Hi there!

I have been competing on a rather laid back Thoroughbred and would love to know if he is on the right track feeding-wise. The horse concerned is a 16 hand 10 year old Thoroughbred gelding. We compete in affiliated Showjumping (3 foot-3 foot 3) and Novice Eventing (3 foot). The Showjumping is usally once or twice a month and eventing once a month (horse trials).

He is fed about 7kg of Lucerne and Teff (sort of like Hay) a day and 5kg of 12% Maintenance Meal. Included in the food is Linseed Oil (we have just started this yesterday) as well as a Herbal Mixture called Sport Horse Mix from theherbalhorse.co.za. I am not sure what the concerned horse will be like to ride once the oil and mixture start working but at the moment he seems extremely lazy and often stops at jumps, and takes a huge dive crashing through it and getting me a tad scared. Could this be a lack of energy? The concentrate feed is actually meant for grass kept horses and horses in light work but I ride him 5-6 days a week for about 45 minutes of walking, trotting, cantering, a bit of galloping and jumping maybe twice a week. Schooling usually is done once or twice a week and the rest is hacks to increase his fitness. Is there something I am missing here?? The horse is dewormed every 3 months. My instructor seems to think there is nothing wrong with his energy levels but I can feel something is not right. He is not my horse and its a bit hard to convince his owner to change anything and I have been told I am wrong. Please help!!

Where are you from? South Africa

How did you locate this forum? Search Engine

Hi Christine,

You’re doing a fine job. Since you recently added the linseed oil, I think you will find an increase in his energy level, since fat does not produce the high and low insulin outputs that carbohydrates do and provides more than twice the kilocalories. The Maintenance Meal may be grain-based, so 5 kg/day is likely too much. I would suggest you cut back some on that. If you have access to stabilized rice bran, that would be helpful.

Also, I would consider giving him a B Complex vitamin preparation to help him better derive energy from his nutrients.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Thanks for the reply - unfortunately he is not my horse so I have very very little control over what he gets. It is a grain-based meal as far as I know. What would be the problem with that?

Where are you from? SA

How did you locate this forum? Search Engine

Hi Christine,

Grain-based feeds contain a lot of starch and when starch is digested, it causes a rise in blood sugar levels, followed by a dramatic fall in sugar levels. This can produce swings in energy levels, from high to very low.

In addition to this issue, too much grain can lead to laminitis and hormonal imbalances. Horses’ digestive systems are really not designed for high-starch diets. It is much healthier for them to feed mostly roughage.

Dr. Getty