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Reviewed August 2009
Agdex 460/50-5Feeding Working and Performance
HorsesThe horse is an incredible athlete, excelling at both maximal sprinting, such as racing or rodeo events, and low-intensity, long duration activities, such as a
160-km endurance ride.Whether your horses are competing at top levels or just being used for the occasional trail ride, they must be fed
adequately to ensure optimal health and performance.Exercise increases nutrient needsAll horses need the major nutrients:
By far, the most important nutrient affected by exercise is energy, or the
calorie content of the diet. Muscles
require energy to contract. The harder or
longer the horse is working, the more calories the muscles
are burning, and therefore, the more energy is needed in
the diet.The fuels used by muscles during exercise ultimately originate from the diet; therefore, the energy content of
the diet must increase to meet these needs. Muscles rely
primarily on stored carbohydrates (blood glucose and
muscle glycogen) and fats (stored under the skin or in
muscle) to fuel contraction during exercise.Protein can also be used as an energy source, but it is very
inefficient and doesn™t contribute greatly as a fuel for
muscle contraction. Therefore, while dietary protein needs
increase with an increased level of activity, the Working horses
must be fed adequately to ensure optimal health and performanceadditional feed intake required to supply the necessary
energy will usually supply the additional protein needed.Exercising horses also need slightly higher levels of vitamins and minerals in their diet. Special attention
should be paid to meeting the calcium and phosphorus
needs of young horses just beginning training because
they are still growing. In addition, hays and grains grown
in Alberta are low in the trace minerals zinc, copper and
manganese and will likely need to be supplemented in the
diets of all horses. And, depending on the area, selenium may be deficient in feeds.Feeding high quality feeds will provide
the majority of the vitamins and minerals
needed by active horses, especially if
using a commercial grain mix that has
these nutrients added. When feeding
plain grains, such as whole oats, vitamins
and minerals can be added by including
a 1:1 livestock mineral or other suitable
vitamin/mineral supplement.Be careful not to over-supplement vitamins and minerals. Excess vitamins
and minerals are not only a waste
of money, but they may also create problems by upsetting the balance of other nutrients in the
diet or by causing toxicity.An adequate source of salt is critical to working horses because horses lose salt in sweat during exercise. For
horses performing light work, free access to a salt block
works well. Horses performing moderate to heavy work
may need to have additional loose salt top-dressed on
their grain ration.In cool to moderate temperatures, the horse will need at least 2 to 3 oz (56 to 85 g) of salt per day. In the warmer
summer months, 4 to 6 oz (112 to 170 g) of salt per day, or
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