Promoting positive behaviour
Why good behaviour is important
Behaviour is influenced from very early on in life; good behaviour generally suggests a calm temperament and willingness in the horse to do what is asked of it. Temperament is an important aspect of a rewarding partnership with your horse, a well behaved horse is willing to do what is asked of them; lessons and schooling are constructive and fun, hacks are relaxing and enjoyable for both horse and rider.
How diet effects behaviour
Behaviour in horses can clearly be affected by diet. In some cases, unwanted behaviour may simply be as a result of being fed too much energy but the source of energy may also play an important part.
Cereals the traditional source of supplemental energy for horses, may well contribute to “fizzy” behaviour; the effect of a high cereal intake is often described as “heating” (Jannson et al 2002) and reducing the amount of cereal based feed, such as coarse mix, in the diet may help limit excitable behaviour.
What the science says
Studies in young horses have shown that their behaviour and stress levels differ depending on the diet they are fed. Research with young horses has shown that those fed a fibre and oil based diet coped better with novel situations, were more inquisitive and less stressed than those fed a traditional starch based feed (Nicol et al 2005). Other work has shown how oil may have a beneficial effect on behaviour; oil is a rich source of calories and therefore allows the formulation of feeds with limited cereal content.
How you can help
The WINERGY Equilibrium range offers fibre based “non-heating” feeds with restricted starch levels. Oil and high digestible fibre sources are used to provide additional calories where appropriate.