Competition
How do I know when my horse needs a competition feed? ↓
Competition feeds are formulated to meet the increased nutritional demands of horses in moderate to hard work, when requirements for protein, vitamins and minerals are increased as well as those for calories. Good-doers can present a dilemma, however, as feeding the full amount of a competition may provide too many calories, causing them to gain weight.
These horses can be fed a reduced amount of feed topped up with Performance Balancer to ensure that levels of essential nutrients are maintained to meet demands but without additional calories. Balancers can be used in this way if a lower energy/specification compound feed is fed that is not designed for horses in hard work.
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When should I feed a competition feed?
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Performance BalancerWhat can I feed to improve my horse's stamina? ↓
Horses who flag towards the end of the day in the show ring or who run out of puff on the cross country may be doing so for one of two reasons. Assuming work and fitness levels are suitable, if the diet is not balanced it is likely to be lacking in essential vitamins and minerals which can be causing the horse to feel a little lacklustre. These nutrients are needed by the body to release the energy content from the rest of the diet as well as for general health and well-being.
Ensuring the diet is fully-balanced at all times will help make sure the horse is not lacking and so feels more willing and able to perform. Horses on a fully balanced diet who need more stamina, can be fed oil which is slow release, non-heating and has a glycogen sparing effect. The higher the level of oil in the diet, the greater the body’s need for antioxidants to deal with the free radicals produced during its metabolism. Outshine high oil supplement contains the necessary supporting antioxidants to maximise the body’s utilisation of the oil.
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When should I feed a competition feed?
Optimum Competition Nutrition
Feed for Staying Power with OilWhat do I feed on the day of competition? ↓
Ideally your routine on a competition day should stay as close to normal as possible. There is a rarely a situation when all feed and hay should be withdrawn and a horse should always have access to, or be offered, water. Give breakfast as normal and avoid doing anything to indicate that it’s a competition day until the horse has eaten up. Then travel the horse with a net of hay or haylage to maintain fibre intake.
On returning home, the horse should also receive his normal feed as, even if the following day will be a day off, the exertions of the competition will have drawn on nutrient reserves which need replenishing. If you feel you need to cut back on calorie intake before a day off, top up the diet with a balancer to ensure vitamin, mineral and protein intake are maintained.
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Routine interferenceWhat do I do if my horse is laid off due to illness or injury? ↓
If your horse is confined to his box, his energy requirements are likely to be much lower than when he is in work but this does not necessarily mean you cut out hard feed altogether. Healing and recovering from illness or injury still requires essential nutrients so a balancer is particularly useful at these times to keep these nutrients going in but without the calories associated with a traditional mix or cube. Even during a period of paddock rest, a balancer, like Lo-Cal Balancer, should be fed or, if this is not possible, a molassed fully balanced vitamin and mineral lick.
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Feeding for Recovery
Products you may be interested in include:Performance Balancer
Lo-Cal balancerMy horse needs the calorie level of a competition feed but can be fizzy. What are my alternatives? ↓
Oat-based competition feeds provide a greater proportion of faster release energy sources for sparkle and energy but where a calmer approach is required, choosing a high energy cube, like Top Line Conditioning Cubes, is a good alternative. These are designed to be highly digestible and non-heating with levels of other nutrients to support performance to the highest levels.
For sharp or stressy horses, a low starch or reduced starch feed may be better. Ease & Excel and Ease & Excel Cubes are low starch, high specification feeds for horses working to the highest levels, while the high oil and high fibre contents of All-Round Endurance Mix or Slow Release Condition & Competition Mix are reduced starch options which provide slow release energy, quality protein, vitamins and minerals to support performance. You can also feed a mix or cube designed for a lower level of work, like Working Cubes or Keep Calm, but, because nutrient as well as calorie levels are lower in these feeds, the diet will need topping up with a balancer like, Performance Balancer.
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All About Energy
Matching diet to workload
Who’s Afraid of Starch?
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Top Line Conditioning Cubes
Slow Release Condition & Competition Mix
All-Round Endurance Mix
Ease & ExcelEase & Excel Cubes
Keep Calm
Performance Balancer
Outshine high oil supplementMy horse has got enough energy for his work and is fairly well covered but lacks muscle and top line. What should I do? ↓
Good quality dietary protein, alongside correct work, is essential for a strong, healthy physique and top line so it is possible that your horse’s diet is lacking in some way. This can happen if you are simply not feeding the recommended amount of your chosen mix or cube, even if it is designed to support harder work. Check the feeding recommendations on the bag and, if you are feeding less, increase the amount accordingly. If you feel this will provide too many calories, add a balancer like Performance Balancer instead to increase quality protein intake, without increasing energy intake.
Remember, it is the protein quality and not necessarily the quantity in the diet which is important. Feeds formulated for performance, especially those produced by reputable manufacturers will contain protein sources that provide essential amino acids, including those necessary for building muscle and other tissue. Cheaper or lower energy feeds, by definition, are likely to fall short on the sorts of nutrients required by a hard working horse.
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Optimum Competition Nutrition
Muscling Up for the Season Ahead
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Performance BalancerAre there any drawbacks to feeding straight oats to my competition horse? ↓
Oats were traditionally a staple component of working horses’ diets and are still very widely fed on the continent. Although they have a reputation for fizzing horses up, due to the fast release energy they provide from their starch content, they actually have the highest fibre and lowest energy contents of all the cereals used in horse’s diets! They are, however, lacking in essential nutrients and should be fed alongside a balancer which will provide these.
Where additional calories are required, Oat Balancer Mix is designed to provide these, as well as other nutrients, and the amount fed can be adjusted according to requirements or workload. Where oats and forage meet energy requirements, Performance Balancer will provide the other essential nutrients but no additional calories. Adding oats to a fully balanced mix or cube is not advisable as it unbalances the overall ration and a better option would be to choose an oat-based competition or racing mix.
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All About Energy
Ingredients
Or find out what goes into a Bag of Baileys?
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Oat Balancer Mix
Performance BalancerI limit my competition horses' forage intake as I don't want them carrying bulk. Does this have any implications for their well-being? ↓
In a nutshell, yes!! No matter what a horse’s job is, it is still designed to eat forage for 18 out of every 24 hours. As a result the stomach produces acid continuously to deal with a constant flow of fibre rich food and as the horse chews this, it produces saliva which is alkaline and therefore, buffers the acid. Sustained periods without forage leave the stomach empty and the lining exposed to acid which can result in ulcers, leading to a poor appetite, behavioural issues and impaired performance.
If “hay belly” is a concern, ensure your forage is soft, leafy and early-cut so that it is as digestible as possible and requires less time fermenting in the hind gut. All horses should ideally have access to forage “ad lib” to satisfy their physiological need to chew and to keep a healthy flow of fibre through the digestive system. Recent research has shown that the movement of the guts, as a horse gallops, helps the diaphragm draw air into and expel air from the lungs. If the guts are empty this effect is lessened which could affect performance
Find out about the The Digestive System
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Forage: All a Horse Needs?
