Feeding Working and Performance Horses

Transcription

1 Reviewe August 2009 Agex 460/50-5 Feeing Working n Performne Horses The horse is n inreile thlete, exelling t oth mximl sprinting, suh s ring or roeo events, n low-intensity, long urtion tivities, suh s 160-km enurne rie. Whether your horses re ompeting t top levels or just eing use for the osionl tril rie, they must e fe equtely to ensure optiml helth n performne. Exerise inreses nutrient nees All horses nee the mjor nutrients: energy protein minerls vitmins wter By fr, the most importnt nutrient ffete y exerise is energy, or the lorie ontent of the iet. Musles require energy to ontrt. The hrer or longer the horse is working, the more lories the musles re urning, n therefore, the more energy is neee in the iet. The fuels use y musles uring exerise ultimtely originte from the iet; therefore, the energy ontent of the iet must inrese to meet these nees. Musles rely primrily on store rohyrtes (loo gluose n musle glyogen) n fts (store uner the skin or in musle) to fuel ontrtion uring exerise. Protein n lso e use s n energy soure, ut it is very ineffiient n oesn t ontriute gretly s fuel for musle ontrtion. Therefore, while ietry protein nees inrese with n inrese level of tivity, the Working horses must e fe equtely to ensure optiml helth n performne itionl fee intke require to supply the neessry energy will usully supply the itionl protein neee. Exerising horses lso nee slightly higher levels of vitmins n minerls in their iet. Speil ttention shoul e pi to meeting the lium n phosphorus nees of young horses just eginning trining euse they re still growing. In ition, hys n grins grown in Alert re low in the tre minerls zin, opper n mngnese n will likely nee to e supplemente in the iets of ll horses. An, epening on the re, selenium my e efiient in fees. Feeing high qulity fees will provie the mjority of the vitmins n minerls neee y tive horses, espeilly if using ommeril grin mix tht hs these nutrients e. When feeing plin grins, suh s whole ots, vitmins n minerls n e e y inluing 1:1 livestok minerl or other suitle vitmin/minerl supplement. Be reful not to over-supplement vitmins n minerls. Exess vitmins n minerls re not only wste of money, ut they my lso rete prolems y upsetting the lne of other nutrients in the iet or y using toxiity. An equte soure of slt is ritil to working horses euse horses lose slt in swet uring exerise. For horses performing light work, free ess to slt lok works well. Horses performing moerte to hevy work my nee to hve itionl loose slt top-resse on their grin rtion. In ool to moerte tempertures, the horse will nee t lest 2 to 3 oz (56 to 85 g) of slt per y. In the wrmer summer months, 4 to 6 oz (112 to 170 g) of slt per y, or more, my e neee to reple hevier swet losses.

2 Tle 1. Minimum nutrient onentrtions neee in iets of working horses Horse Mture Horses Energy Ml/l (Ml/kg) Protein % Clium % Phosphorus % Ile 0.90 (2.00) Light work 1.15 (2.45) Moerte work 1.20 (2.65) Intense work 1.30 (2.85) Young horses in trining Long yerling 1.20 (2.65) yer-ol 1.20 (2.65) Vlues re presente on 100% ry mtter sis; tle vlues re the onentrtions neee in the totl iet. Light work = plesure riing, tril riing, equittion (prtie of horsemnship). Moerte work = roping, utting, reining, jumping. Intense work = re trining, eventing, polo, enurne. The minimum nutrient onentrtions neee y mture working horses n young horses entering trining re presente in Tle 1. The onentrtions of nutrients neee re shown s perentge of the totl iet. Fees for the tive horse When esigning your feeing progrm, rememer tht goo qulity forges shoul form