This programme has been prepared under the direction of a leading equine practitioner and an equine nutritionist as a guide to the proper feeding of a Showjumper / Event Horse.

Adjustments should be made to the feed according to the age of the horse, intensity of the work and the individual peculiarities of each horse.

The nutrient requirements of the horse have been established as the average value for all horses. The needs of an individual horse may be greater or less than that of the average horse.

Whereas pigs and poultry have been bred and selected to reduce variation such that one feed will meet the requirements of all animals, the opposite has occurred in the horse. As a result horses vary greatly in their ability to utilise feeds uniform in nutrient content.

Each horse is an individual and must be fed and trained accordingly.

The Importance of Correct Nutrition

Correct feeding is one of the most critical factors in determining the performance of a Showjumper, Event Horse. A horse cannot perform satisfactorily if its diet is inadequate. Therefore, careful attention should be paid to providing a ration which will provide the horse's requirements and that the horse can utilise efficiently for maximum results.

The Basic Nutrient Requirements of the Horse

The horse, like any other animal, requires the basic nutrients:

energy
protein
minerals
vitamins and water

These nutrients need to be supplied in the proper proportion, level and form, to provide adequate nourishment.

Energy

Energy is the first nutrient that needs to be evaluated when examining the nutrition of an animal, and it is of particular importance for the horse in training. It is the factor most likely to be influenced by exercise. Providing the correct amount of energy is perhaps the most difficult problem in feeding the Showjumper.

Energy is obtained from three primary sources:

carbohydrates
fats
proteins

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates (sugars, starches and fibre) are the primary energy sources for the horse. Sources of these are grains (commonly called high or concentrated energy sources) and chaffs and hays (low energy sources - roughage).

Grains

Grains usually comprise a substantial percentage of the diet of the average horse in work. Of the three grains most commonly fed to horses (oats, barley and corn), oats has the highest fibre content and the lowest digestible energy. Barley ranks second in both fibre and energy content and corn as the lowest amount of fibre and the highest amount of digestible energy. Oats also has the lowest weight per volume of the common grains as can be seen from the accompanying table. Because of the high fibre content of oats , low digestible energy and low weight per volume, it is usually regarded as the safest grain for feeding horses and usually forms the basis of grain ration of the horse in work.

A horse with a heavy workload that only has a small appetite should be fed a higher proportion of corn in its ration than that of a horse with a good appetite. It must be remembered that any changes to the ration (such as introducing high energy grains) should always be done gradually to avoid upsets.

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