03 September 2008 11:29
I was eventing my 10-year-old, 16.1hh, ID x TB gelding but, due to bone spavin, he has been reduced to light hacking and schooling.
At the moment he’s fed 1lb sugar beet, 2½lbs of alfa oil, 1lb Blue Chip, 1lb bruised oats and 2½lbs of conditioning cubes. This is split into two feeds with limestone flour and oil added.
He’s in ideal condition and has a laid back temperament, but I think he has too much energy in his diet for the work he’s now doing. How should I adapt his diet to suit his routine?
Answer
By Your Horse
Nutritionist Lizzie Drury says:
I do think that your current diet can be simplified and agree that, for light work, it will provide too much energy. Excess digestible energy intake will either cause a horse to put on more condition, or will exaggerate a naturally excitable temperament.
As a general rule of thumb, a horse will eat approximately 2.5 per cent of his bodyweight as total feed – this includes grass, hay or haylage and concentrate feed. If we assume that he weighs 570kg, he will eat approximately 14kg of food per day.
This then needs to be divided between his forage intake and his concentrate intake, which will be dependent on factors such as his body condition and the level of work that he’s doing.
I recommend that the split for your horse should be 80 per cent forage and 20 per cent concentrate feed. He will, therefore, be eating 10 to 11kg of forage per day and 2.5 to 3kg of concentrate feed per day.
Choosing a high fibre and low energy mix, such as Spillers Slow Response or Saracen Cooling Mix and Herbs, will help to maintain condition and will provide sufficient digestible energy to support light to medium levels of work, without making your horse too excitable.