Feeding the High-Octane Horse

But because forages are not high-energy feeds, the athletic horse’s diet needs to be supplemented in order to provide enough energy for him to perform at peak capacity. Traditionally, this is done by feeding grains, which are rich in carbohydrates
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The tightly packed field of Thoroughbred racehorses, straining every muscle for a few more inches of gained ground on the final turn…the Arabian endurance horse, with 89 miles of hard, mountainous terrain behind him and 11 more to go before he can rest…the Olympic three-day event horse, summoning up all his courage, agility, and speed to answer the questions posed by a diabolical course designer on a cross-country course built to put fear into the hearts of ordinary mortals. All of these are high-octane horses: animals performing at the peak of their athletic ability. Standardbred racehorses, high-goal polo and polocrosse ponies, sprint racers (Quarter Horses, Paints, and Appaloosas), and top-level cutting horses and barrel racers also can be high-octane horses, and because they are pulling out all the stops in order to perform at their maximum, they need serious nutritional support to provide maximum energy.

Thoroughbreds

Understanding how your horse converts his feed into performance can help you design not only the most appropriate fitness program for him, but an optimum diet as well.

High energy, traditionally, comes from high levels of carbohydrates–but when horses are fed a high-carbohydrate (and subsequently, low-fiber) diet, they suffer all sorts of digestive troubles, from colic and diarrhea to founder and exertional myopathy (tying up). As a result, fueling the equine athlete becomes a delicate balancing of nutrients, to provide as much energy as possible while minimizing the risk of carbohydrate overload

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Written by:

Karen Briggs is the author of six books, including the recently updated Understanding Equine Nutrition as well as Understanding The Pony, both published by Eclipse Press. She’s written a few thousand articles on subjects ranging from guttural pouch infections to how to compost your manure. She is also a Canadian certified riding coach, an equine nutritionist, and works in media relations for the harness racing industry. She lives with her band of off-the-track Thoroughbreds on a farm near Guelph, Ontario, and dabbles in eventing.

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