the sis of the rtion for ALL horses. Goo qulity forge in the form of hy or psture provies energy, protein, vitmins n minerls. With goo qulity forges, less supplementtion is neee to omplete the iet. Alflf hys re usully higher in igestile energy, protein n lium thn grss hys, suh s rome, timothy or orhr grss (Tle 2). The protein n energy ontents of mixe lflf/grss hys re usully intermeite etween plin lflf n grss hys. The nutrient ontent of hys is strongly influene y the stge of growth t whih it ws ut. As growing forge mtures in the fiel, protein n energy ontent my erese y more thn 40 per ent. To optimize the nutritionl qulity of hys fe to horses, grsses shoul e ut efore the he goes to see, n lflf shoul e ut t first flower. Tle 2. Averge nutrient ompostion of fees grown in Alert * Digestile Energy Ml/l (Ml/kg) Protein % Fire (ADF) % Clium % Phosphorus % Alflf hy 1.11 (2.45) Mix lflf/grss hy 1.09 (2.39( Grss hy Timothy, Orhr grss, Brome, Pririe wool, et (1.93) Ots 1.60 (3.53) Brley 1.69 (3.73) Corn 1.75 (3.84) Oil 4.09 (9.00) * Vlues re presente on 100% ry mtter sis. 2

3 Depening on the level of tivity, mny horses will e unle to onsume enough fee to meet their energy nees from forge lone. Grins ontin 25 to 75 per ent more energy per poun (or kg) thn hys. While most grins ontin reltively similr protein ontent, they iffer gretly in their energy ontent. By weight, orn ontins 15 per ent more energy n rley ontins 10 per ent more energy thn ots (Tle 2). Therefore, smller volume of orn or rley woul e fe ompre to ots. This sitution illustrtes why it is importnt to fee y weight, rther thn y volume. Commeril grin mixes offer onveniene y inorporting itionl vitmins n minerls into the grin mix to rete lne rtion. When ommeril grin mixes re use, they shoul e selete to omplement the forge eing fe. For mture working horses, 10 per ent protein grin mix shoul e use with lflf hy. A 12 per ent protein mix works well with mixe grss/lflf hys n goo qulity (erly- to mimturity) grss hys. Feeing mture, lte-loom grss hy requires 14 per ent protein grin mix to meet the requirements of working horses. A ietry ft soure, suh s orn oil or nol oil, n lso e fe to inrese the energy ensity of the iet. Vegetle oils ontin lmost three times the energy of ots (Tle 2). In other wors, one up of oil hs the sme numer of lories s out 1.5 pouns (0.7 kg) of ots. For horses reeiving lrge quntities of grin (5 pouns (2.2 kg) or more), sustituting portion of the grin rtion with oil lso hs the enefit of reuing the mount of strh in the iet. Too muh strh from grins n overlo the horse s hingut, inresing the risk of oli or lminitis. For most ult light-ree horses, 2 ups of oil per y is the mximum mount tht shoul e inlue in the iet. Tle. 3. Exmples of feeing progrms for 1,100 l (500 kg) horses in light work Fee Rtion 1 Rtion 2 Rtion 3 Alflf/grss hy 20 ls (9 kg) 14 ls (6.5 kg) Grss hy 16 ls (7.25 kg) Ots 3-4 ls (1.75 kg) 12 % grin mix 3-4 ls (1.75 kg) 18:18 minerl Light work = plesure riing, tril riing, equittion. Commeril grin mix with 12% protein; lthough most ommeril grin mixes re fortifie with minerls n vitmins, you my nee to supplement itionl vitmins n minerls (the livestok minerl in this exmple) if you o not fee the minimum reommene levels of the ommeril grin mix (typilly 5 ls (2.2 kg) or more per y). 