Question

I have an 18-year-old Lusitano gelding that I ride for pleasure and low-level dressage. He has always been quite lazy under saddle, which I find frustrating. He gets very limited pasture time (he tends to put on weight easily) and is fed 15 lb (7 kg) of local grass hay plus a ration balancer. I have just added rolled oats to his diet (about 1.5 cups a day) to see if this will perk up his energy. Is it possible that oats will add a bit of bounce to his step, and if so, how much should I give him?

Answer

I think you’re managing this horse’s nutrition well from the description you provide.

All-forage diets are great for easy keepers, but oftentimes riders complain about horses lacking energy when asked to perform. In fact, all-forage diets balanced with a ration balancer are often a good solution for a horse that tends to have too much physical energy.

Working horses rely on muscle glycogen for energy. To build muscle glycogen efficiently, it helps to have starch in the diet. Cereal grains, such as oats and barley, are safe sources of starch, so my recommendation for a horse that lacks get-up-and-go is to add a small amount of oats to the diet. It doesn’t take much, but you want to be careful not to add too much and contribute to weight gain. Around 1-2 cups per day ought to do the trick.