Feeding the Equine Athlete: Nutrition for Performance Horses

 Good nutrition is vital for any horse, and it is important to recognize the increased nutritional demands for top equine athletes, also known as performance horses.

These horses are impressive athletes that have a different set of nutritional needs than the horse that is in light or not in work.
That’s because performance horses are training hard, competing often, and being hauled to different events.
This comprehensive guide will go over some of the biggest nutritional needs these horses have, and how to support them so they can be the best they can be.

Feeding Programs

Feeding the performance horse a high-quality grain and forage diet is an important first step when it comes to equine athlete nutrition.

Since performance horses are burning calories more so than horses who are not in heavy training and competition, this needs to be kept in mind when choosing how much, and what, to feed them.

It might be a good idea to feed a grain that is designed for digestive tract sensitivity, since they are frequently in stressful situations, and one that has good energy sources to support body condition during high-intensity work.

While many performance horses need extra calories to provide fuel for their jobs, some high-performance horses may still be “easy keepers” so we must focus on providing nutrition and not just calories.

Many horses also have a sugar and starch sensitivity. If a horse is being fed a grain with high amounts of sugar and starch, this could affect a horse’s behavior, as well, and hinder performance during training and competition.

A product like Tribute’s Kalm N’ EZ has low levels of NSC (sugars and starches) and is a great choice for hyperactive horses or those with digestive tract sensitivities.

For horses who are very hard-working, harder keepers, and need a higher fat and calorie option, something like Tribute’s Synergize might be a better option. This feed was designed with hard-keeping and hard-working horses in mind.

Since performance horses have such specific nutritional needs, it might not be a bad idea to get a personalized feeding plan for your horse, too.

The horse’s quality of forage is one of the most important parts of a horse’s diet and shouldn’t be overlooked. Especially for performance horses, providing a high-quality forage periodically throughout the day is vital for their gut health.

You can read more about how much fiber a horse needs in their diet here.

Gut Health

A horse’s gut health has a significant effect on a horse’s health and performance overall.

Understanding how your horse’s digestive system works is important to properly support their gut health.

Since performance horses have more stress-triggers than non-performance horses, this is something that should be well-supported.

Ulcers are a common issue in performance horses because of these stress-triggers.

You can learn more about treating and preventing equine ulcers here.

Doing everything you can to prevent colic risk while traveling and competing is also important, since a change of environment means a change in feeding and drinking patterns, which sets horses up for a greater risk of colic.

Since horses are hindgut fermenters, the hindgut is a vital part of the horse’s gut that needs to be supported.

Adding prebiotics and probiotics into your horse’s diet is a great way to help support the hindgut and their digestive processes overall.

Tribute’s Equi-Ferm XL is a pelleted pre- and probiotic supplement that promotes the growth of good bacteria, increases digestibility of their total diet, and stabilizes the hindgut pH—even during times of stress.

Another easy way to support a performance horse’s gut health, even during travel, is by using something like Constant Comfort Paste.

This paste is a combination of other Tribute Equine Nutrition products like Constant Comfort Plus and the Constant Comfort Block. This paste soothes a horse’s stomach by supporting the stomach lining and maintaining a proper stomach pH. It also contains probiotics for overall digestive health.

It can be given daily, or during times of stress, and can also be used in conjunction with other Constant Comfort products.

Muscle Support and Recovery

Performance horses’ muscles are hardworking and need support of their own.

A ration balancer that supports muscle recovery is a great top dresser for performance horses.

Tribute’s Essential K Rebuild, for example, is a low NSC ration balancer that is specifically designed to support post-exercise recovery in active performance horses.

This is because it has added ingredients like turmeric and chromium, in addition to a well-balanced mixture of essential nutrients like vitamins, trace minerals, and amino acids to support performance and enhance topline. As a bonus, Essential K

Rebuild also contains pre- and probiotics to support your horse’s digestive system.

Building and maintaining muscle is something every performance horse owner wants.

While it’s easy for some horses to build muscle, others need a bit more help. For horses that need to build muscle, you can learn more about the science behind muscle building here and topline building here.

Joint and Leg Health

Performance horses have hard working legs and joints that need all the support they can get.

Many feeds, like the Tribute Kalm ‘N EZ GC Plus, even contain glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and MSM to support joint health.

For dealing with post-exercise inflammation in the legs and the rest of the horse’s body after exercise, a product like Natural Remedy Anti-Inflammatory Supplement is a great way to help reduce these inflammation markers.

It contains omega 3 fatty acids, and DHA, which helps reduce allergic inflammation, improves respiratory function, and decreases post-exercise inflammation. It also supports a horse’s immunity, heart and respiratory function overall.

Hoof Health

Hoof health can sometimes be overlooked when it comes to nutrition for the performance horse.

But you know the saying—no hoof, no horse.

Keeping a horse’s hooves in good shape could mean the difference between training or competing on any given day or not.

Whether the horse is barefoot or shod, making sure they have the proper nutrition for strong and healthy hoof growth is a great way to help prevent this “no hoof” problem.

Tribute’s Tough As Nails Hoof Supplement contains biotin, sulfur, amino acids, calcium, trace minerals, and other nutrients designed to support hoof health.

Not only does it help support healthy hoof growth, but it also contains ingredients like iodine which helps prevent and resolve things like white line disease and thrush.

If you have questions about your horse’s feeding program, please reach out for a free personalized equine feeding plan!

Article By: Sarah Welk Baynum
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