There are many myths in the equestrian world, many of them are related to equine feeding and nutrition.  Some of these myths have the potential to put horses’ health and wellbeing at risk.  Lisa Elliott, MSc – Equine Nutrition Solutions helps bust some of the most common nutritional myths and promote the right feeding principles to support all round optimum health, well being and performance for the horse.

Myth #1 – Protein will make your horse fizzy

This is probably the biggest feeding myth around, which has arisen because feeds higher in protein are always higher in energy, often resulting in exuberant behaviour. Protein can be used as an energy source, but this is normally only when the dietary energy supply is not adequate.  Excess protein is excreted in urine.  Excessive protein in the diet is probably not ideal for health reasons but it certainly won’t make your horse excitable.

Protein has a more structural role and is a key part of the structure and health of the muscles, coat, and hooves. Muscles are built and repaired from protein and hooves are made of protein in the form of keratin. Protein is one of the most limiting nutrients for hoof health and growth, if enough isn’t provided in the diet because of an unfounded idea that too much will cause ‘fizziness’, hoof growth will be poor. Additionally, without enough protein, muscle and coat integrity will be compromised.  This is why it is essential that your horse’s diet provides enough protein to support these vital structures for optimum health and performance.

Myth #2 – If a horse lacks energy he should be fed more

A lack of fitness is commonly misinterpreted for the need to feed more energy but feeding extra energy normally results in the horse getting excitable or getting fat. Extra feed means extra calories, and as calories are just a measurement of energy, it cannot be added without adding calories, which can result in weight gain.  If your horse becomes overweight, then their potential to develop laminitis increases which is a significant risk to health.

The key is to look at whether your horse is fit enough for their work and in the right condition for optimum performance. An overweight horse will be lacking in energy, so it’s important to look at reducing calorie intake and increasing calorie output through increased exercise, so they are better able to cope with work demands.  A horse that has the optimum amount of fitness for their work should not be lacking in energy, simply because the amount of energy generated from feed increases with fitness.

Myth #3 – You shouldn’t let a hot horse drink

Another common and potentially detrimental myth, which has no scientific backing. Water losses from work need to be replaced. Withholding water either during or after exercise can lead to dehydration which is a serious health issue.

Drinking large volumes of very cold water when the horse is hot is probably not ideal just as it wouldn’t be for us after exercise, but moderate amounts of water are fine. It is far more important for the horse to regain the right fluid balance, so if your horse wants to drink during or after exercise then you should let him. 

Water is vital for cellular functions that help keep tissues hydrated. Adequate water is also important for keeping your horse’s hooves strong and elastic so it’s essential your horse is always fully hydrated whatever their work level.   Offering a good lick which contains essential salts can help replace lost electrolytes after harder work and encourage your horse to drink for optimum hydration.

Myth #4 – Horses shouldn’t have any food before work

Withholding food before exercise is often suggested for working horses but it’s another myth.  In fact, quite often the opposite should be applied. Feeding forage or a small fibre based meal such as Coligone FibreBIO or Coligone Treats before work is beneficial for two reasons:

1. The saliva produced from chewing helps buffer stomach acid
2. The fibre forms a mat in the lower section of the stomach, which prevents acid splashing up and causing ulcers in the unprotected top section

Feeding cereal based meals directly before work, is probably best avoided but small fibre-based meals can be fed prior to exercise. However, feeding a meal after exercise is also beneficial to help replenish glycogen stores. Feeding Coligone Fibre Cubes as a mash would also reintroduce lost fluids.

Myth #5 – Horses in harder work should be fed cereals

Cereals are often fed to horses in harder and faster work because they contain starch which is a form of fast-release energy.  However, horses have a limited ability to digest starch so if too much is fed, undigested starch can reach the hindgut and cause digestive problems.  Starch is broken down quickly to simple sugars such as glucose and the resulting sugar peak can also result in excitable behaviour. This is why for many reasons starch based cereals can be less then ideal.  

Recent research (Richardson and Murray, 2015) highlights the ability of high energy, digestible fibrous feeds to fully support the energy needs of performance horses like racing thoroughbreds. Furthermore, some of these digestible fibre sources have digestible energy contents comparable to cereals due to a higher production of volatile fatty ais (VFA) by hindgut microbes.  This means that harder working horses do not necessarily need to be fed large amounts of cereals provided they have access to good quality higher energy forage. These include haylage, or feeds which contain highly digestible grass nuts, and soya hulls like Coligone Fibre Bio. This feed also has the added benefit of providing yea-sacc to support hindgut microbes and boost fibre fermentation, helping horses to get even more energy out of their fibre and provide better support for work and performance.

Myth #6 – Carrots are full of sugar

Carrots do indeed contain sugar, but they are also 85 per cent water, so the notion that carrots are full of sugar when considered on ‘as a fed’ (including water) basis is a significant myth!

“100g of carrots supplies just 5g of sugar which is a lot less than grass and hay.”

In comparison, to other fruits such as apples, plums, and grapes on an as fed basis, fresh carrot provides the lowest sugar levels. They are also lower in calories than these other fruits and are higher in fibre, and it has a huge amount of vitamin A.  Horses grazing will get plenty of vitamin A, but horses on an all-hay diet, as is often the case during the autumn and winter months, may be short of vitamin A, so carrots provide an excellent source.  Carrots also score well as being anti-inflammatory and contain good levels of beneficial Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

All things considered, carrots can provide a healthy treat for all horses and ponies, including those prone to laminitis, when fed with common sense – ‘treat’ being the definitive word.  Basically, if you aren’t feeding kilos of them, it’s perfectly safe to feed carrots without being concerned about the sugar content.

Myth #7 – A starvation diet will help a horse lose weight

A horse that is overweight will have increased risk of laminitis and metabolic conditions which pose a threat to health and wellbeing. However, starving horses in a bid to help them lose weight is not the answer and could have a serious impact on their health.

Horses are herbivores and their digestive systems have evolved to consume an almost continuous supply of fibrous feed. This means they need ad-lib forage to provide the fibre to keep the digestive system functioning well. Limiting access to forage considerably increases the risk of gastric ulcers, dysbiosis within beneficial microbes who thrive on plenty of fibre, and potentially, colic.  Severely restricting forage is counterproductive and will result in horses holding on to their fat reserves due to a lack of food and have the opposite effect to weight loss.

Forage should never be restricted to less than 1.5% of body weight as an absolute minimum. Instead of severely restricting the amount of forage, you can reduce it slightly but feed it in such a way that it’s always ad-lib. For example, using slow feeders or smaller holed hay nets. If your horse needs to lose weight you should try to provide a diet of ad-lib, low calorie forage with a suitable balancer like Coligone Balancer and increase their exercise to create the right kind of calorie deficit for weight loss.