How much protein does an endurance horse need?

The actual protein requirement for the endurance horse is only about 8 to 10% of the total diet. This is much lower than is actually fed to endurance horses because there are few ingredients that are this low in protein.

What do you feed an endurance horse?

Feed diets high in good-quality forage such as pasture, grass hay, or mixed grass/legume hay. These forage sources can be fed free choice to endurance horses. Horses have evolved to survive on forage, so it is the best possible feed for gut health.

How are endurance horses trained?

The initial training of an Endurance horse should be based on long, slow distance work. It will take several months of foundation training in a new horse that is 4 to 5 years of age. If the horse has not undertaken any formal training before, the time frame for the foundation training will likely need to be extended.

What kind of protein does a performance horse need?

Feeds which are high (above 14%) in protein include alfalfa or clover, soybean meal, brewers’ grains and milk by-products. If a mature performance horse is fed alfalfa or clover hay, it will not need a protein supplement.

What kind of food to feed an endurance horse?

High-fat feeds, oils, and rice bran products are all excellent sources of fat for endurance horses. Diets high in fat have the added advantage of being more energy-dense, meaning that you can feed less than conventional grain diets and still get the same amount of energy, which is great for horses with poor appetites.

Why do endurance horses need a high fat diet?

Feed a high-fat diet. During exercise, it is desirable that endurance horses utilise fat rather than muscle and liver glycogen as their major energy source. Feeding fat on a daily basis during training gets the horses’ metabolism used to utilising fat during exercise.

What kind of energy does an endurance horse need?

Forage provides slow-release energy that is by far the most important energy source for endurance horses. Pasture is best when it is good quality, containing high levels of protein and most of the essential vitamins and minerals.