“With Warmbloods, you create energy and then direct it. With Iberians, you contain energy and then direct it.”
it. Generally, with a PRE, if in his mind he’s gone as far as he can and you ask for more, everything just stops. They freeze. It isn’t that they’re bad. They’re so talented that if you ask more, all of a sudden it’s gone.”
FEEDING Researchers are trying to learn why some horses are more likely to suffer from insulin resistance (IR) and equine meta- bolic syndrome (EMS), while the Iberian horse’s suscepti- bility to both is widely acknowledged. In fact, a study by a researcher at the University of Sydney in Australia concluded that Andalusians were at greater risk of IR than ponies, who are known for their tendency to chubbiness. The ease with which PREs can become overweight makes them a higher risk breed, along with Morgans, Paso Finos and some Warmbloods, as well as many pony breeds. “With Warmbloods, it seems the ones
that are more at risk of becoming meta- bolic are those with less blood,” says Clair Thunes, PhD., of Summit Equine Nutrition in Davis, California. “The cooler Warm- bloods that hail from more draft breeds are more at risk than the hotter ones.” While researchers are trying to figure
out what genetic component leads to EMS, research does show that calorie intake and the source of the calories are factors as well as the breed of the horse. The Australian researcher studied 33 Standardbreds, Andalusians, and ponies, feeding them either cereal rich supplemental feed of micron- ized corn or a fat rich supplemental feed. Feed was increased to create weight gain. In 20 weeks all the study subjects were obese with body condition scores of seven or higher. “The horses that got fat eating the cereal grain had lower insulin sensitivity than those fed extra calories from fat,” Clair explains. “What was also interesting was that the decrease in insulin sensitivity was greater in the ponies and Andalusians than the Standardbreds, illustrating that certain breeds are more sensitive to cereal rich feed than others. Further, the horses and ponies fed the fat-rich supplements showed no difference in insulin regulation. This provides evidence that simply gaining weight doesn’t cause IR and EMS. But cereal- rich meals seem an important factor.” The message is that certain breeds may not do well on
cereal-rich feeds. “The study shows overfeeding starch-rich meals to horses that don’t need the calories for work or sport, especially those of certain breeds, can lead to prob- lems. Cereal-rich feeds are still appropriate for some horses
that need extra calories to maintain weight. However I would recommend that for breeds known to be at risk of EMS, calorie sources such as fermentable fiber and fat be utilized rather than cereal grains.” she says. Further, simply reducing calorie intake to prevent the
horses from becoming overweight and prevent IR or EMS can lead to other problems. “It is easy to end up with this malnourished horse when you pull back on calories because at the same time you are pulling back on other nutrients. If you restrict hay intake, you’re also restricting protein, vita- mins and minerals. You also risk that the horse may develop ulcers.” Whatever the breed, the foundation of the equine diet is forage. “Then the question is can you maintain the horse’s body condition just on the forage. If the answer is yes, then just add trace minerals and vitamins, using a ration balancer. If the answer is no, then find fortified calories using performance feeds,” Clair advises. Supplemental feeds must be fed
according to manufacturer instructions. For example, a feed label advises feed- ing six pounds a day, but the owner feels a need to cut that in half because of the horse’s weight. Unfortunately, that also cuts into the nutritional value of the feed.
Allison and Vaquarius, her 2002 Lusitano stallion by Quarteto do Top, demonstrate beautiful half pass with impulsion.
A solution to restricting calories
may be to feed a ration balancer feed. With a ration balancer, “you have a small serving size of one or two
pounds that packs a lot of punch as far as overall nutri- ent content,” she says. If that amount is still contributing to weight gain, there are ration balancer supplements that provide similar nutrition in only three to four ounces. “With the easy keepers, you have to be on it,” Clair adds.
“Granted it’s hard to notice subtle changes when you see them every day. Maybe the girth fits the same, but the horse could be depositing a lot of crest fat. Look at the whole horse and feed according the work he is doing. If he can do fine on hay and your ration balancer, you’re good to go. I see a lot of horses that are going third or fourth level dressage that are such easy keepers that they are only fed maybe two pounds of performance feed. This way they are not getting all the vitamins and minerals they need for the work they are doing. Feed according to condition and work done.” While both Allison and Maria carefully follow a low-carbo-
hydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet, apples, carrots and low sugar treats are in the picture. Sugar cubes are not, even for horses who have been tested and are not metabolic.
Warmbloods Today 49
Jaclyn Pepper
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