Question
I participate in short-distance endurance rides (25 miles) with my 13-year-old Appaloosa mare, Ribbons. We do three conditioning rides weekly, each one two to three hours long. She’s in moderate to slightly fleshy body condition. Aside from pasture, which she has access to all day, she is fed 3 cups of alfalfa pellets daily. Everything seems fine except for a calcium deficiency that causes tying-up and thumps. Help!
Answer
Based on your diet information, Ribbons’ diet is not providing her with complete nutrition. Performance horses should receive an additional source of vitamins and minerals to balance an all-forage diet and prevent chronic nutrient deficiencies. A balancer pellet or concentrated micronutrient supplement is a great way to deliver these essential nutrients in a low-calorie form to prevent unwanted weight gain.
While many feed manufacturers sell a balancer pellet, Kentucky Equine Research offers a concentrated micronutrient supplement, Micro-Max (Gold Pellet in Australia), which delivers great nutritional value without the added protein and calories of a balancer pellet.
Daily electrolyte supplementation is preferred to prevent chronic electrolyte deficiencies that can lead to conditions such as tying-up and thumps. Free-choice access to salt is beneficial, but it is not sufficient to meet the electrolyte needs of working horses. The electrolyte supplements formulated by Kentucky Equine Research are formulated to be top-dressed on feed or administrated as oral pastes.
During training, daily supplementation of a powdered electrolyte like Restore SR top-dressed on feed should be given at the same amount each day, even though the amount of work may vary. Two to three ounces per day, divided between two meals, is appropriate for horses in light to moderate exercise. Factors that affect electrolyte requirements include duration and intensity of the work, the amount of visible sweat, temperature, and humidity. Australian horse owners should look for Restore.
Feeding high-forage diets is beneficial to boost water stores and electrolyte balance in the endurance horse. Additional electrolytes can be given the night and morning before a race to ensure optimal electrolyte stores prior to the ride, but avoid supplementation immediately before the ride. During the ride, electrolytes can be offered as a buffered paste like Restore Paste at rest stops. Electrolyte replacement during the ride becomes more essential as the ride distance increases.
Antioxidants, such as vitamin E, are beneficial for muscle health and recovery. KER offers a natural-source liquid vitamin E supplement called Nano-E. Nanodispersion technology makes Nano-E more bioavailable than other products.
Because Ribbons doesn’t eat any concentrated feeds, you can wet the alfalfa pellets and then mix in the supplements. Using a small amount of water will soften the pellets and make blending the ingredients easier. It will also make it nearly impossible for Ribbons to sort out powdered supplements, if she is a picky eater. Most horses will eat moistened alfalfa pellets as readily as dry ones.
