Nutrition Articles

Can nutrition give horses that "first class" travel experience?

While transporting horses by road to the local racecourse or by air to another part of the world is now a routine affair, the end result can still be stressful enough to have a detrimental effect on a horse’s health and performance on the racetrack.

Mycotoxins – Health Issue for Racehorses or Simply Hype?

 Ten years ago, mycotoxins were probably unheard of in the racing community. Recently, however, awareness has increased and it is not unusual for racing yards to be advised that they may have an issue with mycotoxicosis that is likely to have a negative impact on their horses’ health and performance. 

Tying up some loose ends on rhabdomyolysis - can nutrition help treat or prevent tying up?

A horse with raised muscle enzymes is always a cause for concern for trainers, whether it is a single isolated incident or a regular occurrence. When present at a high level in blood, the muscle enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) usually indicate muscle damage.

Economics of Feeding Horses in Training

While economic efficiency within any business is important to maintain profitability, there has been a particular focus on cost saving recently within the racing industry as a result of the underlying economic climate.

Will hemp change the way we feed horses?

Hemp has been synonymous with horse bedding for many years, as its fibrous properties give these products good cushioning and absorptive properties.

Digestive Aids - what is available to racehorses?

Horses in training are susceptible to a number of digestive problems, such as gastric ulcers, colitis and colic. Although less severe, chronic loose droppings, which may be associated with a failure to thrive, are also fairly common.

Feeding to Support Immunity in racehorses

The immune system in horses is complex and relies upon many functional elements to deliver a comprehensive defence against infection and disease.    Foals are born with some natural immunity, which passes from mare to foal during gestation.

Picky Eaters - a common problem in horses in training

Poor appetite in horses in training is not uncommon, whether this is a transient problem following racing, or, more regularly, during training in particular horses. In some situations, ‘failure to clean up’ may simply be explained by horses being offered more feed than they require and so they are being overfed, whilst in other instances, where it is accompanied with poor condition, the causes may be more complicated. Certainly, physiological mechanisms exist in horses to match energy and nutrient intake to daily requirements and these systems form the basis for self regulation of feed intake in horses in the wild or at grass. 

Amino Acid Supplements - the important element of protein

The background

Horses in training are traditionally fed a diet that is high in protein, but it is the amino acid content of the protein-rich ingredients that is the important component, as horses have a requirement for amino acids and not intact protein per se. Amino acids are the basic unit or building blocks for protein that is needed for the growth and repair of all tissues in the body, from skeletal muscle to hoof horn. Amino acids are also needed for the synthesis of enzymes, some hormones and neurotransmitters that are involved in numerous metabolic pathways essential to effective exercise performance.

The role vitamins play in the diet of a racehorse

Vitamins are a key part of the diet for racehorses and although the clinical signs associated with an overt deficiency or excess of one vitamin or another are rare, we should not presume that the level of vitamins provided in the diet is optimised for performance. Horses are, generally speaking, quite tolerant of sub-clinical deficiency or excess with regards to vitamins, and the margin of acceptable intake to prevent health issues is therefore relatively wide in most cases. However, maintenance of health is a separate issue compared to optimal performance, which is the ultimate target for horses in training.

KER Nutrition Conference - management of gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases

Kentucky Equine Research (KER) has maintained a prominent international presence in the nutrition research community for the past 20 years. Research trials have been conducted at the company’s research farm since the late 1980s, and results of this research have been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and proceedings of scientific conferences. More importantly, findings from these studies have been put to use in the formulation of feeds for KER’s global network of feed manufacturers. The KER Nutrition Conference, held on the 16th and 17th of April in Lexington, Kentucky was attended by 130 guests, including feed manufacturers, sales representatives, veterinarians, nutritionists, and academics from 16 countries. This year’s conference focused on the management of gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases.

Feed Contaminants - how big a risk are they?

For all professionals associated with the training and competition of horses under the rules and regulations of racing the choice of which feed products to use has never been greater, and the range appears to grow on a daily basis. This is especially true of the plethora of dietary supplements (otherwise known officially as complementary feeds) available.

