Lancelot Tucker

How to Keep Your Horse Healthy for the Next Big Race Keeping your horse healthy is vital to its performance in the next big race ahead and there are a number of ways in which you can ensure that your steed is ready to take on the big challenge. Ensuring that your animal is fit and ready to take on the rest of world is putting the stakes in your favor. Give your horse the best food to eat Competing horses need the right type of food to stay healthy so they can perform well. If you feed your horse on low grade food, you may actually be robbing it of its ability to perform well against other top horses. You should therefore see to it that your horse has enough of the basic nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, fats, and minerals. Carbohydrates: horses get two kinds of food types from carbohydrates known as structural and non-structural nutrients. Structural carbohydrates cover fibers while non-structural ones have to do with starches and sugars. The hay grass that you feed your champion horse on is full of structured carbohydrates and therefore provides a great source of nutrient for your four-footed friend. Non-structural carbohydrates can be found in oats, barley and corn and when eaten by the horse the animal’s performance level will increase. Protein: the protein that you feed your horse on consists of amino acids and will help strengthen your animal’s hoof, muscle as well as hair. Since your horse is going through intense training for the big race ahead, it’s best that you feed him on approximately 12 protein feed and not go below or overboard. Some horse foods that have good protein present in them are grass hays (Timothy and Bermuda grass) and legume hays (peanuts, clover and alfalfa). Vitamins: these great organic compounds are vital for the maintenance and performance of your horse. The two groups of vitamins that will give your horse a boost are known as B complex and fat soluble. It is important to note that your horse is able to produce vitamins on its own because of how its body is structured. Therefore, you have to be wise when feeding your mount on vitamin rich foods such as fresh grass and top quality hay so that you don’t go overboard and compromise the health of your champion stallion. Some great vitamin sources for your aspiring champion horse are wheat germ, green feed, grains, carrots and molasses. Fats: over the years, experts have come to realize that food that has a high fat level in a horse’s diet is beneficial to the growth, development and performance of the animal. Fat is easily digestible by horses and is a great energy source as well. In fact, if you add enough fat to your horse’s food intake, the horse will starting eating less feed and this method will help you save money. Minerals: your horse needs enough minerals in its dietary intake to be able to perform satisfactory on race day. Good pasture and fresh hay both have great mineral nutrition in them. Calcium, sodium chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, zinc, and selenium are all rich mineral foods that should be a part of your horse’s daily diet. Do regular de-worming De-worming your horse regularly is another vital advantage in making your animal competitive enough to have a fighting chance to win in the next big race ahead. Parasites present in your mount’s body can bring damage to tissue and muscles, thus affecting the horse’s performance level. Regular de-worming will produce in your horse a healthy body and will also aid in fighting off other free agents that can make your gelding ill. Exercise your horse daily A dose of daily exercise will keep your horse fit and trim to run its best on the race track. Some exercise techniques to use are front-end exercise where you ride the horse down a hill so his front-end can be strengthened, neck and head stretching where you place a carrot before the horses eyes and have him follow the carrot, uphill riding to strengthen the hind legs of the horse, and belly exercise designed to strengthen its belly muscles. As the next big race gets closer, the preparation of your horse should take center stage and getting your gelding healthy for D-Day is not an option. By taking on the challenge to get your horse in tip-top shape for the next great event, you are giving your steed a winning chance.