Several factors are considered to determine the diet of an “athlete” horse, the one who is asked to make a precise, sustained, and intense effort over a determined period and for a clearly defined objective. Assessing the nature of the effort made by the horse remains one of the essential criteria for successful training and achieving the desired results. Just as for high level human athletes, there are now scientific parameters to measure the physical aptitude of a horse for effort. These include heart rate during exercise and the measurement of substances present in the blood, lactates, whose level indicates recovery from exercise and the horse’s good form. There are also treadmills that make it possible to recreate a programmed and reproducible effort. This medical-sporting approach should be set up with your veterinarian. But, in general, we notice that it is more according to the different sports disciplines that a hierarchy of the intensity of the effort is made with often errors of appreciation prejudicial to the good conduct of the training and the expected results. Dietetics adapted to the horse athlete aims to optimize performance but is always dependent on the genetic potential and training of the horse.
The 4 key criteria for a competition horse
Four links are essential and closely linked. They form a chain that will only be as strong as each of them and as weak as one of these links, if neglected: genetics, training, nutrition, and medical care.
The genetics of the competition horse
For a very long time, man has selected horses according to his sporting objectives and choices, after having noticed that not all horses have the same physical aptitudes. He has therefore chosen certain specific breeds of horses for specific sports disciplines and has constantly tried to improve them.
Therefore, English Thoroughbreds and Trotters are the most famous in speed races and Arabian horses are the stars of endurance races.
Indeed, these quite different horses do not have the same types of muscle fibers. Their contractions are more or less rapid, their oxygenation levels (aerobic, anaerobic) and their sugar (carbohydrate) burning modes are very different. Moreover, these different horses do not have the same feed efficiency and it is important to take this into account (possible variations of 20 to 25%).
The training of the competition horse
The aim of training is to bring out the individual capacities of the horses in relation to the effort required. This training is essential, because it prepares the horse according to a precise program always in connection with a precise objective. This is the art of the trainer’s profession and that of the competition rider.
It is also important to consider the psychological parameters, i.e., the mental preparation of the horse and of course that of the rider. We notice more that great C.S.O. riders, for example, do not hesitate to take their Grand Prix horses outside, in the countryside or in the forest, for a trotting or a walk, which is beneficial to the horse’s morale. Very often, this parameter of mental comfort of the horses is not really taken into consideration and it is unfortunately at the expense of the desired results.
Feeding the competition horse
Food is the essential fuel for the horse’s metabolism. Feed is chosen according to specific criteria such as the energy defined by the horse’s forage units (C.F.U.), the horse’s digestible nitrogenous matter (C.D.N.M.), the fat content, which determines the energy level of the feed, and the percentage of cellulose, which represents the constituents of the plant cell walls, fibers that are essential to digestive hygiene. Fiber requirements are 15 to 18% of the total daily ration (fodder + balanced feed) without forgetting minerals and trace elements. This information appears on the labels and/or on the bags of balanced feeds. They are subject to extremely strict regulations, regularly reviewed and harmonized at the European level. Its application is permanently checked by the General Directorate of Competition, Consumption and Repression of Practices. In France, there is a club, the C.N.E.F., which groups together most of the major brands of horse feed that have committed to respecting a quality charter and a code of good conduct.
The medical follow-up of the competition horse
One of the parameters of sporting success that cannot be ignored, as we mentioned at the beginning, is the medical-sportive follow-up carried out by the veterinarian. It allows the establishment of deworming programs, prophylaxis (vaccines), teeth monitoring and stress tests that will give the horses the best chance of succeeding in their sporting career.
A diet adapted to the specific needs of the competition horse
Disciplines such as endurance, eventing, gallop, flat, steeplechase and trotting races represent efforts that should be considered as intense.
On the other hand, C.S.O. (show jumping) events are not events that, in relation to the duration in time, should be considered as intense for a 500 kg French-Saddle type horse.
Feeding needs of the S.F. horse (jumping)
First, it should be remembered that the horse is a monogastric herbivore and that its fiber needs are important for its digestive transit to be done correctly, this parameter is essential to choose an adapted food.
In nature, given the small capacity of its stomach (15 liters), the horse spends about 16 hours a day eating. Therefore, for the C.S.O. horse that stays a large part of the day in the stall, it is essential to offer at least 5 kg of meadow hay per day as a supplement to balanced feed. This supply of fodder will be beneficial for the chewing, thus the salivation and the mental relaxation. It will also be essential to avoid colic (intestinal spasms) and digestive disorders. He will be occupied 40 minutes by a kilo of hay and only 10 minutes by a kilo of concentrated feed! An analysis of the hay is useful to know its real value.
