Help my horse is lethargic
Often horse owners want to add concentrates to their horses diet because they feel that the horse needs the extra energy. Mostly the problem is that the horse is lethargic.
But is adding concentrates the solution?
First of all, did you know that hay contains energy as well?
Example:
A 600 kilo gram horse needs about 80 megajoule of energy. This is maintenance. Most hay has 8 megajoule per kilo gram. So if you feed 10 kilogram of hay then you meet the horses maintenance level. A horse needs 2-3 kilo of hay per 100 kilo body weight. So if the horse is 600 kilo gram then you should feed between 12 and 18 kilogram of hay. So if you feed 12 kilo of hay then you have 96 megajoule. So 96-80=16 megajoule that you need to get rid of by working the horse.
If you ride every day and do light work ( 20minutes trot and 15minutes of cantering ). Within 1 hour. You use between 8 and 12 megajoule. This is still within the maintenance portion of hay.
If you work more like hunting and competitions then the energy need rises a bit more. So you could feed more hay!
Obviously there is a possibility that the horse might lack a certain nutrient. Because the hay isnt of great quality. Thats why its important to feed a mineral feed/balancer to cover that part. In some cases you might even have to add extra vitamins or minerals if the horse also has a metabolic disorder.
A fact is, that a lot of horses lack energy because they are not in homeostasis.
Not being in homeostasis means you have less ATP.
ATP is adenosine 5- triphosphate. Which is cell energy.
In order to function in homeostasis you need:
- a blood sugar level between 4-8
- atp should be sufficient
- have enough oxygen
- the right pH in stomach and right pH in the intestines
- no stress or pain
If one of the above applies for your horse then your horse will function anaerobe (without oxygen) this means the horse only has 2 ATP.
Compared to functioning aerobe (with oxygen) and being in homeostasis, your horse has 36 ATP.
If you have a disturbance in any of these homeostatic systems but you are getting all sorts of concentrates/nutrients, then the body cannot normally take up the nutrition. So you are wasting your time and money!
Rather get the horse back to homeostasis again, so it can use the nutrients and can use the energy from food. This is when your horse will gain energy and will be able to develop muscles.
What you shouldnt do:
1. feed concentrates, grains, beetpulp, yeast, soy.
These have an influence on the pH, gut health and blood sugar level
What you should do:
1. Feed good quality and sufficient hay
2. Create a stress free environment
3. Warming up and cooling down when working out, so the muscles don’t become acidic
4. Get lymphatic drainage done several times per year to support waste removal
5. Provide the horse with a salt lick and balancer/mineral feed ( without additives )