Best Energy Supplements for Competition Horses

[emilykerr747]

Hi everyone,

I was looking for some advice on which are the best energy supplements for competition horses. Instant supplements (syringe application) or supplements for feed. Looking for some extra help for my boy who is a bit lethargic at times in the cross country and loses energy towards the end of the cross country (no matter how much fitness we do!). I just wanted to something that might give him an extra boost. Thank you!

 

[paddi22]

what is he being fed on at the moment and what level is he doing?

 

[ihatework]

Food
Fitness
Electrolytes, perhaps

But there isn’t an energy supplement per se that will get the horse to the end of Xc fighting fit. It’s a holistic approach

 

[emilykerr747]

what is he being fed on at the moment and what level is he doing?

Hi,
At the moment he’s on a standard balancer due to being in light work over winter. During the summer he is switched to a performance balancer and various joint and hoof supplements. We were currently doing BE80 last season and looking to move to 90 this year.

 

[emilykerr747]

Food
Fitness
Electrolytes, perhaps

But there isn’t an energy supplement per se that will get the horse to the end of Xc fighting fit. It’s a holistic approach

Thanks for getting back. I think a large factor may be to do with the fact he is only 14hh, is a Connie and has a short stride. We are currently competing BE80 and hoping to move him to 90 but the cross country time would be an issue.

I am also looking for advice on creating a suitable fitness rechime for him but I will probably start another thread for that. I would definitely welcome any advice you may have for feeding, supplements and fitness!

 

[paddi22]

I'd say the feed is your issue. a balancer isn't enough for some horses who need extra energy xc, you might need to look at switching feed or adding some cereals. A balancer doesn't have a lot of energy or calories, and an xc horse needs carbohydrates to produce glycogen that it can get bursts of energy from when needed.

 

[emilykerr747]

Okay thank you!

 

[oldie48]

We used a competition feed for both our connie and connie x tb, they also had a lot of fittening work including work on the gallops and up to 100's they didn't struggle at all with the time and finsihed with plenty of running left in them. We also used Red Cell during the season, tbh I have no idea if it was really any good but they both seemed to perk up when they were on it. I think the trick with natives is to keep their level of fitness up and not let them down too much during the off season definitely don't let them get fat either, both of ours were kept busy over the winter with show jumping and dressage with lots of schooling and hacks (poor things!). I know it's difficult ATM but we found ours thrived on work.

 

[milliepops]

fitness is a big part of it, but for natives, oats added to a basic balancer-based diet can work well.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I have found Spillers Slow Release competition mix very helpful for various types of horses, along with hill work. Oats and occasionally peas for the hunters, BUT, they were working hard and it was a long time ago in the days of hunters being on grass or plough all day rather than trotting around the lanes. I was always told to feed for the work they have done, not what they might do.

The Spillers Instant Energy Release produced just that, generally the energy in the upwards direction sadly. Turbo flakes are useful too as very low amounts are needed so ideal for picky feeders. The less athletically bred horses are always going to find galloping and jumping hard work regardless of their feed and fitness levels.

 

[emilykerr747]

We used a competition feed for both our connie and connie x tb, they also had a lot of fittening work including work on the gallops and up to 100's they didn't struggle at all with the time and finsihed with plenty of running left in them. We also used Red Cell during the season, tbh I have no idea if it was really any good but they both seemed to perk up when they were on it. I think the trick with natives is to keep their level of fitness up and not let them down too much during the off season definitely don't let them get fat either, both of ours were kept busy over the winter with show jumping and dressage with lots of schooling and hacks (poor things!). I know it's difficult ATM but we found ours thrived on work.

Thank you. I will definitely try begin his fitness and work now so hopefully he’s fit enough when the season starts and switch to a competition feed.

 

[emilykerr747]

I have found Spillers Slow Release competition mix very helpful for various types of horses, along with hill work. Oats and occasionally peas for the hunters, BUT, they were working hard and it was a long time ago in the days of hunters being on grass or plough all day rather than trotting around the lanes. I was always told to feed for the work they have done, not what they might do.

The Spillers Instant Energy Release produced just that, generally the energy in the upwards direction sadly. Turbo flakes are useful too as very low amounts are needed so ideal for picky feeders. The less athletically bred horses are always going to find galloping and jumping hard work regardless of their feed and fitness levels.

Thank you for your reply. I will definitely look into that. Ah yes I have found that. With his breeding and size the odds are already not in his favour for eventing. He is great in all three phases just struggles with getting the time in the xc. I’m sure it also doesn’t help that he can be quite spooky and backwards thinking which requires a lot of riding towards the jump rather than him taking us.

