Reining is an equestrian discipline imported from the United States. Far from the so-called “classical” horsemanship, reining consists in carrying out courses at the gallop (slow or fast) and specific exercises, with the least possible aids. In this discipline, the quarter horse is the king horse because it is robust, agile and very fast. For all these reasons, it requires a horse feed adapted to the important efforts required by this discipline.
The characteristics of reining
To understand the diet of the reining horse, it is first necessary to understand what this activity consists of. Among the main figures of the discipline are the famous “sliding stop”, the 360° turns on the hindquarters (“spin”), the half-turn and immediate gallop (“roll back”), etc. All these figures require intense and discontinuous muscular effort. All these figures require an intense and discontinuous muscular effort. This is the reason why the quarter horse is often chosen, even if we also find Paint horses and Appaloosas in this discipline. Moreover, the quarter horse is the horse breed with the largest number of registered equines in the world. This proves its versatility and the popularity of this breed.
Feeding requirements for reining horses
As with jumping competitions, reining requires a quick supply of energy and mineral and vitamin supplements through concentrated horse feeds. The reining horse’s diet should not contain too much protein or extra fat (unlike endurance horses, for example). In addition to concentrates, he should also receive at least 7 kilos of hay per day. The reining horse should also have its needs in vitamins and trace elements covered by its daily ration.
The ideal reining horse feed
In addition to hay, which is the basis of any horse’s diet, the reining horse is a true high-level athlete who will need a balanced ration of concentrates. He will need, among other things, energy, vitamins, prebiotics for his digestive safety, antioxidants, omega 3 and 6, etc. For this purpose, Royal Horse has developed a horse food entirely adapted to sport horses, which contains exactly all these ingredients. The S250 horse feed, presented in the form of flakes, without oats, with a limited supply of starch ideal for the horse’s stomach. It also avoids excessive nervousness, as black oats are a source of excitement for some horses. The prebiotics present in this feed for sport horses also guarantee good digestive hygiene and the optimized contribution of vitamin E and organic selenium protect the muscle cells during exercise. Royal Horse’s H350, which is richer in energy, is also available in the form of flakes and contains the ideal recipe for high-level reining horses, with, among other things, an optimized ratio of omega 3 and 6 and a supplementation of L-Carnitine, an essential nutrient for effort.
Good horse nutrition is one of the key factors of success in any equestrian discipline. It is therefore very important to understand the energy needs of your horse in order to adapt its ration as close as possible to its physiology and the effort that will be required. Do not hesitate to ask your veterinarian for advice or to download the Royal Horse application in order to calculate the ideal ration for your reining horse according to its weight.