Oiling the Wheels - using oil as a supplement in the diet of racehorses

Historically, oil has not featured highly in the diets of horses in training, or indeed those of other horses.
The natural oil content of pasture and other forages is quite low at between 2-3% on a dry matter basis, yet despite this, horses digest oil extremely well. Oil added to the racehorses’ diet is tolerated well, with no major palatability problems having been reported.

Racing power - supporting muscular effort through nutrition

The powerhouse for a horse in training is found in its large muscle mass. Whilst genetic makeup within the Thoroughbred breed has a large impact on a horse’s innate racing ability, dietary factors will also influence subsequent performance. There are many elements found in a racehorse’s diet that will help to support muscle function. Hydrolysable carbohydrate (sugar and starch), assisted by fermentable fibre, will help to maintain important muscle stores of glycogen (a carbohydrate fuel).  Dietary electrolytes, which are integrally involved in muscle contraction, are essential to offset electrolyte loss in sweat. Key dietary antioxidants such as vitamins E and C and also antioxidant co-factors, such as copper, manganese, zinc and selenium, are also important as part of the body’s antioxidant team which strives to reduce the formation of free radicals or reactive oxygen species, and to limit their damaging effects on the body.  Free radical damage has previously been implicated in the process of exercise induced muscle damage.

Forage - so much more than just a filler

Too often thought of as just a ‘filler’, or occupational therapy to while away the time between hard feeds, forage is worth so much more than that.  Simply feeding an inadequate quantity of forage, or choosing forage that has an inappropriate nutrient profile, or is of poor quality can have a negative impact both on health and performance in racehorses.

Nutritional ergogenic aids for horses

No doubt we are all aware of the plethora of dietary supplements that are now available and that are promoted as offering clear and profound benefits to our horses’ health, general well being and performance. In the latter category are the so-called ergogenic aids. So what are they, and do they work?  These are the questions that this article aims to address.

Feeding during early training - how to minimise problems

Most of the current crop of 2yo’s will now have been broken and are in the early stages of training proper in readiness for the forthcoming flat racing season.  This period brings with it numerous problems for trainers and their staff, such as horses with high muscle enzymes, episodes of tying up, respiratory infections, various lamenesses and other skeletal problems or simply over exuberance.  Whilst such issues have many contributory factors, a good basal diet, with carefully selected extras can help to minimise some of these niggling problems.

Nutritional Support for Bone - maintaining a strong skeleton

The expression ‘no foot no horse’ should perhaps be extended to cover all the bones of the skeleton, for as far as racehorses are concerned, without strength and durability in this area a trainer’s job is fraught with difficulties.

Time for a re-think? Why do we deny a horse water and fibre before a race?

Removal of fibre and water intake before a race are supposed to enhance performance in Race Horses… Surely this is not sound practice, let alone science.

No sensible, modern day athlete would go out of their way to cause discomfort in their digestive system and thereby reduce performance, let alone remove hydration.

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome

Vets and other professionals recognise that gastrointestinal function and health in horses exists in a finely balanced state.  Most conditions relating to the intestinal tract, for example colic and diarrhoea are well understood and are most commonly treated either medically or surgically.  There has been, however, less appreciation of how frequently the health of a horse’s stomach can be compromised.  The true prevalence of equine stomach lesions (gastric ulcers) was recognised only with the introduction of gastric endoscopy. 

Electrolyte Balance – vital to the proper functioning of a racehorse's system

Electrolytes are essential components of the racehorse’s diet as they are vital to the proper functioning of the body’s basic physiological processes, such as nerve conduction, muscle contraction, fluid balance and skeletal integrity.

The role of protein in the racehorse's diet

Dietary protein is probably one of the most talked about elements of a racehorses’ diet, which is unfortunately ill deserved.  Whilst the level of protein in the diet is important for tissue growth and repair, it is probably the least important source of energy to the athletic horse when compared to starch, fibre and oil.

Digestion Development - how modern feeding practices affect the natural digestive system

Previous articles in Trainer have looked at how the horse, regardless of what he has been developed to do, remains the nomadic, trickle feeding animal that nature designed him to be. We have also examined how modern diet and management, combined with the physical and mental stress imposed on the competition and racing animal are contributory factors in a variety of problems, including ‘stereotypy’ behaviour such as cribbing and windsucking, and the perennial problem of ulcers and colic.