Feeding the competition horse
Thursday, May 14, 2009
A Controlled Performance
With the competition in full swing, this feature takes an interesting look at how what you feed your horse can ultimately affect its performance and the steps you can take to make sure it not you that’s causing your horse to misbehave.
We all know horses naturally roam vast plains, grazing a variety of forages including grasses and some herbs. It comes as no surprise to know that their digestive systems have evolved to digest mainly fibre with a massive 65% of their digestive system designated to this process. Through domestication horse’s diets have changed, their ability to forage has been reduced and an introduction of cereal starch to their diets has occurred.
For years we have associated the possible link between feeding high levels of cereal starch found in traditional compound feeds with excitable behaviour. Attitude and temperament are important aspects of a winning performance. A well behaved horse has a calm approach to their work and is willing to do what is asked of them; lessons and schooling are constructive and performance during competition is not impeded by a difficult attitude. Nothing is more frustrating than having weeks of preparation and training wasted when the stress and excitement of a show boils over into over-exuberant behaviour that prevents the horse from performing to the best of their ability.
Behaviour in horses can clearly be affected by diet. In some cases, unwanted behaviour may simply be the result of being fed excessive amounts of energy but the source of that energy may also play an important part. Cereals, the traditional source of energy for competition horses, may well contribute to “fizzy” behaviour; the effect on horses of a high cereal intake is often described as “heating” and reducing the amount of cereal-based feed, such as coarse mix, in the diet may help limit excitable behaviour.
Our research with young sports horses has shown that those fed a compound based on fibre and oil coped better with novel situations, were more inquisitive and less stressed than those fed a traditional starch based compound.
Other work has shown how oil may have a beneficial effect on behaviour; oil is also a rich source of calories and therefore allows the formulation of high energy feeds with limited cereal content. The Winergy Equilibrium range offers fibre based, “non-heating” compounds with restricted starch levels. Oil and highly digestible fibre sources are used to provide additional calories where appropriate.
Our investigations have shown that compounds containing a minimum of 20% added long fibre lengthen eating time. Extending eating time moves the domestic horse closer to the natural behaviour of its wild counterparts and therefore reduces the risk of the development of abnormal behaviour. Feeds that include long fibre also increase chewing activity; this results in increased production of saliva, which may help neutralise excess stomach acid and thus limit the performance of abnormal behaviours that develop as an attempt to relieve gastric discomfort.
In 1994 Winergy took the first steps in what is set to become the single most important revolution in feeding horses that many of us will see in our lifetimes - working with vets, scientists and nutritionists in leading institutes around the world Winergy has formulated a range of feeds which fit with how we keep our horses today and that are designed to meet the needs of our horse’s physiology.
Winergy Equilibrium is the first range of truly multi-benefit fibre feeds, proven throughout fourteen years of trials to provide health and performance benefits naturally. This is simply not achievable with traditional compound feeds.
To speak to someone about which competition feed would be most suitable for your horse, call us on 01908 576 277