Jeniffer Little

Jennifer Little

RNutr MSc Bsc Hons

As the summer progresses towards the end of the polo season a common concern can be issues around maintaining weight and condition on playing ponies. The demands of the playing season can result in undesirable weight loss and measures may be required to prevent this from occurring. Body fat (also called Adipose tissue) functions as much more than just an important energy store. The adipose tissue enables the body to store some vitamins (called fat-soluble vitamins), protects the internal organs, helps to maintain body glucose levels and functions to insulate the body.

Underweight horses with below optimal body fat have been shown to be at a greater risk of contracting other diseases, poorer athletic performance and lower lean muscle mass.

Before any alterations to feeding rations are made its important to firstly asses their current body condition. Body Condition Scoring involves assigning a score of 0 to 5 to each section of the horse and an average of the three scores for the final Body Condition Score, see images 1 & 2.

Image 1: The three sections of the horse

A more detailed explanation of carrying out a BCS assessment with a downloadable weight tracker is available at https:// www.dodsonandhorrell.com/news/fat-scoring.

The ideal Body Condition Score for a playing polo pony would be 2.5-3, if the score is below 2.5 changes to the feeding ration may be required. Weight gain is achieved when energy or calories consumed exceeds the amount being used for the maintenance of all bodily functions plus those being used for exercise. Horses can obtain calories from fibre, carbohydrates, protein and fats. Digestive health demands that fibre makes up the largest proportion of a horses’ diet, providing at least 2% of the horses’ body weight per day. However, fibre often doesn’t

provide the highest calorie density, so additional feeds are required in order to achieve desired weight gain.

Facing the scenario of needing a horse to gain condition it can be tempting to increase the volume of their current hard feed. This will achieve an increase in total calories consumed and possibly the desired weight gain. If the weight gain is only achieved when exceeding the manufacturer’s recommended feed intake, there is likely to be a provision of other nutrients such as starch above the optimal levels for health and performance. If the increase is within the feeding recommendations it may still result in undesirable behavioural, such as over excitability. The added complication of 29

Image 2: Biody Condition Scoring

increasing the amount of hard feed given is that the daily ration will need to be split into a greater number of feeds throughout the day. No more than 2kg of a concentrate feed should be fed at one time, this is due to the relatively small size of a horse’s stomach, approximately the size of a rugby ball for a 500kg horse. Increasing the number of meals required in a day can be problematic and time consuming depending on stable management.

Oils (e.g. soya oil) can also be used to increase calories in a smaller volume than with hard feeds. However, oils can be messy, costly and unpalatable when fed at the required levels (250ml-500ml) for weight gain. The inclusion of oils at this feeding rate also increases the need for additional antioxidants such as Vitamin E. Therefore, if oils are being used for weight gain, a daily vitamin supplement will also need to be added into the ration to compensate. Alternatively, the hard feed can be switched for one with a higher energy density, allowing for more calories to be provided in the same volume. Hard feed such as Elite Sports Muesli provides more calories via oils rather than starch when compared with some comparison diets. This can encourage body condition gain

without the heating aspect of higher starch alternatives.

In situations where changing the hard feed during the season isn’t appealing the addition of Dodson and Horrell’s Build & Glow to their current feed is an outstanding option. Build and Glow is in a pelleted form, much like a small nut and is fed at just 100g/100kg bodyweight per day. It encourages weight gain and the building of condition through a blend of palatable oils and protein levels, supporting muscle development and top-line condition. Build and Glow is balanced with antioxidants containing additional vitamin E, negating the need for extra vitamin supplements. Build and Glow can be conveniently added to their current diet without the mess involved with oils or the volumes required from upping hard feed levels, it is non-heating to avoid undesirable behaviour such as over excitability.

Throughout the year it is important to routinely asses and monitor a horse or ponies body condition and make alterations to rations or workload where necessary, to ensure the body condition score never drops below 2.5 or exceeds 3.5.