Feeding Your Thoroughbred

Feeding Your Thoroughbred

A practical guide for new owners

Bringing a Thoroughbred home is an exciting step. Good nutrition plays an important role in helping your horse settle into their new environment, maintain a healthy body condition and adapt to life after racing.

There is no single feeding programme that suits every Thoroughbred. Age, body condition, workload, pasture quality, temperament, health and whether your horse has recently finished racing will all influence what they need.

The good news is that feeding your Thoroughbred does not need to be complicated. Start with forage, make changes gradually and feed the horse in front of you.

Start by finding out what your horse is currently eating

If your Thoroughbred has recently left a racing stable or retrainer, ask for details of their existing diet before they arrive.

Find out:

• What hard feed they are receiving and how much
• How many times a day they are fed
• What type and quantity of hay, haylage or other forage they receive
• How much access they have to pasture
• Whether they receive supplements, electrolytes or salt
• Their previous workload
• Any history of ulcers, digestive problems, weight loss or other health concerns

Avoid making an immediate, significant change simply because the horse has stopped racing. Changes in feed should generally be introduced gradually to give the digestive system time to adapt.

Make forage the foundation

Horses are designed to eat fibre regularly throughout the day. Good-quality pasture, hay and other suitable forage should therefore form the foundation of your Thoroughbred's diet.

NZTR's Thoroughbred Welfare Detailed Assessment Standards require Thoroughbreds to receive a balanced diet including a minimum of 1.5% of their body weight in good-quality natural fibre or roughage each day, unless otherwise directed by a veterinarian.

Remember that pasture contributes to your horse's forage intake, so requirements for supplementary forage will vary considerably depending on pasture quality and availability.

Long periods without food should be avoided. Horses naturally spend a significant proportion of their day grazing and eating, and regular access to forage supports both digestive health and normal feeding behaviour.

Does my Thoroughbred need hard feed?

Not necessarily.

A Thoroughbred living on good-quality pasture with a relatively light workload may require considerably less supplementary feed than they did while racing. Others may need additional feed to maintain condition, support their workload or address nutritional gaps in their forage.

Rather than assuming that every ex-racehorse needs a large hard-feed ration, assess:

Body condition: Is your horse maintaining, gaining or losing weight?

Workload: A horse hacking twice a week has very different energy requirements from one preparing for eventing or show jumping.

Pasture: New Zealand pasture can provide a significant amount of a horse's nutritional requirements, but its quality and quantity change throughout the year.

Temperament: Some horses become unnecessarily energetic or difficult to manage when supplied with more dietary energy than their workload requires.

Overall health: Dental problems, gastric ulcers, pain and other health conditions can affect appetite and body condition and should not simply be addressed by adding more feed.

If additional calories are required, speak with an equine nutritionist, veterinarian or reputable feed company about an appropriate ration.

Transitioning from a racing diet

A recently retired racehorse may have been consuming relatively large amounts of concentrated feed to support the energy demands of training and racing.

Once that workload reduces, their energy requirements can also reduce.

However, don't simply remove their existing feed overnight.

Aim to transition gradually towards a diet appropriate for their new lifestyle. At the same time, maximise appropriate access to pasture and forage.

For some horses this transition is straightforward. Others may lose condition as they adjust to a new environment, different pasture, increased turnout or changes in routine.

Monitor your horse rather than relying solely on what the feed bag recommends.

Learn to assess body condition

Your horse's appearance is one of your best tools for determining whether their diet is working.

NZTR recommends regularly monitoring Thoroughbreds using a recognised Body Condition Score (BCS). A horse's condition should be considered alongside factors including workload, age, health and environmental conditions.

Look and feel for changes around the:

• Ribs
• Neck and crest
• Withers
• Behind the shoulder
• Back and topline
• Tailhead

Don't rely on sight alone, particularly during winter when a thick coat can hide weight loss.

Take photographs from the same angles every few weeks. Tracking changes over time is often more useful than a single measurement.

Water is essential

Your horse should always have access to clean, fresh drinking water.

Water requirements can increase substantially with exercise, warm weather, increased dry forage intake and sweating.

Check troughs and buckets daily and clean them regularly. Don't assume that because water is available your horse is drinking enough — changes in drinking behaviour can sometimes be an early indication that something isn't right.

Feeding the Thoroughbred in work

As your horse's workload increases, their diet may need to change with it.

Increase feed according to the actual work being performed, rather than the work you hope to be doing in several months.

A horse beginning light schooling or hacking generally requires much less energy than a horse competing regularly. Where additional energy is required, make dietary changes gradually and continue to prioritise forage.

Your horse should ideally maintain a healthy, relatively consistent body condition as their fitness develops.

When your horse is not gaining weight

A Thoroughbred that struggles to maintain condition does not automatically need a bigger hard feed.

Consider the whole picture.

Ask:

• Is enough forage actually available?
• Is another horse preventing them from accessing feed?
• Are their teeth up to date?
• Have they been appropriately managed for parasites?
• Has their workload increased?
• Is pasture quality or availability declining?
• Are they stressed in their new environment?
• Could pain or an underlying health problem be contributing?
• Are they receiving the recommended daily quantity of their chosen feed?

If your horse continues to lose weight or fails to gain condition despite appropriate feeding, seek veterinary advice.

A simple feeding checklist

• Find out what your horse was eating before they arrived.
• Make dietary changes gradually.
• Base the diet around good-quality pasture and forage.
• Ensure clean, fresh water is always available.
• Match additional feed to body condition and workload.
• Regularly monitor body weight and condition.
• Check teeth and maintain an appropriate parasite-management programme.
• Don't add supplements without understanding whether they are needed.
• Increase feed gradually as workload increases.
• Seek professional advice if your horse is losing weight, has digestive concerns or is difficult to maintain.

This guide provides general information only and is not a substitute for individual veterinary or professional nutritional advice.