Question
I own a 14-year-old, 15-hand Arabian gelding in light endurance work. He’s an off-track racehorse and aside from free-choice hay I feed him a slurry of copra meal (1.25 lb; 0.6 kg), micronutrient pellets, ground flax (6 oz; 177 ml), and a gastric supplement twice daily. He’s in good weight. I have not had him scoped for gastric ulcers, though I suspect issues of some sort despite the supplement. I don’t feed salt or electrolytes as I am concerned about their abrasive potential on his stomach. Is this a suitable diet for him?
Answer
I have a few suggestions to ensure your gelding’s diet is providing the nutrients to meet his nutritional requirements and the energy to maintain condition, while simultaneously nurturing a healthy digestive tract.
If your gelding is consuming the recommended amount of the micronutrient supplement (double-check the feeding instructions to be sure), it is safe to say his nutrient requirements are being met. The extra energy from fat (copra meal, flax) is a beneficial addition to an endurance horse’s diet, as fat provides a concentrated source of calories and some staying power.
Offering free-choice hay is also ideal for digestive health, as it promotes peristalsis (normal movement of the gastrointestinal tract) and provides a buffer for stomach acid. If your gelding is ever in need of more calories, you could add beet pulp, an energy-rich fiber source. Beet pulp is also considered a prebiotic, meaning it is beneficial to the countless microbes in the horse’s hindgut. A robust, well-functioning microbiome contributes to overall health.
Although you did not mention what type of gastric support you’re currently feeding, optimal stomach health can be achieved with a product like RiteTrac, which offers a two-prong approach to protection. RiteTrac contains ingredients that coat the stomach wall and buffer gastric acid. In addition, RiteTrac contains a time-released buffer to support hindgut health. The hindgut buffer balances the pH to create a healthy environment for the microbial population and promotes proper fiber digestion. RiteTrac is designed to be top-dressed on feed twice daily for optimal buffering, and could easily be mixed into your gelding’s current slurry just prior to feeding. In Australia, look for these research-proven products.
As you mentioned, some horses are sensitive to oral electrolytes, especially when dosed with concentrated paste repeatedly during competition. Sensitivity or ulceration of the mouth and stomach was observed in a study after frequent use (8 doses within 8 hours) of highly concentrated electrolytes. Providing a bolus of electrolytes on an empty stomach during times of stress or training presents a risk to the gastric lining. Electrolytes should therefore be given in combination with a gastric buffer when needed frequently during competition. Restore Paste was carefully formulated to include a buffering agent to mitigate this risk.
It is important to note that regular doses of a daily electrolyte fed as part of a well-balanced diet do not induce oral or gastric irritation.
With that in mind, a commercial electrolyte like Restore SR (Restore in Australia and New Zealand) contains all of the essential electrolytes and should be fed daily for optimal results. If daily feeding is not possible, it is especially important before, during, and after hard training sessions or long trail rides. Restore SR contains a slow-release source of sodium that maximizes its absorption in the hindgut.
Another important aspect of a horse’s diet is vitamin E. Supplementation with natural-source vitamin E can be particularly useful in maintaining adequate antioxidant levels in the muscle tissue. Horses without access to fresh grass are missing out on an important source of vitamin E. Because hay rapidly loses vitamin E after harvest, feeds or supplements are left as the only sources of the vitamin, and vitamin E requirements for working horses can exceed the amounts typically found in feeds and supplements. Because your gelding’s primary source of forage is hay, which is low in vitamin E, supplementation with Nano-E would be helpful in providing body-wide antioxidant benefits.
