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Nutrition Advice for Preparing Yearlings for Sales
It is that time of year again — the summer is coming to an end and the yearling sales are fast approaching. Owners are in a hurry to get their yearlings prepared for the sales ring! We thought it would be helpful to share some tips with you to get your yearlings looking their very best.
The aim of the pre-sales preparation period is to enhance the physical development and maturity of the yearling so that they stand out and look their very best in the sales ring.
High Protein Diets for Yearlings
As walker exercise, hand walking, lunging and driving are introduced to develop muscular condition and an active walk, consignors are aware that the demands on these young horses require an increase in nutrients and necessitate an increase in feeding.
This brings its own difficulties, however, as overfeeding can lead to other problems such as tying up, over-conditioning or behavioural issues.
One of the limiting nutrients for young horse growth is protein. Diets low in protein have been shown to significantly limit growth rates in young horses.
Why Protein Matters for Growing Yearlings
It follows that one of the most valuable nutrients for the sales prep yearling is protein. Proteins are needed to build and repair muscle. The building blocks of proteins, amino acids, are digested and absorbed by the horse and incorporated into developing muscle.
Protein Quality and Digestibility
Feeding a high protein diet is typically how consignors try to meet the increased protein needs of yearlings. However, protein content alone does not guarantee success — you must also consider the protein quality and protein digestibility.
When Do Yearlings Need Protein Supplements?
In many cases protein supplementation can be useful for yearling sales preparation, as an efficient means to provide the necessary building blocks to create and maintain muscle mass. Supplementing protein in the diet can particularly work well for:
- Yearlings that were of an immature body type at the start of sales preparation
- Yearlings that go off their feed during sales preparation
- Yearlings recovering from illness during sales preparation
- Yearlings that don’t eat well
Muscle Prep: Protein Support for Sales Preparation
We at Foran Equine have a great product that can help you get your young horse all set for the sales — Muscle Prep. Muscle Prep is a concentrated, high quality, pre-digested liquid protein for horses.
It contains a unique pre-digested protein with additional B vitamins and Vitamin E in a formula optimised for rapid absorption, to support muscular development and condition in exercising horses.
For best results, feed daily for 2–6 weeks before the sales and have your yearlings looking their very best in the sales ring.
How to Feed Muscle Prep
For best results, feed daily for 2–6 weeks before the sales and have your yearlings looking their very best in the sales ring.
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