1:1 livestok minerl (18% lium, 18% phosphorus). Tre-minerlize slt (with ioine). Feeing horses in moerte work Moerte work inlues rrel ring, rnh work, tem penning, utting n jumping, mongst other tivities. Some horses in moerte work my e le to mintin goo oy onition with hy lone, while others my not e ple of eting the lrge mounts of hy neee to meet their inrese energy requirements (Tle 4). For most horses in moerte work, grin will hve to e e to the iet to provie equte levels of energy (Tle 4). TM slt free hoie free hoie free hoie Feeing horses in light work Horses rien for plesure or tril riing three to five times week re onsiere to e horses in light work. You n often meet the itionl nutrient requirements of horses in light work y simply inresing the mount of goo qulity hy you fee, without ing grin to the iet (Tle 3). Alterntively, some horses my o etter with smll mount of grin e to the iet (Tle 3). Feeing horses in intense work Horses ompeting in Qurter horse, Thoroughre or Stnrre ring, enurne riing, or polo re performing intense work. These hr-working horses usully require lrge mounts of grin to meet inrese energy nees (Tle 5). A ietry ft soure shoul e onsiere for horses in intense work. Sustituting some of the grin with vegetle oil (orn, nol, soy, et.) n reue the mount of grin require, therey eresing the risk of oli n lminitis ssoite with high-grin iets. 3

4 Tle 4. Exmples of feeing progrms for 1,100 l (500 kg) horses in moerte work Fee Rtion 1 Rtion 2 Rtion 3 Alflf/grss hy 25 ls (11 kg) ls (7-8 kg) Grss hy 18 ls (8.25 kg) Ots 5-7 ls (2-3 kg) 12 % grin mix 5-7 ls (2-3 kg) 18:18 minerl When to fee efore riing Feeing mngement is lso importnt for tive horses euse wht n when you fee n influene performne. The est time to fee full mel of grin efore riing is t lest 4 hours efore exerise (Tle 6). Bloo gluose n insulin inrese when the horse ets grin. Horses tht egin exerise with elevte insulin my ftigue quiker, euse insulin prevents musles from mking the est use of nutrients neee to fuel musle ontrtion. Allowing t lest 4 hours etween grin mel n exerise will llow loo gluose n insulin to ome k to seline, leving musles to work optimlly. TM slt free hoie free hoie free hoie Moerte work = roping, utting, reining, jumping. Commeril grin mix with 12% protein; most ommeril grin mixes re fortifie with minerls n vitmins. If you fee the minimum reommene levels of the ommeril grin mix (typilly 5 ls (2.2 kg) or more per y), you will not nee to supplement itionl vitmins n minerls. 1:1 livestok minerl (18% lium, 18% phosphorus). Tre-minerlize slt (with ioine). Tle 5. Exmples of feeing progrms for 1,100 l (500 kg) horses in intense work Fee Rtion 1 Rtion 2 Rtion 3 Alflf/grss hy ls (7-8 kg) Grss hy ls (8-9 kg) Ots ls (5 kg) ls (8-9 kg) Tle 6. When to fee efore riing When to fee Type of tivity HAY High itensity Remove hy 4 hours efore ompetition. Light to moerte intensity Long istne Remove hy 4 hours efore riing. Or, pt horse to eting smller mels throughout the y. Or, llow horse ess to psture. Allow free ess to hy right up until ompetition. Allow ess to hy uring the rie. When to fee GRAIN Fee grin 4 or more hours efore ompetition. Fee grin 4 or more hours efore riing. Fee lrge grin mels no loser thn 4 hours efore the rie. Fee smller mounts of grin throughout the rie. 12 % grin mix ls (5 kg) Oil (orn, nol, soy, et.) 18:18 minerl ls (4.5 kg) 1 up e TM slt free hoie free hoie free hoie Intense work = re trining, eventing, polo, enurne. Commeril grin mix with 12% protein; most ommeril grin mixes re fortifie with minerls n vitmins. If you fee the minimum reommene levels of the ommeril grin mix (typilly 5 ls (2.2 kg) or more per y), you will not nee to supplement itionl vitmins n minerls. 1:1 livestok minerl (18% lium, 18% phosphorus). Tre-minerlize slt (with ioine). e Oil n e use to sustitute some of the grin (1 up oil = 1.5 ls (0.7 kg) ots); mximum mount of oil tht n e fe to most ult light-rees of horses is 2 ups. High intensity tivity = Thoroughre, Stnrre n Qurter Horse ring; rrel ring, roping, utting, et. Light to moerte intensity = plesure/tril riing, jumping, tem penning, reining, et. Long istne tivity = enurne riing, ompetitive tril riing, pk trips, et. For horses tht will e exerting themselves hevily, hy shoul lso e remove 4 hours efore exerise (Tle 6). Ingestion of hy inreses gut fill, whih inreses the mount of weight the horse hs to rry. This itionl weight (20 to 40 pouns or 9 to 18 kg) oul e hnip for horses ompeting in high-spee events. 4

