A survey on the feeding of eventing horses during competition.

This study compares the actual feeding practices of horses in equestrian events with literature recommendations and examines the impact of feeding and exercise on certain metabolic parameters in their blood.

Research Objective

The primary objective of this study was to analyze the feeding habits and strategies of horses during an equestrian competition, compare these with the existing literature recommendations, and evaluate the effect of these practices on certain metabolic parameters in the blood of the horses both pre and post exercise.

Methodology

• The research was conducted on 25 horses during one-star eventing competitions.
• Blood samples were taken and evaluated for levels of blood glucose, insulin, lactate, free fatty acids, and triglycerides.
• Questionnaires were administered to collect data on the feeding practices for these horses.

Key Findings

• The mean amount of concentrate supplied to the horses was 4.3 kg per day, with a range of 1.54 kg to 8 kg.
• The quantity of concentrate consumed before exercise did not significantly impact the studied blood parameters.
• About 30% of the horses received oil as a supplementary energy source, but in minimal quantities (0.02-0.4 l/day).
• Discoveries around access to salt revealed that five horses (20%) did not have access to salt supplements at all, and eleven horses (45%) were denied access to salt on tournament days.
• Mineral feed was provided to 15 horses (60%), and 21 horses (84%) had daily access to pasture during the training period.
• Roughage was provided ad libitum to 55% of the horses during the competition compared to 37% during training.
• On the day prior to the cross-country competition, most horses received less roughage.

Conclusion

While it remained unclear whether feeding large amounts of roughage was beneficial to performance as only a few horses were fed with very restrictively on roughage, the study generally found feeding practices of the studied horses to be in line with the recommendations in the literature, with a noted exception for sodium and chloride intake. The research thus concluded that existing literature might overstate the need for sodium and chloride for sport horses, suggesting the need for a re-evaluation of this aspect.