Best Off-Season Supplements for Horses

Maintaining your horse throughout the season in the Middle East

Maintaining your horse with a proper off-season diet is a crucial part of optimising & maintaining performance throughout the season.
Depending on your horse’s workload, many horses tend to become overly energetic if their work rate drops, which can lead to undesirable behaviours like bolting, jumping, or spooking. While maintaining the overall health of your horses and providing them with essential vitamins and minerals is essential, it’s equally important to strike a balance with their energy levels.

Determining the Right Amount to Feed:

A well-planned diet is particularly vital for performance horses. It ensures that their bodies receive essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fibres throughout the season, depending on their work rate. Failing to meet these nutritional requirements may force the horse to tap into stored reserves, a process that can be challenging to identify until the horse enters training and struggles to perform. An inadequate diet can leave your horse unprepared for the upcoming competitions and may result in various issues caused by nutrient deficiencies.

Calorie and protein deficiencies in horses are relatively easier to notice, as they directly affect the horse’s physical appearance. However, vitamin and mineral deficiencies in horses are more challenging to detect and may take some time to become apparent. Therefore, it’s crucial to get your horse’s diet right throughout the off-season to ensure they are in top condition for their planned competitions/races.

If your horse is on a restricted calorie intake, you can still meet their vitamin and mineral requirements by incorporating supplements. Products like Chevinal, a multivitamin supplement for horses, can help boost your horse’s nutrient intake and overall health.

Just as you wouldn’t compete in a dressage test without proper training and preparation, it’s essential to keep your horse’s health in optimal condition. A dull coat, brittle and cracked hooves, and reduced stamina are common symptoms often linked to nutritional issues in horses.

One effective supplement to consider is Kentucky Karron Oil., our superior oil supplement for horses. It serves as a cool source of calories without making the horse overly excitable. This oil supplement helps maintain healthy skin, lubricates the digestive tract, and aids in hydration. Kentucky Karron Oil is an emulsified linseed oil, for horses making it easier for the horse to digest efficiently and cost-effective in the long term.

Copper Supplements for Horses in the Middle East:

Many Middle Eastern forages have low levels of essential minerals like copper and zinc for horses, even when they appear to be of good quality. Copper deficiency in horses can impact bone, hoof, hair, skin, and tendon development and repair. Providing your horses with a copper and zinc supplement like Copper-Max Paste every 2-4 months ensures they have a reserve of these vital minerals. This supplementation not only benefits their physical health but also contributes to immune support.

Copper supplementation can be administered using Copper-Max Paste in a syringe for periodic doses or Coppervit, which can be added to their daily feed as needed. To understand more about the importance of copper supplements for horses, refer to our article on “Copper Supplementation in Horses.”

Promoting Healthy Hooves:

The saying “No Foot No Horse” rings true. While some hoof issues can’t be resolved through diet alone, equine supplements can assist horses with ongoing brittle hoof problems. Biotin and zinc play crucial roles in hoof construction. To ensure your farrier remains on good terms with you, consider adding a horse hoof supplement such as Hoof Aid Liquid or Hoof Aid Powder to your horse’s daily feed. While these supplements for horse hooves may not “heal” existing hoof issues, they promote healthier new hoof growth, reducing the likelihood of future cracks.

Muscle building

Muscle development relies primarily on protein, making it a crucial component in your horse’s diet. Proteins consist of amino acids, some of which can be produced by the body, while others must be obtained through dietary sources. These essential amino acids, often referred to as ‘limiting’ amino acids, are vital for proper growth and development.

Aside from protein and amino acids, specific vitamins and minerals are also essential for maintaining and developing healthy muscles. For instance, vitamin E and selenium serve as antioxidants for horses, and they play a vital role in the body’s natural process of eliminating harmful molecules known as free radicals. These free radicals are continuously produced during various bodily functions, with their production increasing during exercise. Consequently, horses engaged in training or competition have heightened antioxidant requirements. B-vitamins in horses are responsible for regulating the rate at which amino acids are utilized, ensuring an optimal rate that minimizes exercise-induced muscle damage.

To support rapid muscle development and maintain lean muscle, consider Muscle Prep. This equine muscle supplement provides easily absorbable amino acids, vitamin E for its potent antioxidant properties, and B vitamin complexes to optimize protein and energy utilization. Incorporate it into your horse’s daily routine during training and competition to enhance muscle development and topline condition.

For horses facing rigorous training or competition schedules, Muscle Max is a highly palatable option. It combines the potent antioxidant effects of vitamin E and selenium with B vitamins and the essential amino acid L-Lysine. L-Lysine is crucial for both muscle development and recovery, making it an ideal choice for horses with demanding athletic demands.

Stay Tuned for More Tips:

Getting your horse in top competition fitness, both mentally and physically, is a journey. In the coming weeks, we’ll share valuable tips on maintaining condition, keeping a cool head, and understanding electrolytes for horses too.

For personalized advice or specific questions related to your horse or situation, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our knowledgeable team. We’re here to help you and your trusty steed achieve your competitive goals.