The particularity of the C.S.O. tests is that they are intense, but also extremely fast. The horse must receive rapidly available energy and a mineral and vitamin supplementation provided by balanced feed. Care must also be taken to avoid any exaggeration of protein intake. The muscle fibers of C.S.O. horses have very rapid contractions that are favorable to power efforts and long sprints. There is no need to increase fat rations as in endurance or racing, because the events are short, and the horses do not have time to use muscle glycogen (fuel). Balanced feeds with 2-3% vegetable fat are ideal.
The energy level of the feed should be between 0.75 and 0.90 F.U. and the total protein percentage between 11 and 12% per kilo gross. For horses on straw bedding, the ration in addition to hay should be about 5 to 7 kg of balanced feed.
The total dry matter intake (organic matter + mineral matter + water) will be 11 to 12 kg per day. The need for dry matter is often underestimated and a deficit in dry matter leads to severe colic (intestinal spasms) and veterinary intervention. Therefore, for horses on artificial bedding, the hay ration must be increased to 7 kilos per day. We thus obtain: 7 kg of hay + 6 kg of feed = 13 kg of raw material x 88 % of dry matter = 11.44 kg of dry matter. This daily ration should cover 7.5 to 8 U.F.C. for horses that work between 1 and 1.5 hours (16,500 kcal to 17,600 kcal in net energy).
Daily protein intake should be between 500 and 700 g of D.N.A. (digestible nitrogenous matter horse). The quality of the protein is linked to its composition in amino acids (basic elements of proteins) and is much more important than its quantity. Excess protein is particularly harmful to the health of the horse. They lead to fermentation in the large intestine with an overproduction of ammonia, amines, and toxins. These excesses lead to the development of pathogenic (harmful) flora in the large intestine with numerous consequences: enterotoxaemia, liver problems, weight loss, kidney problems, poor recovery during exercise, excessive sweating, skin problems, colic, and fur (inflammation of the foot tissue).
It is advisable to avoid feeding any protein-rich raw materials: soya, alfalfa, peas, peanuts, etc., and to ensure that only horse feeds suitable for the sport are distributed. The appearance of the droppings is an excellent indicator of digestion for all horses, and it is important to inspect them regularly. Indeed, soft, dark, and smelly droppings will indicate an excess of proteins in the ration. Soft but light-colored droppings will reflect an excess of starch, i.e., cereals.
Mineral and trace element requirements are normally covered by balanced feed. However, care should be taken not to give supplements in an irrational way, as this will only result in an unbalanced ration and the risk of serious health problems.
Feed requirements of endurance horses
Their fiber requirements are different from those of C.S.O. horses. To avoid stasis colic (slowing down of the droppings in the digestive tract), it is preferable to limit the hay intake to 3 to 5 kg per day, during intense work. Protein requirements will be adapted to their weight, which is lower (350 to 450 kg), i.e., 500 to 600 g of M.A.D.C. per day.
Endurance foods should be around 13% crude protein per gross kilo. Sweating during exercise contributes to a loss of 10 g of protein per liter of sweat. In hot and humid weather, horses can lose up to 8 % of their weight in water (30 to 40 liters). The major difference in rationing is the addition of vegetable fat, which provides the horse with essential concentrated energy. This concentrated energy supply avoids the need to multiply the number of meals and prevents intestinal overload. Manufacturing processes such as extrusion, expansion and flaking facilitate this concentration of energy in a small volume.
Specific endurance feeds should contain a minimum of 7 % fat up to a maximum of 10 to 11 % per kilo gross weight. This fat content is particularly recommended for long-duration efforts. It provides the essential fatty acids that the horse cannot synthesize and allows the horse to save liver glycogen (risk of hypoglycemia) and muscle glycogen (muscle fuel), which is essential for long efforts to avoid cramps and laminitis.
The contribution in vitamins is essential to the metabolism of fatty acids. It will be reinforced in balanced foods, especially for vitamins A, D, K and especially E. No additional distribution should be made without the advice of the veterinarian and the nutritionist. Minerals such as sodium chloride, calcium and magnesium will be reinforced in relation to muscle work.
