Knowledge
Nutrition Focus
Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist
Q&A Summer Feeding Questions Lorna Edgar answers your nutrition queries
Q: I have a horse that is beginning to lack stamina as the season progresses, what should I do? A: Following on from the previous question, stamina is NOT going to be rectified by the addition of oats or a Polo Mix as they are high in starch so provide ‘quick release energy’ which is pretty much accountable only for the first half of the chukka. For stamina we need to focus on a couple of other things as well… • Is the horse on a balanced diet for the amount of polo it is playing? This is always key to any diet but can make a huge difference to performance. • How much forage is the horse eating? If it is picking and not wanting to eat much it will affect energy levels as fibre contributes towards stamina.
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Polo Times, June 2022
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Is the horse drinking enough? This needs special consideration when travelling a lot and in the warm weather. Once addressing the questions above, stamina can be increased by… • Adding oil into the diet – using an oil supplement that contains antioxidants is ideal, such as Baileys Outshine or Saracen Equi-Jewel. You can add this to the existing balanced diet using ‘cups’ rather than scoops, for example I would normally suggest using 450g per day and this can be built on if necessary. A ‘glug’ of oil will not contribute to energy levels to increase stamina – but will assist coat shine! Using over 100ml of straight oil, such as soya oil, per day would also then require the addition of antioxidants (in order to help improve utilisation by the horse). • Administering electrolytes (eg. Baileys Aqua-Aide) within a two hour window BEFORE playing can help to reduce the onset of fatigue by up to 22.5%! My go to suggestion here is to use half a scoop of chaff with a scoop of water or a sloppy beet pulp to put the electrolytes in, an hour before they play, or as you arrive at polo. • Allowing access to pick at hay/haylage on the way to and from polo in the lorry. Try these small changes, and I am sure you will find your horse has more stamina! Q: Can I feed electrolytes everyday? A: You can, but they are not necessary. When the weather is consistently (!) hot then yes, electrolytes every day is ideal, but not when the horse is not sweating – they will excrete what they do not utilise. It would be an idea to add table salt to the feed every day or provide a salt lick in the feed bowl or in the stable for them to have free access to.
Photograph by Lorna Flemming & Jo Radford-Smith
Q: My horses have started the season on a low starch feed, should I be switching to a Polo Mix? A: Well, if your horses are going well on a low starch mix and they have enough energy, you don’t have to switch to a higher starch feed, such as a Polo Mix or Conditioning Mix. I discourage ‘blanket feeding’, where all horses are fed the same diet, it really must be done on an individual basis – some need more energy, some need more calories, some don’t need any energy, and some don’t need any calories. One feed does not fit all! Really think how your horses are feeling at the beginning of the chukka and at the end – is their diet supporting their workload? The majority of polo ponies work hard, and I feel it is often underestimated how hard they do work! Ensuring the diet is balanced to support their work is essential in maintaining energy levels, muscle integrity and body condition. Don’t be afraid to get in touch with a feed company or nutritionist to ensure you are ‘crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s’, it will make a difference!
Administering electrolytes at the lorry using a large syringe with a lot of water
Q: My horse has dropped some top line, should I use a muscle supplement? A: No, I wouldn’t reach straight for a supplement, you need to see if the diet is balanced first. Start with assessing the quality of the forage – is it soft, coarse, clean, dusty, good quality? Are they eating enough of it? If they are picking at the forage or the quality is not great, then I would be wanting to pick up the digestible fibre in the diet by adding an alfalfa chaff, freeze dried grass or beet pulp (Fibre-Beet) to the ration to counteract for the deficiencies in the forage. Alternatively, increase the amount of forage you are feeding them, or if they are playing a lot of polo and travelling a lot, ensure forage is available in the lorry to reduce time away from it in the stable/field. Is the hind gut working effectively – take note of the droppings, are they looking normal? Is the horse tucked up and hollow
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