b'NUTRITIONwith an approximate breakdown of 20% walking, 50% trotting, and 15% each of can-tering, galloping, or other skills training.Performance horses require approximately 25% more calories than the basic main-tenance diet provides. Further, be certain to include starch in performance horses diets to ensure they have enough energy and stamina for their jobs. Putting As an aside, says Crandell, always add concentrates to the horses diet slowly at a maximum of 5 pounds per feeding or a maximum of 1.5% BW per day. Spread the Forage Firstconcentrate out over several feedings rather than the traditional meals at breakfast and dinnertime.Horses With Endocrine IssuesForageOffer only sufficient forage to maintain a BCS of 5-6. Forage should have <10% nonstructural carbohydrates (NCS, simple sugars that raise blood sugar). If your hay contains more than this, soak or steam it to achieve <10% NCS.RationSupplement the diet with a low-intake ration balancer if soaking orbalancer steaming hay to replace vitamins and minerals leached during theprocess.SaltOffer a salt block or top-dress feed.WaterProvide ad-lib.For more information visit For horses with endocrinopathies such as insulin dysregulation (abnormal blood insulin levels) and equine metabolic syndrome, the idea is to provide less sugar and www.ADMEquine.com starch for the stomach and small intestine to absorb into the bloodstream. Instead, offer low-NSC forage, which is fermented in the hindgut to provide energy with little increase in blood sugar. Youll need to have each batch of new hay or haylage analyzed to determine its percentage of NSCs (find out how at TheHorse.com/19037). Low-sugar, low-starch diets also help minimize laminitis flare-ups, a common sequelae in these horses. According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, or equine Cushings disease) also benefit from low-NSC diets. Limited sweet feeds and higher-starch concentrates should be offered to horses with PPID due to the increased risk of laminitis, says Crandell.The AAEP also recommends offering metabolic horses low-sugar commercial senior feeds. If your horse needs extra calories in addition to forage and a commercial feed, consider adding dietary fat. Senior HorsesForageGive 1.5-2% of BW in forage on a dry matter basis.ConcentrateFor healthy elderly horses that tend to lose weight, offer commercial feeds that prevent weight loss. These contain 10-14% protein in the form of soy-bean meal or legumes, added fat and phosphorus, and restricted calcium.AlternativeYou might feed seniors with dental issues high-fiber commercial pellets, fiber sourcessoaked hay cubes, or soaked unmolassed sugar beet pulp.FatTo add energy (calories) to the diet, gradually include vegetable oil as described for hard keepers. 32December 2019The Horse|TheHorse.comNutrition_Dec USE.indd 32 10/30/19 4:03 PM'