Answer

By Your Horse

Nutritionist Lizzie Drury replies:

My first question when people ask for a feed to provide more oomph is, how fit is the horse, and what is her current body condition? An unfit horse will not be as energetic as a horse who has followed a sensible fittening routine. You say you are building your mare up gradually, so I would have thought that after six months she should be reasonably fit and growing stronger. If she is carrying excess weight, then this will make her liable to run out of steam.
Of course, the laid-back approach may well be your horse’s natural temperament. feeding can exaggerate or improve this.
To provide sparkle and oomph, feeds with a greater emphasis on providing energy from cereals, such as oats and maize, are required. Suitable feeds would include Saracen Speed Mix or Spillers Instant Fast Response Mix. Performance feeds like these tend to have higher levels of vitamins and minerals included, so that smaller amounts can be fed while still meeting the horse’s requirements. You would need to check with the manufacturers what their feeding levels were for the size of your horse.