Feeding the Performance Horse

Often undervalued as an energy source, fibre can actually provide a significant amount of energy for horses in high levels of work. The amount of energy supplied depends on the digestibility of the fibre source which is influenced by plant type, environmental conditions and the plant’s maturity at the time of harvest. The more mature a plant, the less digestible it will be and therefore the less energy it will provide, so choosing an early cut, good quality forage is usually a good place to start when it comes to feeding the performance horse.

Ensuring sufficient fibre is fed is also key. Even for horses in hard work, forage should be fed at a minimum of 1.5% of the horse’s bodyweight per day on a dry matter basis in order to maintain digestive health. For a 500kg horse this would equate to 7.5kg on a dry matter basis or around 8.8kg as fed (based on an average dry matter content of 85%). For underweight horses there is no reason to limit the forage – the greater contribution the forage makes to supplying the energy they need, the less bucket feed you should need to use which is better for their health and is usually the most cost-effective way to feed too.

It is important to remember that an increase in workload does not automatically mean you need to increase the use of traditional mixes and cubes to meet your horse’s energy requirements, especially if your horse is a good doer or becomes excitable very easily. A high fibre feed can provide plenty of energy in a slow-release form, and products containing ingredients like alfalfa and oil are ideal. These types of feed provide comparable energy levels to a traditional competition mix or cube but with around 10 times less starch. Studies have shown that performance horses can utilise fibre as an energy source – the key is ensuring there is sufficient, high quality fibre in the ration for the horse to make use of. A study in 2023 found that horses in training fed a combination of chopped and pelleted alfalfa at 80% of the bucket feed with just 20% cereal content performed just as well as those fed cereals alone, demonstrating that high levels of cereals are not required to support high intensity exercise (Martin et al., 2023).

The increased chew time from adding a chopped fibre to the bucket feed has long been recognised but what is often over-looked is the fact that the amount of saliva produced when a horse chews is related to the amount of force the horse needs to apply (Vervuert et al., 2013). This means that more fibrous materials which require more chewing help to increase saliva production and therefore more natural buffering in the digestive tract, compared to softer feeds. Whilst mashes and pelleted fibres contribute fibre to the diet, they don’t require as much chewing and so do not generate as much saliva. This phenomenon is supported by a study in 2024 that found unmolassed sugar beet pulp resulted in a greater drop in pH (increase in acidity) in the horse’s mouth than other feed materials including alfalfa and haylage, which the authors suggest could be related to the fact it requires less chewing (Daniels et al., 2024). Whilst the level of acidity returned to normal within 15 minutes and so doesn’t represent a cause for concern in the context of dental health, it demonstrates the importance of chewing for saliva production which has benefits further along the digestive tract.

When it comes to choosing a suitable fibre feed to go in the bucket, the type used is important to consider. High quality fibres such as precision dried grass and alfalfa can be extremely beneficial for performance horses as they not only provide fibre but are also relatively digestible and so do not sit in the digestive tract for as long, compared to more indigestible forages such as straw. In contrast to grass forages, alfalfa is naturally low in sugar and starch, and with research indicating that it is an effective natural buffer to acidity in the digestive tract (Nadeau et al., 2000; Lybbert et al., 2007), it is the ideal fibre source for supporting gastric health. It also provides quality protein to help with building muscle and topline, and supplies plenty of slow-release energy for stamina.

Super-fit performance horses can have reduced appetites and in these situations, a pelleted fibre feed is a useful way of continuing with a high fibre ration in a more concentrated volume of feed. Whilst some chopped fibre is still important for encouraging chew time, it can be mixed with feeds like alfalfa pellets to reduce the volume of feed the horse needs to eat. These can be supplied either in the bucket or via treat balls, which also helps to keep them occupied if stabled for longer periods.

These fibre types can be fed in varying quantities depending on the horse’s calorie or energy needs and can simply be combined with a performance or competition balancer to provide a nutritionally balanced ration that is suitable for horses in higher levels of work.

Before making changes to your horse’s diet, it is important to firstly check the following:

1. If your horse’s lack of energy is out of character, it is essential to establish if there is an underlying cause to the problem, such as ill health or pain and discomfort from ill-fitting tack.
2. It is important to honestly assess whether your horse is capable and fit enough to do what is being asked of them and address this if necessary.
3. Consider if your horse’s lack of energy could relate to behaviour rather than diet. Some horses are naturally laid-back characters and others become ‘bored’ with repetition. Feeding is unlikely to influence your horse’s behaviour in these situations, but sometimes rider training and a more varied exercise regime can be helpful.

Although a change of diet might not completely solve the problem, sometimes assessing and making some adjustments to your horse’s ration can be helpful. The two fundamental points to consider are whether your horse is receiving enough dietary energy and whether they are having a balanced diet with the correct levels of vitamins and minerals.

Energy and calories are essentially the same thing, so the easiest way to determine whether your horse has sufficient energy for the work they are doing is to assess their body condition score. Ideally your horse should be a 3 on the 5 point scale.

