Diet for Hot Horses
July 30, 2012
A horse’s diet and nutrition make a major difference in his energy levels.
Question:
I have an 8-year-old gelding who is ridden regularly, receives one scoop of sweet feed and grass hay, but is still “hot.” What feeds do you recommend for hot horses? Do calming supplements work?
To answer this question, we sought out nutrition expert Dr. Lydia Gray from AQHA Corporate Partner SmartPak Equine.
Answer:
I suggest replacing his sweet feed with a ration balancer (or multi-vitamin). Some horses do better when their energy comes from complex carbohydrates or from fat. Make sure he is getting a full serving of this fortified grain for his age, weight and workload.
Sweet feed can contain as much as 50 percent sugars and starches, which are what can cause some horses to be hot. The sugars are quickly digested and absorbed in the blood stream, leading to a spike in insulin release.
As far as calming supplements, you may find you don’t need one after swapping out the sweet feed in his diet. But if you want to try this approach, keep in mind that there are two broad categories of calming supplements: nutritional-based and herbal-based.
Some horses respond better to the nutrients magnesium, B-vitamins and tryptophan (an amino acid), while other horses are able to normalize their nervous systems with herbs such as valerian, vervain, chamomile, hops, passion flower or others.
Dr. Lydia Gray, SmartPak
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4 Comments on “Diet for Hot Horses”
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July 30th, 2012 at 10:16 am
I thought valarium was a banded substance with Aqha?
July 30th, 2012 at 10:44 am
Maybe someday horse people will figure out that horses were not designed to eat candy…..aka molasses…..I don’t know everything….but can tell you my horses diets are built as close to “natural” protien and fats sources as I can get to….and even my ex race horses are dead heads….
July 30th, 2012 at 10:54 am
I feed Strategy HE and pasture. I live in East Texas where the humidity is outrageous! She very seldom sweats though and I think it’s because of the feed, I’ve had a few other horse’s on it with the same results . Goes without saying fresh water and mineral block free fed. Good luck Suzette
August 1st, 2012 at 7:10 am
Definitely cut the sweet feed and balance the ration IF your hay does not provide the entire nutritional needs. You do not mention several factors though. #1 What type of hay are you feeding? Some horses get ‘hot’ on alfalfa and do better on grass hay. #2 You do not state any stabling conditions. Is your gelding turned out 24/7 or locked in a stall? Turn out is essential for hotter horses. #3 Do you lunge your horse and do ground work prior to riding? Many horses are much calmer after a 25 minute workout with numerous transitions and changes of direction on a line. I am not referring to just chasing them around in a pen but real work, tacked up on a line. #4 You state ‘ridden regularly’ but no specifics. Does that mean twice a week, every day , how long and under what conditions? Arena riding only, lessons with an instructor, trails, jumping? All these factors must be known in order to state if your ‘sweet feed’ is really the issue or if other changes could help. Look at the whole picture to hopefully address your problem, keep your horse calmer, and enjoy him. All the best, Carol K.