Feeding the racehorse

[jolise]

I am looking for some COTH wisdom.
I am curious what type of feeding program that the COTh’ers use for their racehorses.
Type of hay, amount, frequency, supplements, grains , etc.
This would be for a horse in race training on the West Coast.

I do realize this is determined by the trainer. I am just curious as to what a typical feed program is on the racetrack and how it differs from feeding programs for the show horses.

Thanks.

ie: Would a feed like Ultium be useful to put a little weight on horse that is having trouble holding weight at the track? Horse is already on ulcer meds

[Texarkana]

The biggest difference is the quantity of feed being fed. Most race horses eat some sort of sweet feed or hard grains, and eat upwards of 10-20 lbs a day of it. Hay is usually plentiful. Some trainers feed alfalfa, others feed Timothy or grass hays. But racehorses are fed a lot more of both feed and hay than your typical show horse.

While I can’t say I’ve ever known any trainer who uses Ultium per se, adding fat is popular for hard keepers. Some use sweet feeds with higher fat content, others add in oils. Rice bran is also common.

What is the horse eating now?

[danceronice]

Ours get sweet feed, AFAIK, and enough hay the majority owner is joking we’re going to need higher quarterly fees or they need to win bigger purses to pay for it all. (He’s kidding. Mostly.) If just upping the amount of grain didn’t work I might ask about rice bran or corn oil, but I’d want to know weight of grain and hay compared to amount of work if they weren’t able to maintain before adding anything.

[jolise]

Thank you for the advice.
Danceonice—what is AFAIK?
He is currently on alfalfa, grain and oats I think.
His weight is not terrible, just has dropped weight and lost some condition. Coat looks a bit dull too.
He is an older claimer who I have had for a little over a year. He recently was claimed off of me and with another trainer for about 6 weeks and I took him back. He did not look great when he came back. I am hoping to race him a few more times and then bring him home.
The Ultium works great on my show horse, just wondering if it might help for him.
And dumb question—is there anything in the commercial supplements that would “test” at the track? I am a little paranoid of inadvertently suggesting something that might result in a positive test.

[Laurierace]

Can you explain what you mean by already on ulcer meds? What meds specifically? Many trainers feed for short term energy via throwing sugar at them in the form of sweet feed, red cell etc but I think that is losing popularity. I personally fed a ration balancer, a locally milled high fat, low carb pellet and as much hay as I could stuff into them and went from there.

Yes, there are plenty of supplements that could test in various jurisdictions so tread carefully.

[jolise]

I believe he is on omeprazole. Will need to check if daily or other regimen

[Laurierace]

Even saying he is on omeprazole isn’t enough information because omeprazole needs to pass through the stomach in order to do the job. It has to be buffered or entericly coated.

[BLBSTBLS]

On my aged pacer stallion:
When he was racing Purina Race Ready AM and PM
Rice bran AM
Joint supplement with HA
STP
Alfalfa hay, and T&A cubes

2 year old pacer:
Ultium and Omelene
Finish Line Total Control Plus
Purina Super Sport
Alfalfa Hay T&A Cubes

Yearling Pacer:
(Not yet in training, starting this winter)
Ultium Growth
Peanut Hay

I know other trainers in the area also feed the Buckeye EQ8 feed, Race Ready, Tough To Beet, T&A hay, and Cubes

[Shammy_Davis]

Lots of information is available on line as well as published texts. Texas A&M ag extension has published a very good pdf on the subject. KER has produced multiple papers and has a great news letter. Here is an example. It is a proven fact that every performance or race horse needs an individual dietary regimen.

http://www.equinews.com/article/think-energy-when-feeding-the-racehorse

Racehorse diets around the world are drastically different.

http://www.toconline.com/publicationsmedia/article-archives-2/equine-health/feeding-racehorses-racehorse-retirement-in-california/

The Horse website is full of information.

http://www.thehorse.com/articles/10331/feeding-racehorses

[Palm_Beach]

Thank you Shammy.

There are feeds specifically formulated for race horses.

IMHO, feed the best quality hay you can get your hands on, and as much as they will eat. Hard feed = high performance premium quality race horse feed
to make up the weight.

If you suspect ulcers, treat for ulcers.

[jolise]

Thank you for all of the helpful information and links.