the use of muscle glycogen stores, thus saving this fuel for more intense bursts of activity. This is termed glycogen sparing and is particularly relevant to horses undertaking endurance competition or competing on consecutive days when a depletion of glycogen stores can be a real problem. It is important to remember that it can take up to ten or twelve weeks of oil supplementation and endurance training for a horse to become efficient at using oil as an energy substrate so continuous feeding of oil during training is important.
Oil is very energy dense, so it is useful for getting lots of extra calories into a fit horse, and, like fibre, will not encourage excitable behaviour. Corn oil and soya oil are used most commonly. Oil must be introduced to the diet gradually and can be fed to endurance horses at up to 450ml per day if necessary. The addition of oil to the diet will increase the horse’s requirement for vitamin E, so vitamin supplementation will need to be considered.
Starch and sugar
Although sugar and starch shouldn’t be overfed in the diet of any competition horse they are important to help replenish glycogen stores and will help to maintain blood sugar levels during a competition. Large cereal-based meals should not be given during the three hours before the start of a competition; the effects of such meals on a horse’s metabolism can mean that the horse would actually have less readily available energy at the start of the competition and could tire more quickly than usual.
As sugar and starch are digested and absorbed relatively quickly compared to fibre and oil they can contribute to excitable behaviour in some horses. Therefore it is best to avoid cereals and cereal based feeds for these types of characters and make more use of fibre and oil as sources of energy.
SPILLERS® Competition Mix provides the ideal balanced of energy sources with a carefully formulated blend of oil and fibre for slow release energy and controlled cereal starch for presence and sparkle.
Protein
Protein is not an energy source in healthy horses but high quality protein is required for maintaining muscle and repairing wear and tear. Look for compound feeds containing quality protein sources like soya; the protein level should be around 12 – 14% for horses in medium to hard work.
SPILLERS® Competition Mix contains excellent quality protein with high levels of lysine to support excellent muscle tone and topline.
Water and Electrolytes
Water is the most important part of any diet and a performance horse can lose many litres during a competition or while training. Fluid loss also occurs during travelling; it is important to consider rehydration on arrival at a venue to ensure that the horse does not start a competition dehydrated.
Dehydration significantly reduces a horse’s chances of completing successfully therefore it is essential to encourage the horse to drink during the competition itself. Horses appear to find water at 20°C (normal room temperature) more palatable than chilled water or water at 30°C (e.g. water that has been left in a lorry or car on a hot day). Sugar beet water will also encourage drinking. Foods with a high water content, such as grass and soaked sugar beet, can also help increase fluid intake during the competition.
Electrolyte status is another important consideration. All competition horses should receive supplementary table salt in their daily diet to provide sodium and chloride – around one to two tablespoons per day is usually appropriate. Most horses should receive good levels of forage, which will supply sufficient potassium on a day to day basis. However, a commercial electrolyte preparation or a combination of normal table salt and “Lo Salt” (at a 2:1 ratio) will be needed to replenish losses during and after a competition or heavy training. Electrolytes are best offered in food unless you can be sure the horse will drink an electrolyte solution, although water must be offered at the same time.
If you would like any further advice on a diet for your horse during the competition season, contact the SPILLERS® Care-Line on 01908 226626.