Question

I have a three-year-old in training. Though he is just learning, we want him to push more from behind and develop more strength. Are aids like creatine legal, available, and recommended? Also, do you recommend giving glucosmine as a preventive supplement? What dietary additions or selections would you recommend to help develop strength?

Answer

For your young athlete, start by ensuring his diet is providing him with an optimal daily intake of energy (calories) and nutrients. With respect to energy, it’s fairly easy to determine if the diet is providing sufficient amounts by assessing your horse’s body condition. A horse that is underweight needs to consume more calories, and one that is overweight and/or gaining undesirable weight should consume fewer calories. If your horse is maintaining his weight, or since he’s growing, gaining at an appropriate rate and maintaining a desirable body condition, then he is consuming the appropriate amount of energy.
Next, double-check that enough forage (either good-quality hay or pasture) is being provided to maintain digestive tract health and optimize forage as a source of energy and nutrients. We typically recommend 1.5% of the horse’s body weight be consumed as forage.

Then, evaluate whether you’re using an appropriate feed and using it as directed. This entails determining how many pounds (or kilograms) of feed your horse is currently consuming per day and comparing this to the feeding directions provided on the feed bag (or tag). One of the most common mistakes horse owners make is feeding outside of the product manufacturer’s directions. These directions are meant to indicate the amount of product that should be fed per day in order to meet the horse’s nutrient requirements. If you’re feeding less than the recommended amount, you may need to provide a supplemental source of nutrients or switch to a product designed to be fed at a lower daily intake.

In most cases, if you’re feeding an appropriate amount of good-quality forage and using a feed designed for your horse’s age and activity level according to the manufacturer’s directions, then you can be reasonably confident that your horse’s nutritional needs are being met.

Once you’ve determined if your horse’s daily ration is appropriate, then you can investigate other options to support optimal health and performance. Providing dietary additives to maintain joint health is a common practice and certainly one we would recommend for horses that are destined for performance disciplines. Glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) have all been linked to positive effects on joint health.

The best way to develop more muscle in young horses is to provide them with the nutrients and exercise they need to build greater muscle mass. Ensure that enough energy is being supplied by the diet. Energy should come from a variety of sources, including nonstructural carbohydrates, fat, fermentable fiber, and protein. There are many different products that tout improved muscle development, and it’s a difficult job trying to sort out which ones are backed by equine research. For instance, while creatine is effective in humans, it is poorly absorbed by horses. Feeding creatine to horses has not resulted in increased muscle creatine concentration or increased muscle mass.