FOCUS ON FEEDING


FEEDING THE COMPETITIONHORSE


the right amount of essential vitamins and minerals,but they also need their diet to provide the correct amount of energy. Toomuch and thehorse maybecome too sharp,meaning alossinconcentration not to mention control; toolittle and there’s the riskofthemrunning out of stamina andthatall important sparkle.


F


FORAGE FIRST Even forhorsescompeting regularly, forage


should still form thebasis of their diet. However, unfortunately what goes intoa horse’snet is frequently notthought important as it’s considered purely bulk. Whatever levelyou’re competing at, forage canhaveahugeimpactongeneral wellbeing and performancesoitisimportant nottooverlook thispart of the diet. Firstly (and perhapsmost obvious)isthe requirementfor clean,dustand mould-free hay/haylage.Dusty,mouldyforage is highly likely to cause respiratory problemswhich will affectoverall health andundoubtedly impact on the performanceofany horse.Transporting horsesoften means prolonged periods of time in the confined spaceofa lorry/trailer,soa clean, dust free forage is essential.Additionally,travelling can be astressful experiencefor anyhorse,soproviding ahighly palatable forage source is more likely to tempt astressed/excited individual to pick at hisnet en-routetoa competition.Keeping this trickleof fibremoving through his digestivesystemwill help to buffer thenatural stomach acidityand reducethe chanceofyour horse or ponybeing prone to gastric ulcerswhich we knowtobeparticularly prevalent in competition horses. Lastly,don’tforget that forage sourcessuch as bagged foragescan have avaluableimpactonthe calories in your horse’s diet; forexample,one withhighercalories is ideal forhorseswho arecompeting regularly and require alittle helpmaintaining their weight or stamina during prolonged exercise.Lowercalorie options meanwhile areinvaluable horses andponies prone


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to laminitis or those resting or in light work. Havingfound appropriateforage foryour


competition horse,thereareamultitude of concentratefeeds to pick from! Agoodstarting point is to be honestabout your horse’s workload. The nutritional needsofa child’sshowponyare likely to be very different to those of an endurance horse,whose nutritionalneedswillbevery different to those of ashowjumper.All thesehorsescan be considered competition horsesintheir ownright, but whilstthe showjumper maywant aquickhit of fast release energy,anendurancerider will be lookingfor slow release energy to fuelthe horse overa long period of time.Highercalorie fibre choices maysuit the endurancehorse as these supply calories through controlled energy whilsta small ponyprone to laminitis will require lowsugar andstarchlevels.Rememberthatwhilstthere is alarge choiceofcompetition feedsavailable, manywillbehighincereals (and thereforestarch) which cancause unwanted,excitable behaviour! Whatever productyou decide to feed,ifitcontains vitamins and minerals, youmustbecomfortable feedingthem at the manufacturer’srecommended amount. This is theamountthe manufacturer has calculatedisappropriatefor your horse’s weight in order to providehim notonlywith calories, butalso those essentialvitamins and minerals he is unlikely to be gettingfromhis grazing andforage.Manya lazy horse only seemslazywheninrealityheisn’t fitenough forthe work being askedofhim,and is lacking in the essential vitamins and minerals he needsdue to restrictedintakeofhis bucket feed.


eeding the competition horse correctly canprove to be quite a challenge.For these individualsnot only is it important theyreceive


BETANOPS If thehorse is competing at alevel where testing


forprohibited substances is likely,itisimportant to ensure all feeds/supplementscarry the BETA NOPS(Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances) logo.This indicates thatthe manufacturers have hadtocomply with extremely stringent guidelinestotry to ensure that therehas been no contamination from naturally occurring prohibited substances.For professionalriders, apositiveblood test canhavedevastating effectsontheircareer, so this is an extremely important consideration. Many chaffs,mixes and cubesand also some forageswill have NOPSapproval. Forfurtheradviceonfeeding,pleasecontactthe HorseHageHelplineon01803527274orvisit www.horsehage.co.uk


TOP TIPS FOR FEEDING THE COMPETITION HORSE:


•Choose clean,dustfreeforageto maintain respiratory health. This is especially important when travelling.


•Provide apalatableforagewhich even a stressed or excitedhorse maybetempted to nibble on.


•Don’tunderestimatethe value of good quality forage to provide calories (energy) in the diet of very sharphorses.


•Don’tmakesudden changestothe diet on the dayofthe competition.


•During the summer months or when the horseissweating alot, ensure salt or electrolytes areadded to the diet.


•Ifthe horseisa fussy drinker,makesure wateristaken from home,try flavouring water, or offersmall very slushyfeeds.


•Ensurevitamin andmineral as well as calorie requirementsare met to allowthe horseto perform at itsoptimum.


JUNE/JULY2021For thelatestnewsvisitwww.centralhorsenews.co.uk


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