Feeding the Anaerobic Equine Athlete


HOW DO YOU BUILD A NUTRITIONAL PROGRAM THAT SUPPORTS YOUR HIGH-­INTENSITY EQUINE ATHLETE? THREE EXPERTS SHARE THEIR ADVICE IN THIS ARTICLE FROM THE JUNE 2019 ISSUE OF THE HORSE. READ AN EXCERPT NOW.






At the National Cutting Horse Association World Championship Futurity, the final seconds of competition can determine the champion. The winning horse stays with the last cow, preventing it from returning to the herd. Another horse loses its last cow just before the buzzer sounds, only to go home without placing. In many cases, the latter horse has simply run out of gas, says Karen Davison, PhD, an equine nutritionist and director of equine technical solutions for Purina Animal Nutrition, in Gray Summit, Missouri.
“Both horses are incredibly talented elite athletes,” she says. “One just didn’t have enough energy to sustain the high-intensity workout and make that final big move to hold the cow.”



Nutrition in the form of fats and carbohydrates (sugars, starches) is the fuel that sustains performance. However, the body uses these energy sources differently depending on a workout’s duration and intensity. Take aerobic exercise, for instance: During this longer-lasting, lower-intensity work such as endurance riding, the muscle tissues use oxygen to convert fat into energy. During the short bursts of high-intensity training that characterize anaerobic exercise, on the other hand, muscles don’t need oxygen to convert stored sugars into energy. Barrel racers, jumpers, racehorses, and rodeo horses that work hard for a few seconds to about 2 minutes typically fit this description, says Brian D. Nielsen, PhD, PAS, Dipl. ACAN, professor of equine exercise physiology at Michigan State University, in East Lansing.
“People tend to think their horse is working either anaerobically or aerobically,” says Clair Thunes PhD, an equine nutrition consultant and owner of Summit Equine Nutrition, in Gilbert, Arizona. “The horse’s muscles are actually doing both at the same time.”


Muscles are made up of many fibers. The number of fibers working aerobically versus anaerobically varies depending on how hard the horse is working, his fitness level, breed, and genetics. With all those variables, how do you build a nutritional program that supports your high-­intensity equine athlete? Davison, Nielsen, and Thunes share their advice.


WHAT’S ON THE MENU?


Indeed, equine athletes, regardless of the type, need energy to perform. While horses never work exclusively in aerobic or anaerobic mode, the intensity and duration of the exercise determines which mode they predominately work in. The diet must supply the right combination of fuel sources to best support the work. During lower-intensity, longer duration exercise, the body burns more stored fat. Dietary fats such as vegetable oils, rice bran, and oil seeds and fibers from forages, beet pulp, and soy hulls support these stores. As workout intensity increases, the body shifts to burning more anaerobic fuels, which come primarily from soluble carbohydrates, starches, and sugars, supplied mostly by grains.


This article continues in the June 2019 issue of The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care. Subscribe now and get an immediate download of this issue, including this in-depth feature on how designing a diet for horses that perform quick, intense exercise isn’t black and white.


Already a magazine subscriber? Digital subscribers can access their June issue here. Domestic print subscribers who have not received their copy should email circulation@thehorse.com.


(Article first published at: TheHorse.com)

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