Before the races (3 to 4 weeks), it is essential to prepare the endurance horse for its ration in relation to its training. An intake of 7.5 to 8 CFU per day is necessary. The intake of trace elements should be reinforced, particularly iron, copper, zinc, iodine, and selenium. These will be correctly dosed and provided by the special endurance feed.
A fundamental difference compared to C.S.O. horses consist in ensuring the supply of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, chlorine, calcium, and magnesium. These are lost in sweat, especially in hot and humid weather (up to 8% of the horse’s weight). A deficit would lead to fatigue, cramps, tetanus, involuntary muscle contractions and loss of appetite.
Some specific feeds propose to feed horses with concentrated energy while providing electrolytes. This is an interesting approach because dehydrated horses do not drink easily, and conventional electrolytes are distributed in the drinking water.
The racehorse runs over distances of 1500 to 3000 meters. For these distances, which are close to a long sprint effort, feed rations are needed that allow for specific nutrition of fast twitch fibers, thus making greater use of sugars (cereals) that are reworked and stored by the body in the form of glycogen (Royal Horse).
The needs of racehorses and eventers
Racehorses are fed with raw materials such as oats and barley and hay that are particularly rich in proteins.
The weight of tradition is important and awareness of mediocre performance due to an unbalanced diet is still not widespread. It is interesting to note, however, that performance in terms of speed has hardly changed since the beginning of the century, while human performance has improved over the same period.
The parameters which, for human athletes, have allowed these evolutions are perfectly identifiable: training, medicine, and nutrition. For racehorses, genetics also plays a role, but the weakest link has been nutrition, still based on oats and barley. We note that many so-called “nutritional” supplements are distributed in an irrational way and, as a result, their effectiveness remains very uncertain, not to mention the harmful nutritional imbalances and the cost they cause.
In fact, excessive iron intake accelerates the “wear and tear” of vitamin E, which is essential for the integrity of muscle cells; the assimilation of zinc and copper is disrupted, which has the effect of hindering bone and hemoglobin production. At high doses of iron, muscle damage can occur with liver degeneration, as the horse has no way to eliminate the excess iron. Excess vitamin K is also dangerous for the kidneys. On the other hand, an overdose of vitamin E will have no effect on athletic performance, nor will an excess of B vitamins.
Races and eventing are efforts that require, as in endurance, an intake of vegetable fats. These intakes, slightly lower than in endurance feed formulas, should nevertheless be around 6 to 7 % per kilo of raw feed. This will allow the horse to save glycogen and avoid tendon or bone damage, cramps, and a reduction in sporting ability.
As for endurance, specific feeds for racehorses will provide reinforced but correctly dosed levels of certain vitamins (A, D, K, E, Bl, B2, B6, BC, B12 and choline) and trace elements.
The intake of minerals such as sodium chloride, calcium and magnesium are also reinforced in the specific feed for the horse athlete to improve his resistance to fatigue, reduce joint pain, skeletal fragility, and tendon laxity.
The total daily energy intake will be 7 to 8 CFU for trotters (depending on the effort) and 8 to 9 CFU for gallopers. This amount of energy considers a daily intake of 5 kg of hay for horses on straw bedding and 7 to 8 kg for horses on artificial bedding.
The M.A.D.C. intake will be 550 g to 750 g maximum per day. For thoroughbred horses, the energy intake will be 8 F.U. for horses weighing 500 to 600 kg and the digestible proteins (M.A.D.C.) 550 to 650 g per day. The quantities of hay are defined on the same basis as for the gallop and trot. Rations should be based on the overall training program and should not be adjusted only a few days before, which would not be beneficial to the expected results.
Several brands of specialized foods also offer products enriched with probiotics, fermented preparations, yeast, and clays. They allow to regulate the digestive transit of the intestinal flora, to stimulate the intestinal and general immunity and to oppose the development of a harmful flora (pathogenic). These products are used in various sports disciplines but are also adapted to the various physiological stages of horses (growth, gestation, lactation).
If phytotherapy can be useful, it is however necessary to verify that certain plants do not cause harmful interactions or can be classified as doping substances.
In any case, for athletic horses, it is essential that no feed be given 3 to 4 hours before a race, but a small amount of hay should be left available to keep the digestive system functioning.
A great principle of nutrition is that it is all about “balance”. Consulting with a veterinarian and a nutrition technician can prevent health problems for horses and many unnecessary expenses.
For a diet perfectly adapted to the needs of your competition horse, discover the H-250, H-350, C-500 and C-600 products from Royal Horse!
For more information: Performance of the competition horse