I will definitely be redrafting his fitnesses plan and changing feeds which should hopefully help him out.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My friend has just put her young show pony on the Saracens balancer and Equijewel and she said she has much more energy without being silly.

 

[ihatework]

Worth getting some Xc lessons too with a view to looking at the time.

Ultimately you are never going to turn a little native into a TB, so it’s better to be safe with some time penalties, than max the pony out and have an accident.

That said there are a few common faults that many amateurs can tweak to help with times, mostly the start, lines and getaway from fences. Might be worth a few course walks with an experienced competitor

 

[paddi22]

99% of connie should have no issues eventing. all the pony classes here in ireland are usually made up of connies and they fly around 1 10s no problem. as a kid I evented my connie around all kinds of courses with no time issues.

the change in feed might pep him up a bit, and then I'd say your next issue to tweak is the backwardness on the course, you lose a lot of seconds at every jump with a backwards horse - you need to be riding strong into it and riding strongly away after it. ihateworks point about the line you take xc is an excellent one too, it's very easy to take long lines and lose time you don't need to. a lot of people under estimate the speed they need to go at as well for some levels. if you have a field mark out 100 metres and get someone to time you, then compare your speed against the expected speed for your level. It took me ages when I started to realise I was going in way to slow a canter, that exercise is great for getting the feel of the canter you need.

there are plenty of fitness plans you can download, and if you get one of those and work to it you will be flying!

 

[emilykerr747]

99% of connie should have no issues eventing. all the pony classes here in ireland are usually made up of connies and they fly around 1 10s no problem. as a kid I evented my connie around all kinds of courses with no time issues.

the change in feed might pep him up a bit, and then I'd say your next issue to tweak is the backwardness on the course, you lose a lot of seconds at every jump with a backwards horse - you need to be riding strong into it and riding strongly away after it. ihateworks point about the line you take xc is an excellent one too, it's very easy to take long lines and lose time you don't need to. a lot of people under estimate the speed they need to go at as well for some levels. if you have a field mark out 100 metres and get someone to time you, then compare your speed against the expected speed for your level. It took me ages when I started to realise I was going in way to slow a canter, that exercise is great for getting the feel of the canter you need.

there are plenty of fitness plans you can download, and if you get one of those and work to it you will be flying!

My old horse was connie x tb from ireland who took me around the BE 100 tracks and never had to worry about time although he was very bold cross country, unlike my new one!

I'm definitely trying to work more on the backwardness of my new one. For a bit of back story:
He can be very spooky and often props before fences which is where I'm sure he's losing most of the time. On the up-side, his spookiness makes him very careful in the showjumping where he never touches a pole but always takes a very good look! Although I wish he wouldn't do that in the xc!

Last season he performed very well with all double clears but one. He just takes a great deal of riding to get him over each fence - especially the first few in the xc. I should also note that he is now 12 years old and has begun eventing at 6 and has huge amounts of cross country and showjumping experience but is still unable to shake the habit of looking at the fence before take off. He will look at the fence whether its a 20cm cross pole or a 1m oxer with a dragon underneath! He was passed to me as his owner had lost confidence being thrown from him too many times as he can be very sharp and spooky.

My plan for this year, if all goes well, was to introduce him to hunting and low-level team chasing to help encourage him to stretch out and not look so much at each fence as he's perfectly great with a lead but only looks when he has to go first.

I also plan to create new fitness and feed plan and hopefully gathering some advice on how to build his confidence.

 

[BronsonNutter]

Do you have any gallops nearby which you could hire? I think it’s hard to get a horse who isn’t a natural galloper properly ‘eventing fit’ without doing some proper canter work - and there’s so few places out hacking where you can canter/gallop continuously for a mile. It would also help the pair of you get used to riding at the required speed as you can time the set distances. And it’s fun ?

 

[emilykerr747]

We don’t have any designated galloping areas but we have the beach nearby which is great! How often should I be taking him out for a gallop? I usually aim for once a week but would I need to up this for him? Thank you!

 

[oldie48]

We used to do fast work with ours once a week leading up to the season but once the season had started we worked in according to the events. Daughter also used interval training as part of the fittening work.

 

[Goldenstar]

When you get back to competition work I would go for an slow release competition coarse mix in the past I have use the spillers one and Saracens releve .
You might need to look at your fitness training as an 80 is not very long and a Connie should be able to romp round without much trouble .
You should consider if you should feed at some point during the day if there’s a long wait before the xc , this can be difficult to manage but with some horses it makes a considerable difference .