Horse Training Hints and Tips

Some horses are grain-intolerant or sensitive to oats. Avoid feeding oats if you suspect  muscle problems, or metabolic disorder, and discontinue oats if you notice any problems with your horse.

Whole Oats

Too much protein in the feed makes horses lazy, and too little protein in the feed, makes them retain water.

People say,  ”Won’t oats heat my horse?” and the answer is no. Oats are the lowest in Energy out of all the grains, have less Protein and are the most readily digested and utilised of all the grains. This is why the oat was such a popular horse feed until more recently when people learnt they could make a lot of money from producing horse feed.

It has also been show that feeding whole oats to brood mares can increase milk production.

Whole oats are ideal because they have a:

• • high proportion of husks
• • high starch digestibility even before breakdown
• • high fat content
• • ideal to chew taking into account the horse’s dentition
• • very high palatability
•  high proportion of mucilaginous substances (Mucilage can be used in gastrointestinal inflammatory processes; associated to topical irritation agents. The mechanism of action is that mucilages cover the mucous membranes and prevent irritation of the nerve endings. Def. from Wikipedia)

Oats have 90% starch digestibility, compared to around 30-35% for barley and corn. So when oats are fed (in appropriate amounts), they are easily broken down in the small intestine.

Another reason for whole oats (instead of crushed) is that you need the intact kernel in order to receive the fat content of the whole grain. The husk of the whole oat is very important for correct chewing and digestive processes. A horse with good teeth and proper dental care will chew and digest the whole oat, leaving only husks in the manure. If oats are coming out undigested, there could be a tooth or digestion problem going on, so be sure to investigate that.

It is recommended that oats be fed broken up into many small meals, with a maximum of up to 2.4 kg per meal for a 600 kg gram horse.  Also, the oats should be introduced gradually, of course.  If oats are fed alone, they must be supplemented with a good vitamin/mineral mix and hay.

A problem with sport horses today is that they often do not have a sufficient supply of the fatty acids to fulfill their energy requirements, and actually panic from the feeling that they do not have the energy they need, and take refuge in flight. Therefore, some horses may appear hyper and uncontrollable (and then the owner cuts down on the oats!) when what they really need are more oats to give them enough energy to do their job, and they won’t be so hyper.

Quote from one farrier: “ I’ve had 5 particularly bad laminitic ponies to trim this past summer, and I told all their owners to start using whole oats. They were a bit worried, as most vets would keel over at this idea, but they trusted and fed them. The healing has gone so much faster and easier for them since the oats. They’ve all had crests and fat deposits, which are softening and disappearing.”

“In a book on human nutrition, by John Gray, he states that beer bellies are actually a sign of liver problems/toxicity. The reason they are also known as “middle-age spread” is that it takes until middle age for the liver to start causing this bloated appearance. I’ve noticed masses of horses in their teens who appear to be fat, but on second look actually just have a pot belly. John Gray states that no amount of exercise gets rid of this—only detoxing the liver will!”

How much whole oats?

Based on Peter Speckmaier’s (SHP, Germany) info, here are some whole oat feeding guidelines for a typical horse, with natural living conditions, and receiving a little bit of exercise (but could use more):

Feed less oats when horses are on varied, unimproved pasture with a wide variety of plants.

If it is only possible to feed one time per day, you should NEVER exceed 2.4kgs per meal for a 600kg horse, or 1.5kg per meal for smaller horses. Feeding more per meal than this can lead to undigested starch passing though to the large intestine and disrupting the digestive system (gas, colic, acid feces).

Older horses with poor teeth that can’t chew whole oats properly can still reap the benefits if you can cook the oats before feeding. This can be accomplished simply by pouring boiling water over the bucket and letting it sit, covered, for a while.

Calcium/Phosphorous Balance

When adding oats, the calcium/phosphorous balance of the overall diet needs some attention. Many nutritionists recommend the optimum ratio for a mature horse to be between 1.5-1 and 2-1 calcium to phosphorous. Oats are higher in phosphorous, and can have an inverted calcium to phosphorous ratio of 1 to 5 (1 part calcium to 5 parts phosphorous)—so if you feed a lot of oats, you will need to balance this out with the correct amount of calcium.

