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‘The feed room is where performance truly begins’: Vet explains the art and science of feeding performance horses


  • Fine-tuning a horse’s diet to the specific demands of his work aids optimum results. Ed Busuttil MRCVS outlines the science behind sport horse nutrition in this exclusive feature for H&H subscribers

    In the competitive world of horse sport, feeding performance horses for marginal gains can make all the difference. Nutrition and how we feed horses is one of the most influential – and sometimes misunderstood – factors in a horse’s performance and health, often interlinked with managing medical and musculoskeletal conditions.

    Whether you’re preparing a dressage horse for precision work, conditioning a showjumper for power or building stamina in an eventer, feeding performance horses correctly can mean the difference between a horse that just about performs at the level expected and one that excels.

    This feature explores how workload, energy sources and modern feeding science come together to create a diet that supports fitness, recovery and soundness in the sport horse.

    Feeding performance horses is both an art and a science. Two horses doing the same job may metabolise feed very differently, influenced by temperament, genetics and training routine. The goal is always the same: to provide enough of the right kind of energy to support performance without compromising health, temperament or gut function.

    Feeding performance horses for workload

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