Six Questions: Feeding the Right Nutrients to Performance Horses

The nutritionists at Kentucky Equine Research are asked questions every day about how best to nourish performance horses. These horses are engaged in a spectrum of disciplines and activities—from jousting exhibitions to Olympic show jumping, from rodeo barrel racing to long-distance endurance riding.

As a quick review, Ashley Fowler, Ph.D., the director of research at Kentucky Equine Research, answers to six commonly asked questions about feeding performance horses.

Q: What horses are considered “performance” horses?

A: Exercise increases a horse’s nutrient requirements over that of a horse at rest. According to Nutrient Requirements of Horses, published by the National Research Council in 2007, performance horses are classified into four categories based on the level of work they perform to ensure their nutrient requirements are met. A horse in light exercise works 1 to 3 hours per week, mostly at the walk and trot. A horse in moderate exercise works 3 to 5 hours per week, primarily at the trot. Many school horses, show horses, and ranch horses engage in moderate exercise. A horse in heavy exercise works 4 to 5 hours per week, predominantly at the trot and canter. Polo ponies, eventing horses, and horses in certain stages of race training perform heavy exercise. Horses in very heavy exercise work 6 to 12 hours per week or they may work 1 hour per week doing high-speed work. These horses typically race or train and compete in three-day eventing. Though these descriptions provide a sound framework for determining work intensity, all horses should be treated as individuals when gauging workload and energy requirements.

Q: What specific nutrients or supplements do performance horses need?

A: Horses in any exercise program have an increased requirement for energy, protein, minerals needed for bone (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium), as well as electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) and vitamin E. The requirements for trace minerals (cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium, and zinc) begin to increase with moderate exercise. Trace minerals are used in many cellular enzymes, hormones, and antioxidant systems that are affected by exercise.

While not a required part of the diet, some exercising horses benefit from prophylactic joint support. Adding high-quality joint supplements that contain hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and MSM may help mitigate damage to the joint by reducing inflammation, supporting proper joint lubrication and cartilage integrity.

Q: Can you provide some general feeding guidelines for performance horses?

A: Feeding strategies depend significantly on the workload, discipline, and body condition of the horse. All diets should start with forage that is free of mold, weeds, and other debris. Adding a fortified concentrate formulated for exercising horses is the simplest way to provide increased energy while meeting all the other nutrient requirements. Performance feeds commonly contain a mix of energy sources, including cereal grains, fats, and fermentable fibers, but the ratio of energy sources can differ depending on the horse it is meant for. Endurance horses do well with feeds that contain more fat, as they can switch to burning fat during exercise instead of relying on glycogen stores in the muscle. Horses that do speed work, such as racehorses or barrel racers, rely more heavily on muscle glycogen as a fuel source. These horses require higher levels of nonstructural carbohydrates to provide appropriate fuel and to replete muscle glycogen efficiently.

Be sure to follow the feeding directions on the bag for your horse’s weight and workload to ensure all nutrient requirements are being met. Providing free-choice access to salt or adding salt to the feed is also important to meet the sodium requirement. Feeding a well-formulated electrolyte on days when horses are sweating a lot, such as hot days or more intense exercise days, can also help replenish key minerals lost in sweat.

Performance horses typically have a greater risk of developing gastric ulcers. Increasing the time spent eating forage, adding some alfalfa to the diet, and feeding forage prior to exercise can help reduce the risk of ulcer development. Adding oil to the diet, particularly one containing the fatty acid GLA, such as ReSolvin EQ, can also help reduce the risk of ulcers.

Q: Will owners always see a bump in performance when a horse is switched from a middling diet to a well-balanced diet?

A: Undersupplying nutrients can affect performance as nutrient deficiencies may result in the body performing below its capability. For example, a calorie deficiency may cause more rapid fatigue. Ensuring the nutrient requirements are met will be beneficial in optimizing performance, but performance often hinges on innate talent for the work asked of the horse and the skillset of the individual training the horse. Think of nutrition as one piece of the puzzle, though an important one!

Q: Can you break down how major nutrients help performance horses?

A: Calories are needed during exercise to support the increase in energy expenditure and ensure horses don’t lose weight. Protein is used to help build and maintain muscle during exercise, and calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium help increase bone density with the increased force placed on the bone. Electrolytes replace sweat losses and prevent dehydration.

During exercise, metabolic reactions that occur in the muscle produce free radicals, which can cause cellular damage if left unchecked. Antioxidants, such as selenium, vitamin E, and coenzyme Q10, help reduce free radicals and prevent oxidative damage during exercise and recovery. Performance horses benefit from a natural-source vitamin E supplement, such as Nano-E, especially if they are not allowed to graze. Nano-Q10 is a bioavailable form of coenzyme Q10 often given to horses in regular training.

Q: Do performance horses require a hoof supplement?

A: Not all horses need additional hoof support when fed a diet that meets their requirements, but if a horse does need more nutritional support, adding biotin (a B-vitamin), zinc, methionine, and iodine to the diet can help improve hoof growth. Look for these ingredients in high-quality supplements, such as Bio-Bloom.