The Ins and Outs of Feeding the OTTB

Careful dietary consideration can help make an OTTB’s transition from racehorse to pleasure or sport horse easier on his digestive system.
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OTTB
Forages should be the main source of nutrients in an OTTB's diet, which will help keep his hindgut healthy. | Photo: iStock

Off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) are popular mounts for riders of many disciplines. But when feeding OTTBs, it’s important to understand how they were fed on the track, and how their nutritional needs differ in their second careers.

Feeding Racehorses

The idea body condition score for a racehorse is about 4 to 5 out of 9, which is slightly lower than that of a pleasure or low-level performance horse.

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Kristen M. Janicki, a lifelong horsewoman, was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and later attended graduate school at the University of Kentucky, studying under Dr. Laurie Lawrence in the area of Equine Nutrition. Kristen has been a performance horse nutritionist for an industry feed manufacturer for more than a decade. Her job entails evaluating and improving the performance of the sport horse through proper nutrition.

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