5 Hy feeing lso temporrily reues the volume of loo irulting to the tissues. This sitution mens less loo is ville to fuel musle ontrtion, n less loo is irete towrs the skin to remove exess het. As result, horses my get musle rmps or overhet if they re exerise fter lrge mel of hy. A igestive trt full of hy lso emns ertin mount of loo flow to i in igestion. Bloo iverte wy from full igestive trt n towrs working musles my put the horse t risk for oli. Hy will not ffet gut fill n loo flow if the horse is fe smller mels (2 to 4 pouns or 1 to 2 kg) of hy in the 4-hour perio efore exerise rther thn lrge mel (6 to 10 pouns or 3 to 5 kg), or if the horse is use to grzing psture throughout the y. Exeptions to the ove feeing mngement reommentions involve horses prtiipting in long istne events (enurne riing, ompetitive tril riing, pk trips, et.). These horses shoul hve ess to hy right up until the event, to promote wter onsumption n to enhne the flui reserve in the horse s hin gut (Tle 6). In ition, these horses shoul e given smll mounts of grin (0.5 to 1.0 pouns or 225 to 450 g) throughout the rie to mintin equte energy levels (Tle 6). If the horse onsumes this grin n is k on the tril within n hour, elevte loo gluose n insulin levels, n the resulting impt on musle funtion, will e voie. Generl feeing guielines In summry, here re few things to rememer when esigning feeing progrm for performne horses: 1. Goo qulity forge is the sis for ll feeing progrms: All horses, no mtter wht their use, require minimum of 1 per ent of their oy weight in forge per y to mintin helthy gut funtion. Forge n e provie in the form of hy, psture or some other high-fire fee soure. Seletion of ll other fees n grin supplements shoul e me se on the forge inlue in your horse s iet. While forge my provie ll the nutrition neee y horses in light work, horses in moerte or intense work will likely nee supplementtion with more energy-ense fees like grins n oils. 2. To reue the risk of oli n founer: Chnges to the iet shoul e me grully over one to two weeks. Never fee more thn 5 pouns (2.2 kg) of grin t single feeing. Fee smller mels more frequently. 3. The mount fe shoul e vrie s neee: Your horse s oy weight n onition re the est initors of the mount of fee neee. Most performne horses shoul hve oy onition sore of 5 to 7 (1 to 9 sle: 1 = thin, 5 = moerte, 9 = oese). Thin horses my not hve enough energy stores to sustin the tivity require of them. Similrly, extr ft rrie roun y overweight horses puts e stress on joints, tenons n ligments. For more informtion on oy onition soring, see the Alert Agriulture ftsheet Boy Conition Soring Your Horse (Agex 460/20-1). 4. Provie free-hoie ess to slt 5. Provie n esily essile, len soure of wter t ll times. Prepre y Alert Agriulture n Rurl Development n Lori K. Wrren, PhD Assistnt Professor, Equine Nutrition Deprtment of Animl Siene University of Flori PO Box Ginsville FL Telephone: Emil: LKWrren@ufl.eu Reviewe y Les Burwsh Alert Agriulture n Rurl Development For more informtion Alert Ag-Info Centre ll toll-free 310-FARM (3276) Wesite: R4/05/1M U08/09 5