A horse that is above 3 on this scale is receiving excessive amounts of energy or calories and is carrying too much weight. Encouraging weight loss by decreasing overall energy intake and increasing exercise to improve fitness levels will ultimately help to improve your horse’s energy levels.

A horse that is well below 3 on this scale is receiving insufficient amounts of energy or calories in their ration. Increasing overall energy intake to promote weight gain and achievement of optimal body condition may help improve overall energy levels. It is important to note that very fit horses may maintain their weight and have an optimal body condition and health at just under a 3 on the condition scoring scale.

If your horse is in optimum body condition, this suggests they are receiving the correct amount of energy in the diet for the work being done. At this stage, looking at the type of energy supplied may also potentially influence behaviour. Fibre and oil provide slow release energy whereas sugars and starch provide quick release energy. For lazy horses where more sparkle is required, cereal grains are commonly fed as they provide lots of starch and therefore quick release energy. There is however, no certainty as to how the introduction of cereal grains will affect your horse’s behaviour; it may have no effect, or it may result in spooky, silly behaviour rather than helping them to be more forward-going. Research has found that horses fed a cereal-based concentrate mix were more reactive to new situations and equipment than those on a high fibre and oil diet (Bulmer et al., 2015). They were less consistent in their behaviour and had higher heart rates compared with horses fed the fibre-based feed.

If feeding cereal grains does provide the desired increase in energy levels then research has suggested that time of feeding is important. Within two hours of eating a starchy feed, the horse’s blood glucose levels rise, followed by a rise in insulin to store glucose. If the horse is exercising whilst the body is also trying to store glucose, this could potentially affect performance due to low blood glucose levels. Cereal-based feeds should therefore not be given within 3-4 hours prior to exercise. Feeding fibre does not have this effect and can be fed prior to exercise.

As too much starch can contribute to problems such as colic and gastric ulcers, it is important that cereals are used in moderation. For horses that haven’t previously been fed cereals they should be introduced gradually, literally a handful at a time to give the digestive system time to adjust to the new feed. Oats tend to be the cereal most commonly used to try and give horses more energy, although all cereals provide quick release energy and so may have the desired effect. Feeding cereals to an overweight horse would not be beneficial as it is likely to encourage further weight gain which will compound the problem of lethargy further.

If your horse runs out of steam towards the end of a ride or in later classes then the feeding strategy should focus on improving stamina. Research has shown that feeding additional oil may be of benefit for this purpose which is why relatively high levels of oil are fed to endurance horses (Treiber et al., 2008). If your horse lacks stamina then the oil content of the ration can be increased by introducing high oil feeds such as Dengie Alfa-A Oil, but bear in mind that high oil feeds are high in calories so are not an appropriate choice for horses who are prone to carrying too much weight. Horses will need to be trained on a high oil ration for two to three weeks before improvements to their stamina may be seen as it takes the horse time to adapt to higher levels of fat in the ration.

Vitamins and minerals are integral components of energy metabolism and a shortfall of these in the diet can result in poor performance. If you are feeding the recommended quantities of a compound feed that is intended for the level and type of work your horse is doing alongside sufficient forage, the diet should be well-balanced. Using straights with a balancer or supplement at the recommended levels should also provide a balanced ration.

One thing that many horse owners are concerned about if their horse is lethargic is anaemia. This can be diagnosed with a blood test carried out by a veterinarian. Unlike humans, anaemia in horses is rarely due to low levels of iron in the diet as grass and forage are naturally abundant sources. If your horse’s anaemia isn’t caused by blood loss, an unbalanced diet with insufficient levels of copper in the diet could be the culprit. Copper is important as it is involved in haemoglobin synthesis and the mobilisation of iron stores. Haemoglobin is the pigment that carries oxygen within the body to the tissues where it releases it for aerobic respiration to occur which ultimately produces energy. Copper is typically low in UK pasture and forage, but feeding correct levels of an appropriate nutritionally-balanced feed or balancer should be sufficient to meet these shortfalls.

For horses working hard enough to sweat, it is also important to include an electrolyte supplement in their diets. Electrolytes are minerals that are found in fluids in the body and their concentration in fluids found both in and around cells affects the horse’s neuromuscular function. Electrolytes are also found in sweat and horses in prolonged work such as endurance can lose considerable amounts. Electrolyte losses and dehydration are linked to fatigue and ultimately compromise performance, so electrolyte supplements should be used before, during and after a busy work period or routinely every day if the horse is in hard work or sweats profusely.

The first step when managing the fizzy or excitable horse is to ensure that they aren’t in pain when being ridden. Ill-fitting tack, tooth abscesses and back or limb injuries are all examples of why some horses may become more difficult to ride. A thorough examination of the horse and the tack should be carried out by experienced professionals to ensure that pain isn’t the cause of the problem. Excitement generated by being in a different environment, such as away at a show or out somewhere new can also be the cause of many problems.

Stabling for long periods is also a common reason for a horse to exhibit fizzy behaviour, so this could be a contributing factor for the competition horse who is frequently staying away from home. If it is not possible to implement management changes to try and help, the next step is to ensure the diet is based on slow-release energy sources, such as those high in fibre and oil, rather than quick-release energy sources like sugar and starch.