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Re: [RC] Endurance Equine Nutrition - agilbxrI enjoy learning, especially about what my horse needs in order to compete in a safe and efficient matter, but if I go by by Mr. Ivers constitutes "the right way" to train and compete an endurance horse, I might as well stay in the barn. I work 2 jobs, and my horse is boarded 30 miles from home. In the middle of a national forest. I don't have the time or resourses to answer the majority of those questions that I should know in order to feed my horse properly. What I want to know, is for the average Joe Horse Owner, how do we find out the "best" way to feed our horses.
Here in Florida, we don't have a steady hay supply, so it's kind of pointless to test our hay. However, we feed coastal, so I assume it has no nutritional value other than fiber and a good babysitter. Alpine gets hay free choice. Right now, he's on 3 pounds of Nutrena 12% pellets twice daily. We don't feed a molassas based grain cause he turns into a nut. On the days we ride him, he gets about 4 cups of beet pulp mash and some alfalfa cubes (he won't eat the beet pulp without the alfalfa). He also gets 2 cups of flax per day in his dinner, a selenium and vitamin e supplement, and whatever he can scrounge from the other boarders (carrots/apples/peppermints/cantelope/etc) Spot gets the same thing, but with 2 pounds of pellets per feeding, and no alfalfa in his beet pulp. They both have access to free choice loose salt. They get grass about twice a week for 1/2 hour or so (gotta love florida sand...we don't have pastures, we have sand lots).
Both horses are healthy and happy. I haven't had any metabolic problems with them, however I am anal retentive about their behavior and attitude. If something "ain't right", then we find out why, or they don't work. If something changes, then we find out the whys, or they don't work. When I find information about nutrition, I read it, try to understand it, and then I digest it and work it into my feeding routine if I feel it's the right thing for my horses. After that, we see what the effect is, and adjust accordingly. I don't see how the "average" horse owner really can do any differently...we don't have scientific equipment in our barns to measure weight/blood sugar/etc before after and during rides.
Juli and the crew
Alpine (i like food.)
Spot ( I KNEW IT!!! She really is trying to kill me!)
For example, what is the maximum heartrate your horse can safely sustain for, say, 30 miles? And, how much weight will he lose doing so? And, how long will it take for that weight to rebound? And, what does that lost weight consist of--tissue destruction, fuel depletion or simple deydration? And what is his starting and ending blood glucose, given a regiment of several approaches to during-ride nutritional support? What is the beginning and end body temp and hydration status? What is your horse's percentage of lean mass. How does a change in equipment or other environmental factors impact on working HR? How many hours at what HRs has your horse delivered over the past year? What is your horse's Efficiency Score, now, and when you started? Are you going anywhere or just spinning your wheels? If the latter, what are the factors that are stopping you?
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