Most grass hays have only a 1-1 or 2-1 ratio, while legume hays can have very high calcium, with a 5-1 or higher ratio. You can feed a small amount of lucerne as a “supplement” to increase calcium. Many people also feed beet pulp because of its high calcium ratio (6-1). Another solution is to provide a free choice calcium mineral supplement. Some h horsemen offer calcium carbonate, limestone, or bone meal, but the source and purity should be evaluated. Any free choice mineral mixes should have a 2-1 calcium to phosphorous ratio.

Remember that grain does not cause laminitis or founder—poor hoof form does.

One of the most beneficial warm-up routines is to lightly massage the neck, shoulder and hind quarter muscles for 10-15 seconds on each side, then walk the horse on a lead (already geared up) over 3 parallel jumping poles spaced 4 metres apart on a flat surface, at an angle of 45 degrees to the poles, in a figure 8 pattern for 4-5 laps.  This exercise helps to flex the upper body and spine, strengthen the sacroiliac and lower back area, stretch muscles on both sides on the figure ’8′ turns and encourages the horse to lift its legs and lightly flex the tendons.

Then a walk to the arena, mount and walk 60 metres up the centre line in a zig-zag pattern, turn at C and lightly trot in a zig-zag, shoulder-in movement back to A to warm and limber up the day’s training exercises.

It is a common belief that a fat mare does not produce as much milk due to fat occupying room in her mammary gland.  Studies have shown that an obese mare has a similar milk yield to a moderately conditioned mare, but her foal may grow at a slightly lower rate during the first two months.

The growth rate of a foal at foot is relative to milk yield of the mare.

Once a mare foals and begins to produce milk to feed her foal, she must be provided with an increased intake of energy, protein, calcium, Vitamin A and other vitamins and minerals to meet her needs.  A lactating mare requires more of these nutrients than a racing or performance horse in medium-heavy work.

Did you know that a lot of people think that shedded hay (the older the better) is better for your horse or pony?

This is not correct.

During storage, hay doesn’t reduce in sugar (or protein) content as it ages as is commonly believed.  The content of certain essential vitamins, such as vitamin A  - up to 80% reduction of vitamin A  over a 6 month period is lost.  Vitamin E – up to 60% or more is lost during 6 months storage.  Dry Lucerne hay is high in sugars.

Moreover, the sugars which can trigger laminitis and founder don’t reduce when hay is ‘shedded’ .   The best way to reduce the sugar content is to soak the hay in double its volume of warm water in a big tub, and then lift it out to drain for at least 15-30 minutes and to air dry before feeding it to your horse or pony.

Soaking  grass hay (especially rye-grass hay) will make it less ‘heating’ from its high sugar energy content and help make your pony less energetic or ‘hot’ to handle.

A lot of riders don’t have the strength to get a horse to perform by wrapping their legs around him and pushing him on, but that’s not the feeling that you want, and it’s not possible to get your horse to Grand Prix level by muscling through it.

It is the timing of your aids, not the strength of your aids, that gets results.  You want your horse to react to the lightest aid possible.

You must expect 100% sensitivity to your aids every time you ask your horse for something.  Accepting less than that will create a dull horse in the long term.

Never compromise the quality of the gaits just to complete a movement.  If you feel you are losing the quality of the gait, you must get out of the movement and re-establish a correct connection to the mouth and sensitivity to your legs; then you can try the movement again.

Use a quick ‘bump’ of your leg or a tap with the whip to create a quicker stride.  Use a longer squeezing of your leg to create a longer stride.

When you half halt, you must feel the horse’s hind legs get quicker and feel the energy bubbling underneath you.

Repeat your half halts as often as you need, but never hold strong on the reins for longer than an brief moment.

The release (softening of the hand) after every half halt is just as important as the half halt itself.  The horse must go in self carriage after a half halt.  If not, the half halt was not effective, and it must be repeated or reinforced by making a downward transition.

You must be able to regulate the tempo of your horse’s stride to maintain the same rhythm throughout all the movements.  That is what gives a horse the beautiful effect of flowing through a test.

Our horses are athletes and must be maintained through the best possible vet care, feeding and grooming in order for them to perform at their best.

The horse’s welfare must always come first.  Never drill a horse or overdo your training sessions, or you will not have an enthusiastic happy horse underneath you.