b'horses needed it or followed a colleague or What Owners Do andrespondents were unfamiliar with what BCS was, says Kathleen Crandell, PhD, abarnmates advice. Dont Know About nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research inIn addition to a balanced diet, all horses Equine Nutrition Versailles.need water and salt, Crandell says. Supple-Horses owned and/or managed byments may not be required, and only quality A few years ago researchers queried horsesurveyed owners had ad-lib access to eitherproducts should be selected. It is important to owners regarding their understanding of feed- pasture or hay/haylage. Few horses con- speak with your veterinarian or nutritionist prior ing horses. All told, 6,538 owners from 100sumed bagged forage or fiber-based feedsto introducing nutritional supplements, espe-countries completed the survey, and resultssuch as sugar beet pulp.cially if multiple products are being offered. were published in the Journal of EquineRegardless of which category your horseFinally, surveyed owners felt they had an Veterinary Science in 2015.falls into in terms of breed, energy require- average knowledge of nutrition but admitted Most horses (54%) were used for pleasurements, and disease status, forage forms theto having a much poorer understanding of only, with the remainder competition horsesfoundation for all diets, says Crandell. Thisdiet-related disease conditions, including:or a mix of pleasure and competition horses.is the primary source of energy or calories. Insulin resistance/dysregulation;Despite their predominantly pleasure horseWhen feeding, owners often used scoops Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction use, 87% of horses were offered concen- or cans rather than weighing the feed (as(PPID, equine Cushings disease);trates, typically a commercial premix feed.recommended) or using the manufacturer-Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS);Just over 70% of owners reported their horsessupplied pre-measured scoop. In fact, too Obesity or weight loss;had some access to pasture. many owners are still eyeballing the amount Hyperexcitability;In terms of weight management, only 60%of concentrates they offer. This means the Recurrent equine rhabdomyolysis;of respondents reported monitoring horsehorse could be receiving far too much or, in Equine gastric ulcer syndrome;weights, usually once a month but oftenthe case of a ration balancer, far too little, Recurrent airway obstruction (equine when they remembered. They primarily usedleaving him short on essential minerals andasthma, heaves);a weight tape and weighed fewer than 5%vitamins. Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM);of horses using a scale. Only 46% reportedMore than 80% of respondents offered Developmental orthopedic diseases (e.g., assessing body condition score (BCS).supplements, primarily salt, fat/oil, andosteochondritis dissecans) or other joint Of concern, the study authors alsonutraceuticals. Only 24% were using thesediseases including osteoarthritis; andfound that many owners simply guessedsupplements on their veterinarians recom-Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP).their horses weights, and 10% of the surveymendation. The remainder simply felt theirStacey Oke, DVM, MScHard Keepers Performance Horses ForageStart by providing the maximal amount of high- ForageOffer 2-2.5% of BW in forage on a dry matter quality forage. You can offer as much as 2.5%basis. High-quality hay and super fibers such as of BW in forage on a dry matter basis per day,beet pulp and soy hulls ferment more efficiently some of which can be alfalfa. Replacing regularin the large colon to produce energy.hay with 5-6 pounds of alfalfa can provide ap-proximately 1,500 more calories per day. ConcentrateFor additional calories that forage alone cant provide, offer concentrate feeds specially formu-ConcentrateIf your horse needs more calories than alfalfalated for performance horses.alone can provide, add a concentrate. Start with a lower-starch concentrate rich in super fibers.FatIf your horse needs even more calories, offer vegetable oil (as described for hard keepers).FatTo add calorie-laden fat, top-dress the concen-trate with aboutcup of vegetable oil at eachSaltOffer a salt block or top-dress feed.meal. Increase this amount to 1-2 cups at most over two to three weeks to allow the gastrointes- WaterProvide ad-lib.tinal tract to adjust.SaltOffer a salt block or top-dress feed. Performance horses, like hard keepers, require extra calories to maintain appropriate condition. First, though, you need to WaterProvide ad-lib. be certain your horse is actually in heavy work before offering a high-calorie diet.According to the National Research Councils Nutrient Re-Hard keepers have difficulty maintaining a body condition ofquirements of Horses, examples of horses in heavy work include 5-6. They require additional calories either in the form of morethose involved in ranch work, polo ponies and show horses, low- forage, concentrates, and/or fat than that of the basic mainte- to medium-level eventers, and horses in race training, Crandell nance diet. says. These horses exercise about four to five hours per week TheHorse.com|The HorseDecember 201931Nutrition_Dec USE.indd 31 10/30/19 4:03 PM'