Feeding My Eventer
I have a 16.3hh eventer, who I am just starting to compete at Pre-Novice affiliated events. Whilst in the morning he is too l ively to do a nice dressage test, and we are always being marked down for excitability, by the time it comes to the XC in the afternoon, he seems to have gone flat and burned out. Is there something wrong with him, or am I just feeding the wrong thing?
SG, Cambridgeshire
This is a common problem in many horses who are fed high starch diets. Whilst it is important that you feed to your horses work-load, overloading with starchy, cereal based feeds can have an effect rather like giving a chocolate bar on a toddler! This results in a huge initial burst of energy, which can be burned up through excitability in some horses and does not sustain any long term energy.
Energy sources such as fibre and oil are released more slowly into the system, giving a more even energy level for a longer period. These types of feeds are ideal for horses such as eventers who are expected to perform over longer periods.
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