Feeding The Competitive Equine Athlete

Karen E. Davison, Ph.D., Purina Mills, LLC

Winning in involves much more than just a good horse and good genetics. It also takes a well-planned management and training program, superb horsemanship, excellent health in cooperation with a good veterinarian, lots of backbreaking work and quality nutrition. Nutrition plays a crucial role in the performance of an equine athlete because it impacts health and behavior and supports physical conditioning, enabling a horse to attain its genetic potential. And, while superior nutrition can’t guarantee a win, it does set the stage for a well-planned management program that can keep a horse in winning condition all season long. Mediocre nutrition, on the other hand can undermine a management program and prevent a horse from performing at its full potential.

Feeding for peak performance does not mean feeding in anticipation of a particular event. Instead, it means working towards improved health and performance over the life of the horse. Anyone can get lucky enough to win a big event once in awhile, but those who return to the winner’s circle time and time again follow a well-regimented management and nutrition program.

Of all the nutrients needed for athletic performance, energy is probably the most misunderstood component. Purina Mills has done extensive research in the area of energy nutrition. To put it simply, energy is the fuel used by the horse for all functions, including maintaining body tissue, growth, lactation, performance, etc. Energy is derived from calories supplied by carbohydrates, fats and protein in the diet. Both carbohydrates and fats are very important calorie sources in the performance horse’s diet and both are needed to meet the energy demands of a top-level performance horse. Protein is not a very metabolically efficient calorie source but is very important to provide essential amino acids in the diet. These essential amino acids are utilized for tissues such as muscle, hair, hooves and skin. They are also vital components of digestive enzymes, transport proteins in the blood, collagen, antibodies for the immune system and many hormones. Therefore, in addition to the large need for calories from carbohydrates and fats, equine athletes have a need for high quality protein that supplies adequate levels of essential amino acids. The amount of protein in the diet isn’t nearly as important as the amino acid make up of that protein.

In addition to calories and amino acids, minerals and vitamins are necessary to support the efforts of the equine athlete. The problem for horse owners trying to build their own diet from grains and supplements is that nutrient deficiencies aren’t the only things to worry about. Nutrients must be supplied in adequate amounts and balanced with each other to provide optimum nutrition. In some cases, over-supplementation with some nutrients can interfere with the absorption and activity of other nutrients and ultimately hinder performance. Therefore, a completely balanced feed designed specifically for the stresses and demands of elite equine competitors, fed as needed to maintain body condition is the easiest and most nutritionally accurate method to deliver nutrition.

With years of equine nutrition research Purina Mills is at the forefront of the emerging field of equine sports nutrition. With its exciting, new, patented technology, Ultium™ Competition Horse Formula represents the culmination of decades of equine research, having been tested on hundreds of horses at the Long View Animal Nutrition Center and at leading universities and across a wide spectrum of competitive disciplines in off-site field tests prior to being released. New Ultium™ is the first feeding system based on a unique ratio of three fuel sources, vegetable fats, fermentable fiber and soluble carbohydrates. This energy system provides the required energy for a horse to excel at competition while staying mentally focused, controllable and manageable. In addition, a unique amino acid profile and proper levels of antioxidants like Vitamin E, C and selenium have been utilized to provide faster recovery or “bounce back” after a performance. Ultium ™ is highly palatable and digestible and is very nutrient dense. Horses love it, utilize it very efficiently and require less feed to maintain condition. Top level competitors expect a great deal from their equine partners and have learned to expect a great deal from Purina Mills. New Ultium ™ Competition Formula is the latest in sports nutrition to help top equine athletes compete, and continue to compete, at the highest level.