Polo is a demanding sport for both horse and rider, with polo ponies needing a combination of speed, stamina and agility. This means it is essential that the pony’s diet is optimised for health and performance, whilst promoting optimum digestive health.
In our latest blog, Lisa Elliott MSc – Equine Nutrition Solutions delves into the nutritional needs of polo ponies, why they have these needs, and how the Coligone range of feeds and supplements can help benefit and support these needs throughout their playing career.
Polo is the oldest ball sport in the world dating back to 600 BC. The game is played in small periods that last about 6 to 7 mins known as a ‘chukka’. This means that a polo pony can be working hard with short bouts of fast work interspersed with slower periods and a cool down between each chukka. So, unless the owner has a string of ponies for each chukka, a polo pony needs to recover quickly.
Compare this to a racehorse, that needs instantly available energy from simple carbohydrates like starch and sugar, and endurance horses rely on a steady stream of slower release energy from volatile fatty acids (VFAs), polo ponies fall between these two, and need a blend of energy types to provide a balance of speed and stamina. Agility cannot be influenced by diet, the other factors can. It is also crucial to provide instant energy without risking conditions like tying up or gastric ulcers, both of which are linked to higher starch diets.
Forage and Fibre
Forage (grass, hay and haylage) is essential for all horses providing not only essential fibre but also a blend of energy sources from sugar (fast-release) and fibre (slow-release). Spring grass, is, therefore, an excellent source of energy for polo ponies and research has shown that good quality forage and fibre can provide enough energy for horses in harder work without the need to turn to cereals. All horses should receive a minimum of 1.5 and ideally 2% of their bodyweight (BW) in forage dry matter (DM) per day fed on an ad-lib basis.
Ad-lid Forage also helps to keep a polo pony’s gut functioning well and help prevent common digestive problems like ulcers. Forage quality is key as the better the quality the better it’s digested and the more energy the horse can get from it. Alongside grass, good quality forages like haylage or earlier cut hay are ideal to support the energy demands of the sport.
Forage is digested by microbes in the hindgut through fermentation which ends with the release of Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) acetate, butyrate and propionate. Propionate can then be converted to sugar providing a source of fast release energy for faster work, and the better the microbes can digest the forage the higher the levels of propionate produced.
Coligone Powder and Liquid contain generous levels of key pro and pre-biotics, namely, scFOS, MOS and Yea-sacc to support hindgut microbes and help maintain a healthy, balanced hindgut for optimal digestive health. Yea-sacc has been scientifically proven to not only nurture these all important microbes but also improve fibre digestion, providing significant benefits in allowing the pony to get even more out of their forage to further support performance during a chukka.
Sources of digestible fibre can provide the ideal energy source for a polo pony, whilst further supporting hindgut microbes, which is essential for good digestive health. Recent studies have shown that digestible fibre provides an excellent source of energy, resulting in increased propionate which can then be used to fuel bouts of faster work.
Coligone Fibre Cubes and Fibre Bio Cubes, are high in digestible fibre with 5% Coligone to enhance digestion, support hindgut microbes and help maintain healthy gastric acid levels. These can be fed daily to support training and performance, whilst maximising hindgut health. Both these cubes can also be soaked into a nutritious mash – to which you can add essential electrolytes like salt – which is extremely beneficial for hydration and recovery after a chukka when ponies need to re-hydrate but may not be so keen to drink.
Oil
Oil contains nearly three times more energy than the same weight of cereals and is, therefore, useful for stamina and condition. Oil is known as ‘glycogen sparing’ and can be utilised at sub maximal exercise like trotting and steady canter, during a chukka. This is useful because it means the energy stored in the muscles as glycogen can be saved for more intense, faster periods of work, and if energy is saved, this will help delay the onset of fatigue during or between chukkas.
Feeding an oil-based supplement like Ex Selenium Oil will benefit a working polo pony, not only by supplying sustained energy, but by providing the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids. These essential fatty acids help to boost immunity and overall health, which is important for hard working horses, but thanks to their anti-inflammatory properties will also help keep joints flexible and healthy.
Protein
Protein is essential for activities like polo where playing ponies will need good quality protein to support repair and renewal of muscle tissue. Like forage, however, it is the quality of protein fed that’s key to how well it can be digested and utilised by the horse to support optimum muscle integrity.
Amino acids provide the building blocks for protein and there are 10 so called essential amino acids that need to be provided within the diet. Lysine in particular which is the known as the first limiting amino acid, is vital, because without it the proteins needed for muscle repair cannot be made.
A good balancer like Coligone Balancer will provide beneficial lysine and a range of other essential amino acids to help ensure the polo pony’s needs are met. MultiVit Pro will also deliver a beneficial high-spec range of essential amino acids, providing excellent quality protein to support optimal muscle function, integrity and performance.
Vitamins and Minerals
Like all horses and ponies in regular work, polo ponies will have an increased need for a full range of vitamins and minerals, including antioxidants like vitamin E to support cell recovery and repair after exercise and B vitamins which have a role in energy metabolism.
Feeding a high specification balancer like Coligone Balancer or supplement like MultiVit Pro, which supply a full range of essential vitamins and minerals will help support maximum health, vitality and performance throughout the polo season.
Coligone Powder and liquid are packed with naturally occurring vitamins and minerals along with proven pre and pro-biotics to support to the gut microbiome and boost fibre fermentation. Gut microbes produce essential B vitamins from fermentation so improving that process means an increased production of B vitamins for maximum energy metabolism.
Boosting Digestive Health
The stress of travelling, competing and higher starch diets can all increase gastric acid levels, combine this with exercising at speed, and it can increase the risk of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS), which may compromise health and performance.
Feeding Coligone Powder or Liquid can be hugely beneficial in supporting the prevention of gastric ulcers. Both supply generous levels of natural acid buffers, actively helping to neutralise excess acid within the stomach, relieve the associated discomfort which can lead to poor performance, and promote healthy acid levels throughout the entire digestive tract.
Pre and Probiotics can help promote digestive health by providing a feed source for hindgut bacteria and encourage the growth and proliferation of beneficial microbes. Coligone Powder and Liquid contain three separate Pro and Prebiotics which are scientifically proven to not only promote optimum fibre digestibility but also help nurture and stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria, whilst helping to remove disease causing or ‘pathogenic’ bacteria.
In this way Coligone Powder and Liquid provide significant benefits for polo ponies through supporting a healthy microbial balance and excellent immunity, which is essential for maximum performance throughout the playing season.
