Feed Preferences for Elite Equine AthletesBy Kentucky Equine Research Staff · February 24, 2011

In some ways, the horses that convened at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) and the Asian Games were not unlike any other group of horses. They had diverse nutritional needs, based on their individual metabolisms and the intensity of work asked of them.

To better understand the types of feeds that were used at each venue, Kentucky Equine Research (KER), the designated feed supplier for both competitions, calculated usage at the events. Overwhelmingly, the most popular type of feed given to horses at both competitions was a moderate-energy textured mix.

The difference in preferred energy content may be due to the events offered at the competitions. All eight disciplines recognized by the Fédération EquestreInternationale (FEI) were held at WEG, including para-equestrian competition, but only the three Olympic disciplines were contested at the Asian Games (dressage, eventing, and show jumping).

Many of the horses at WEG may have performed work of light or moderate intensity rather than extreme exercise. For example, horses involved in the vaulting or para-equestrian competition likely did less work than eventers or endurance horses.

Metabolic rate also might have played a role. Hundreds of the horses competing at WEG were of breeds known to be easy keepers such as Quarter Horses (reining), warmbloods (in all Olympic disciplines and driving), and drafts and half-drafts (vaulting). Horses with a low metabolic rate require fewer calories to maintain body condition.

Conversely, many Thoroughbreds and lightweight warmbloods competed at the Asian Games. Thoroughbreds typically require more calories than other breeds to stay in ideal body condition, especially when worked hard. Competitors at the Asian Games were particularly concerned with keeping their mounts calm and manageable, so one of the most popular feeds was Cool Command, a moderate-energy feed.

The following table shows a comparison of feed usage at WEG and the Asian Games. Feeds are classified by type. Cereal grains available to WEG competitors were oats, corn, barley, wheat bran, and flaxseed, while those competitors in China were offered oats and wheat bran. For pelleted and textured feeds, energy content is split into three categories: low energy (digestible energy, <12 MJ/kg), moderate energy (digestible energy, 12-13.5 MJ/kg), and high energy (digestible energy, >13.5 MJ/kg).

*For WEG, these numbers represent those horses fed specifically by KER for the competition or feeds obtained by KER for the competition.

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