What Should I Feed My Competition Horse?

Fibre such as hay, haylage and grass should always form the majority of the diet and is vital for a healthy digestive system. Fibre also provides the horse with excellent levels of slow release energy.

What is the best feed for performance horses?

Feeds which are high (above 14%) in protein include alfalfa or clover, soybean meal, brewers’ grains and milk by-products. If a mature performance horse is fed alfalfa or clover hay, it will not need a protein supplement. The important electrolytes are potassium, sodium, chloride and calcium.

What is in competition mix for horses?

Competition Mix is blended from a mixture of cooked cereals and bruised oats, together with a concentrate pellet containing high quality vegetable protein sources and a full mineral and vitamin supplement. Important antioxidant levels (vitamin E & selenium) have been elevated to help optimise performance and recovery.

What is the best horse feed to feed a horse?

Roughage/Forage Roughage, found in hay or grass, is the bulk of the horse’s food. Grass or alfalfa hay, or a combination of the two, are good sources of roughage. Grass hay is generally higher in fiber and dry matter than alfalfa, but alfalfa may be higher in protein, energy, vitamins and calcium.

What should I feed my horse to gain muscle?

Using feeds with protein provided by soybeans, lupins, faba bean or canola meal will give your horse access to good quality sources of protein, which builds muscle. Feeds with one or more of these protein sources are best.

What do professional barrel racers feed their horses?

Liquid vegetable oil (corn and soybean oil), flax, and rice bran are several fat sources commonly utilized as energy sources for performance horses.

Is sweet feed good for performance horses?

Sweet feed is bad for horses—it’s nothing but sugar.”

What is the 20% rule horses?

The researchers found that an average adult light riding horse could comfortably carry about 20 percent of their ideal bodyweight. This result agrees with the value recommended by the Certified Horsemanship Association and the U.S. Cavalry Manuals of Horse Management published in 1920.

What does baking soda do for race horses?

Racing folklore says sodium bicarbonate milkshakes can boost racehorses’ endurance because the alkalinity of the baking soda helps counter the buildup of lactic acid in the blood when running.

What feed makes a horse shiny?

Cold pressed canola or soybean oil or any oils that have been fortified with omega fatty acids are particularly effective. Rice bran oil and coconut oil are also good for coats. If you use a complete feed, choose one that contains ingredients like full fat soybean, sunflower seeds, and cold pressed oils.

What not to feed your horse?

There are certain foods which you should certainly never feed to your horse.

• Chocolate.
• Persimmons.
• Avocado.
• Lawn Clippings.
• Fruit with Pips and Stones.
• Bread.
• Potatoes and Other Nightshades.
• Yogurt and Other Dairy Products.

How many bales of hay should a horse have a day?

A horse can eat anywhere from 15-25 pounds of hay a day, which generally equates to a half of a 45/50-pound square bale of hay per day (~15-30 bales per month).

What should a horse eat daily?

Horses are able to consume about 1.5 to 2% of their body weight in dry feed (feed that is 90% dry matter) each day. As a rule of thumb, allow 1.5 to 2 kg of feed per 100 kg of the horse’s body weight. However, it is safer to use 1.7% of body weight (or 1.7 kg per 100 kg of body weight) to calculate a feed budget.

How do you bulk up a horse?

What is the fastest way to put weight on a horse? High fat, high protein grain combined with a rich alfalfa hay can quickly put weight on a horse, if there is not an underlying medical condition.

What is the highest protein horse feed?

soybean meal
High quality protein includes legumes, young grass pastures, soybean meal, canola meal, and linseed meal. Soybean meal is rated the highest quality due to the amino acid profile being superior to most other plant products. Moderate to low quality protein include cereal grains.

How do you bulk up a skinny horse?

Allowing 24/7 access to pasture or hay (or as much forage as possible). If increased amounts of hay aren’t enough, try offering a higher quality hay such as alfalfa or an immature grass hay. Alfalfa tends to be higher in energy and protein and lower in sugar. Alfalfa can be fed as hay or as cubes/pellets.

What do Olympic horses eat?

Most Olympic horses eat grass hay and the Pacific Northwest produces arguably the best timothy hay in the world. KER has found that second cutting timothy has a desirable nutritional profile (10% protein, 34% ADF, 57% NDF) for performance horses and is extremely palatable.

What does Hailey Kinsel feed her horse?

Hailey said she has always fed her horses Purina^® Strategy^®.

How do you condition a horse for barrel racing?

Begin with low speed, long distance walking for 10 minutes each way and 20 minutes in total. Repeat three to four times per week. Trotting and loping can be added while varying the times and distances without risk of injury after 2 weeks. This exercise can be done riding or on a lunge line.

What foods give horses energy?

Fibre and oil provide slow release energy whereas sugars and starch provide quick release energy. For lazy horses where more sparkle is required, cereal grains are usually fed as they provide lots of starch and therefore quick release energy.

Is oats or sweet feed better for horses?

Oats are often considered a “perfect” food for horses, in that they have a good amount of calories per unit weight (about 3 mcal of energy per kg of oats), 11% protein, lower starch than other grains (about 40% starch, compared to almost 70% in corn) and good palatability.