In 2011 each horse owner in the United Kingdom spent an average of $280 on their equids’ supplements, a British Equestrian Trade Association survey showed. That’s a lot of supplements! But which products did they choose, and what was the reason behind those decisions? Researchers in the U.K. recently sought to find out, focusing on three-day eventing and dressage riders.

Charlotte Agar, BVMedSci (Hons), BVMBVS, worked with colleagues and veterinarians at the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science and the University of Surrey School of Veterinary Medicine, both in the United Kingdom, to evaluate the types of supplements fed to dressage and eventing horses and the perceptions of owners who used them. The team developed an online survey on the topic, from which they received 599 responses that met the inclusion criteria.

Upon reviewing the survey responses, the team determined that females comprised more than 90% of the participants in both dressage and eventing, with the majority being between the ages of 22 and 34. Most participants competed at the novice affiliated level (36.8% dressage and 49.7% eventing) and the fewest riders competed at the advanced affiliated level (16.5% dressage and 8.8% eventing).

When asked to rank the most important health and performance problems in their respective discipline, dressage owners listed energy levels and behavior issues (42.2%), lameness (37.1%), and back and muscle problems (15.4%) as the top three. Eventers, on the other hand, ranked stamina and fitness (43.9%), lameness (41.9%), and energy levels and behavior (37.1%) as their top three concerns