When a horse’s workload increases, it is important to supply the calories and nutrients that he requires, whilst also maintaining condition and keeping the diet balanced.  As the horse has a limited appetite, feeding more calories becomes more than just increasing the amount that the horse eats. It is important to make the horse’s diet ‘more per mouthful’, i.e. make sure that the horse’s feed contains more calories and nutrients than before.

No matter how much more work your horse is carrying out, it is vital to remember that they will still need protein, vitamins and minerals for their general wellbeing. It may be necessary to supplement vitamins and minerals but if their workload is increasing, energy and therefore calorific needs will be more than that of a ‘normal’ horse; the most important component to increase in their feed is the amount of calories that they consume.  If the horse lacks calories and therefore energy, they will lose weight and their performance will be lacking. Special high energy feeds, ‘show mix’ or ‘competition horse’ mixes are available but it is important to be aware that overfeeding grain and underfeeding forage can lead to digestive problems. Try feeding a good quality forage which contains more energy, such as alfafa, alongside a special feed.  Adding fats can also raise the energy contents of the diet.

Any changes that you make to your horse’s diet should always be done slowly and gradually.  Make sure you feed your horse just small portions of their feed at a time.

As a general rule, a horse’s workload should always increase before his feed does, to help prevent problems developing. It’s also essential that quality forage remains in the horse’s diet, even if more calorific feed is needed, as this is vital for a healthy digestive system. Make sure you monitor your horse carefully, especially when making changes to his diet as you don’t want him to gain unnecessary weight, lose weight or develop any issues that could be avoided if a minor change is made to the diet.

If you’re looking to increase your horse’s feed and you’re not sure the best way to do this, consider contacting one of the free feed advice lines offered by many feed manufacturers. These provide expert, tailored advice and could really help you to get it right first time.