Energy Supplements

[Megan1221]

I normally put my gelding on red cell in the summers to help with our terrible heat and humidity draining his energy. It helps but not quite as much as I would like. At a recent show I tried the cavalor energy paste and was very pleased with the results (I tend to supplement with a red cell paste during non summer months just at the shows instead of the daily supplement).

Has anyone tried their powered performance product? I was hoping that might be another option to use on a daily basis in the summer rather than the red cell, and provide similar results to the paste.

[Scribbler]

I would stay away from red cell because in general horses don’t need extra iron.

I would stop the red cell and make sure horse is on a good supplement or rational balancer that keeps his zinc and copper in balance.

If you want to learn more about horse nutrition I recommend Julie Gettys Feed Your Horse Like a Horse.

[Janet]

If a horse is losing energy in the summer due to heat and humidity, he needs electrolytes, NOT iron,

[tabula_rashah]

Red Cell, for the most part, is a terrible idea.

What is your horse’s diet like other-wise? How much work is he getting? When you say high temp/humidity- what numbers are you talking?

[JB]

Where are you located?

What is the whole diet - list hours of turnout, pounds of hay (or at least hours with hay), any feed (what kind, how much), etc.

What breed is he? Some breeds don’t tolerate heat well, and adding in humidity can really sap their energy.

What time of day do you usually ride?

As others said, Red Cell is not a good idea. It is useful for some horses who work REALLY hard, but that’s not 95% of horses.

[Megan1221]

We are in Louisiana, so temps can reach upper 90s-low 100s in the peak of summer plus the humidity being very high. I do my best to ride early or late, but have to base around my work schedule. We do have a covered ring so that we aren’t in direct sun. Typically works 6 days a week and competes in the 1.15 m jumpers.

He lives on electrolytes year round. He is in during the day and goes out all night. He’s a pretty easy keeper- 12% sweet feed, free choice hay (slow feed hay net) and alfalfa three times a week. He’s an 11 yr old Holsteiner.

[JB]

12% sweet feed - this may be part or all of the problem. What feed, specifically, and how much?

What breed is he?

[Scribbler]

I didn’t know anyone fed sweet feed anymore.

[JB]

Lots and lots of people feed cheap sweet feed, for a lot of reasons.

[Megan1221]

I appreciate the feedback, but I do have a trainer and vet who oversee his diet plan. My specific question was if anyone has experience using an energy supplement that they recommend and has worked well for them?

[tabula_rashah]

@Megan1221

I appreciate the feedback, but I do have a trainer and vet who oversee his diet plan. My specific question was if anyone has experience using an energy supplement that they recommend and has worked well for them?

If your vet or trainer is recommending the current plan of sweet feed- it’s time to find someone else to talk about nutrition with. There’s no point in an energy supplement if the base you’re adding it to is crappy to begin with

[Scribbler]

OP I really suggest you do some self education in horse nutrition and Julie Gettys book that I mentioned above is a good guide to current best practices. It was the recommended reference book when I did a Coursera on horse nutrition a few years ago.

I fed sweet feed in the 1970s. When I returned to riding as an adult 12 years ago I found that knowledge on horse nutrition had increased amazingly. I would not use sweet feed now, way too much excess sugar and no vitamin mineral balance.

Your question is like asking: I want to live on donuts and poptarts, but I want an energy supplement on top of that. It doesn’t work that way.

I realize many folks come to horses with only a sketchy idea of even human nutrition ( which is rather different but has some things in common). But trust me that just adding an energy supplement to a bad human diet won’t make you an athlete either.

You need to talk to an equine nutritionist not an old school vet or trainer.

Btw my childhood horse did very well on sweet feed but I was riding her all day summers and weekends, and at least an hour or two on school days, and galloping everywhere. My current horse would blow up and probably founder on that diet. I ride her almost every day but I don’t ride like a feral 14 year old anymore!

[JB]

@Megan1221

I appreciate the feedback, but I do have a trainer and vet who oversee his diet plan. My specific question was if anyone has experience using an energy supplement that they recommend and has worked well for them?

Sweet feed is not something anyone with any reasonable understanding of equine physiology would recommend.

Scribbler said it best - “Your question is like asking: I want to live on donuts and poptarts, but I want an energy supplement on top of that. It doesn’t work that way.”

You can’t live on junk food and expect Red Bull to fix problems. No, a meal of sweet feed is not the majority of his diet, but it’s not helping, and may be making things worse than they would be otherwise.

What kind of hay does he get? Is it always the same - always in during the day with hay, out at night? Does he get grass at night during the Summer, or also hay?

I would not give a horse who seems to have trouble with heat, any alfalfa - it literally is a heating hay, causing a small rise (.5*, I don’t think it’s as much as a whole *) in body temperature for up to 4 hours, for every 5lb fed. That’s fantastic in the Winter, it’s not a good idea for the middle of hot humid Summers, or for horses who work long enough hours that they can’t afford a food-related rise in body temp (think endurance).