Feeding the endurance horse

[prudence]

I am CERTAIN this topic has been covered but I can't seem to find it. What kind of hay, grain, and supplements (and amounts) does everyone feed?

We feed alfalfa grass hay - pretty much all that can be eaten
Two scoops of LMF gold
Salt block (white) and solitude

Thanks

[Auventera Two]

Well my horse is still doing LDs so it might change when we move on to 50s.

But for now she eats soaked beet pulp and alfalfa pellets, ground flax, BOSS, Accel supplement, white salt, and then Nutrena XTN on top of that when working hard. The days she doesn't work hard, she gets less feed. I use Pro-CMC to buffer electrolytes, and also before working. She gets a little Mag-Ox magnesium supplement also. Was getting raspberry leaves for mare issues, but not so much anymore.

She gets 3rd crop premium alfalfa, and a grass hay mix plus she grazes 24/7 during the warm months.

[saratoga]

Lots of bermuda grass hay.
About 5 lbs. or so of alfalfa hay.
A few lbs. of whatever bagged feed I bought- Strategy, Enrich 32, etc.
I like to keep it simple.

[Shadow14]

My guys have always got all the hay they could eat, alfalfa preferred and a mixture of sweet feed, corn and oats with a small handful of iodized salt thrown in. I use a can of peat pulp soaked for hours mixed with the grain to add moisture. The biggest part of my grain diet is steam rolled corn.
I fed about 6-7 pounds at a feeding before soaking the beet pulp

[Bank of Dad]

Don't you mean steamed rolled oats?

[Shadow14]

Don't you mean steamed rolled oats?

No Steam rolled Corn. Main part of his grain is corn..

[Diamond Jake]

My endurance horse is recently diagnosed IR, so his diet consists of soaked straight grass hay, no pasture grazing until mid-summer (with grazing muzzle), D-Carb, a joint supplement, and a little Nutrena Senior to help with the (flavor, smell of) supplements.

Have not done any rides this year because of moving and not riding much, but the plan is non-molassed beet pulp, with soaked senior, and this new timothy cube out of Canada. I emailed then to get more info and a US dealer- still waiting to hear back.

I am not saying my plan is perfect- it is a work on progress because with the move I will be working on securing a dry lot until he gets adjusted.

Most of my friends try to add calories without adding crazy at the same time. I know it is different for everyone... except that I believe MOST use beet pulp in some form or another!

[prudence]

And the night before and morning of a warm or hot endurance ride I remember doing the following:

mixing equal parts of soaked beet pulp and grain mix (scoop or two of each) with a few double handfuls of rice bran and make it slurpy. Put in a little electrolytes or give a half tube the night before and a half tube in the morning. Hay and water all night.

Does that sound right?

I love reading the regional differences between what we do. Heck, even here in California if you are on the west side of the Sacramento Valley you typically feed oat hay and alfalfa hay; here on the east side we typically feed grass hay and alfalfa hay - different regions.

I agree with keeping it simple for training but am open to change and very glad to read what others are doing. Thanks all!

PS. Shadow are you really feeding peat pulp? Peat is what causes poor foundations in the delta here! (joking of course)

[saratoga]

I sometimes buy beet pulp to feed at home and my horse likes it just fine but he will not eat it at an endurance ride. Even if its someone elses! He doesnt really want to eat his grass hay either, so I bring mostly alfalfa to rides. I sometimes bring sweet feed also to feed at vet checks and after the ride.

[prudence]

Yes, carrying carrots is a fine idea. They don't really need a bag and can be stashed anywhere. I think the softer they are, the more some horses gobble them down.

Never heard of brome hay - alfalfa is the horses' choice here but we mix it with 2/3 grass to keep them from becoming whales. At a ride of course that doesn't matter.

MSM you have to discontinue within 5 days of a ride I believe.

[psidio]

I have two horses that I do endurance on. Even though they are 1/2 brothers they are very different body types. I feed them a bit differently. Piper is more of a hard keeper and more active at home, so he gets more fat in his diet. General Lee is more laid back and a feed vacumn, so he gets more bulk, but less fat.

At home during ride season, we have salt mineral mix available free choice, plus green grass pasture 24/7.(no stalling). They get one scoop of 1/2 crimped oats, plus 1/2 scoop of a 6% fat sweet feed. Piper gets a powered anti ulcer additive and a joint and vitamin supplement.

During the week leading up to a ride, they get this ration doubled, plus I add a 12% fat feed. I have used Ultium, Nutrena XTN, Trifecta from Buckeye feeds. I also add water to make it a mash. I liked the XTN the best, but they quit selling it in our area. Ultium turns to sludge in a slurry mix. We add a flake of alfalfa grass mix hay and increase that amount daily. About three days out, I start adding electrolyte and probiotics. I recently found a product that is dried vegatable oil and is over 99% fat. I add some of that too.

We avoid corn as much as possible and prefer feeds with oats, barley, wheat middlings, etc. If the corn in the feed is ground we will accept that.

At a ride I feed apples, carrots, watermelon and cantalope as available, probiotics,plus their regular grain ration and free choice hay. I do increase the amount of 12% fat feed at the ride. Plus I will hand graze them as much as possible.

Riding the The Old Dominion 100 as cavalry offers special challenges in feeding as we have to carry the entire days ration with us. This eliminates the watermelon:-)

Paul N. Sidio
Spokane MO

[Shadow14]

This is from Dr. H. Meyer of Hanover Germany.

Feed grain in at least two equal feedings to prevent overeating. For poor eaters, corn should make up part or all of the grain mix as it is palatable and the densest in energy of all grains. For horses that bolt their grain or are prone to colic, oasts may be best as they are the highter in fier and lower in energy compared to corn.
Feed corn or vegetable oil during training may produce a glycogen sparing effect. Introduce the oil slowly into the reation and don't feed more than 10 percent of the total ration as oil. Remove uneaten feed to prevent rancidity.