Importance of Pre-Exercise Nutrition
Proper feeding before exercise ensures your horse has adequate energy stores (glycogen) for sustained performance. Key goals include topping up muscle glycogen, maintaining blood glucose levels, and ensuring hydration without causing digestive upset.
Feeding Timing Before Exercise
Feed a forage-based meal (hay or pasture) 3–4 hours before exercise to allow digestion and avoid colic. A small grain meal (0.5–1.5 kg for an average 500 kg horse) can be given 1–2 hours prior for additional energy, especially for high-intensity activities. Avoid large high-starch meals within 3 hours of work.
Pre-Exercise Meal Composition
- Forage: Provide hay or pasture to maintain gut fill and slow gastric emptying. Avoid lush pasture high in fructans (sugars) that can cause laminitis.
- Grains/Concentrates: Use low-starch options like oats (limit to 2 kg), barley, or commercial low-NSC feeds for horses prone to metabolic issues. For fat adaptation, add rice bran or vegetable oil (up to 1 cup).
- Electrolytes: If sweating is heavy, provide electrolytes in feed or water 1–2 hours before exercise. Ensure fresh water is available.
Post-Exercise Recovery Feeding
After exercise, the focus shifts to replenishing glycogen stores, repairing muscle tissue, and rehydrating. Provide a meal within 1–2 hours to maximize recovery.
Immediate Post-Exercise (0–30 min)
Offer fresh water immediately but limit to small sips to avoid colic (1–2 liters at a time). Provide hay or pasture to encourage rehydration and provide fiber. Avoid grain until horse has cooled down (heart rate < 60 bpm).
1–2 Hours Post-Exercise
Feed a balanced meal containing carbohydrates (to replenish glycogen), high-quality protein (for muscle repair), and fats (for sustained energy). Ideala: mix of alfalfa hay (high protein, calcium) and a grain-based concentrate with added fat. For example, 1–2 kg of a 12% protein feed plus 0.5 kg of beet pulp (for digestible fiber). Add electrolytes to food or water to replace losses.
Hydration
Horses can lose 10–15 L of sweat per hour. Weigh the horse post-exercise to assess fluid loss (1 kg weight loss = 1 L fluid loss). Provide unrestricted water once cooled down. Offer a salt block or add 30–60 g of table salt to feed daily if heavy sweating.
Feeding Frequency and Schedule
Horses are trickle feeders and should have access to forage 24/7. Multiple small meals (3–5 per day) are preferred over one large meal to prevent digestive issues. Example daily schedule for an average 500 kg horse in moderate work:
- 07:00: 2.5 kg hay + 1 kg concentrate
- 10:00: 2 kg hay
- 13:00: 2.5 kg hay + 1 kg concentrate
- 16:00: 2 kg hay
- 18:00 (post-exercise): hay + 0.5 kg beet pulp
- 22:00: 2 kg hay
Nutrient Requirements
| Nutrient | Function | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | Muscle repair, enzyme function | Alfalfa, soybean meal, linseed meal |
| Carbohydrates | Quick energy (simple sugars) and stored glycogen (starch) | Oats, corn, barley, beet pulp |
| Fats | Concentrated energy, improves stamina, reduces digestive heat | Rice bran, vegetable oil, flaxseed |
| Vitamins & Minerals | Physiological support (e.g., vitamin E for immune, calcium for bone) | Fortified feeds, salt, electrolytes, mineral blocks |
Foods to Avoid
- Moldy or dusty hay (respiratory issues, colic)
- High-sugar treats (e.g., bread, cookies) – can cause laminitis
- Acidic feeds (e.g., large amounts of molasses) – risk of colic
- Horse-feed specific: raw potato, avocado, rhubarb, lawn clippings (fermentation risk)
Supplements
Common beneficial supplements for performance horses include:
- Electrolytes: Replace sodium, chlorine, potassium lost in sweat.
- Vitamin E & Selenium: Antioxidant support for muscle integrity.
- Omega-3 fatty acids: Reduce inflammation, from flaxseed or fish oil.
- MSM or glucosamine: Joint support for older or heavily worked horses.
- Probiotics: Improve hindgut digestion and reduce colic risk.
Feeding by Age, Work Intensity, and Body Condition
Young horses: Higher protein (14–16%) for growth, calcium for bone development (Ca:P ratio 2:1). Feed 3–4 times daily.
Light work: 1.5–2% body weight in forage daily + concentrates as needed for energy. Example: 500 kg horse gets 7.5–10 kg hay plus 2–3 kg grain.
Moderate–heavy work: Increase concentrates (up to 50% of diet) and add fats. Example: for endurance, 4 kg grain, 1 kg oil, and free-choice hay.
Senior horses: Use easily digestible feeds like beet pulp, soaked hay cubes, and senior feeds with lower starch (safely for teeth issues). May need additional protein (14–16%) and fat.
Overweight/ID horses: Limit concentrates, provide low-NSC hay (soaked to reduce sugar), avoid pasture. Use weight management feeds with high fiber and fat.
Signs of Healthy vs. Poor Diet
Healthy diet signs: shiny coat, bright eyes, good muscle tone, steady weight, well-formed manure (golden/brown, formed but soft), calm demeanor, and willingness to work.
Poor diet signs: dull coat, weight loss/gain, lethargy, colic episodes, loose or dry manure, excessive gas, poor performance, muscle tying-up (exertional rhabdomyolysis), laminitis symptoms (heat in hooves, reluctance to move).