By: Dr Jazmin Markey, PhD, PAS
This article focuses on practical feeding approaches to meet the nutritional demands of the show season, with an emphasis on:
Using targeted dietary adjustments to support changing performance demands.
Maintaining digestive stability and rideability while promoting recovery throughout peak competition periods.
The summer horse show season provides a valuable opportunity to re-evaluate feeding programmes as daily routines, weekly workloads, and competition demands evolve. Travel, seasonal relocation in some cases, more frequent exercise, and longer days can influence energy requirements, hydration status, appetite, and overall body condition in ways that may warrant thoughtful dietary adjustments.
In many cases, these adjustments involve feeding products strategically rather than simply feeding more. Strategic feeding, a concept we frequently reference at Keyflow®, can be defined as making targeted dietary adjustments, often through carefully selected feed combinations or top-dress additions, to help meet changing performance demands while maintaining both macro- and micronutrient balance.
A common mistake during the competition season is assuming that increased demands automatically require larger concentrate (grain) meals. In reality, increasing meal size is rarely the best first step. It is often more effective to first consider total calorie and nutrient density, energy source, and overall diet design before simply adding more feed to the bucket.
This is where strategic combinations of feed products can be particularly useful. For example, a horse consuming a lower-energy base feed may benefit from a modest inclusion of a higher-energy performance feed as a top-up when demands increase, rather than requiring a complete transition to a new product. In other cases, a horse beginning to lose body condition may benefit from strategic product additions or substitutions that target fibre, fat, and starch intake before increasing total meal size.
The objective is not to add complexity, but rather to tailor the diet thoughtfully to the individual horse.
This principle becomes especially important during long competition seasons with back-to-back schedules, when horses may begin to gradually lose bloom, topline, and overall body condition. When additional calories are required, increasing nutrient density is often worth considering before simply increasing meal volume.
This may involve:
Increasing highly digestible fibre sources
Strategically incorporating fat-based calories
Using quality starch sources where appropriate
Using concentrated balancers to support protein and micronutrient intake
Making targeted dietary adjustments while maintaining small to moderate meal sizes
This approach aligns with a broader principle of equine nutrition: more feed does not necessarily equate to better nutritional support. Digestibility, energy density, and nutrient concentration all matter. It also helps maintain sensible meal sizes.
Note: Real-World Example
In some instances, horses may experience periods of reduced appetite during extensive travel and competition schedules. This often leads to adjustments in feeding strategy, such as providing a greater concentration of nutrients within smaller meals, for example through the addition of a balancer.
Not all energy sources behave in the same way, and not all performance horses respond similarly. This is particularly relevant for show horses, where riders often seek not only sufficient energy, but also usable energy that supports performance without compromising rideability.
Energy does not come solely from non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), such as starch and sugar. Digestible fibre, consisting of fermentable structural carbohydrates, alongside dietary fat, can contribute to a more sustained release of energy. For some horses, this may provide greater consistency throughout a competition programme.
For reference, fat provides approximately 2.25 times more energy than carbohydrate sources. Strategic additions of fat can help support increased energy demands without substantially increasing meal size or creating excessive excitability under saddle.
Strategic feeding may therefore involve adjusting the balance of these energy sources according to the individual horse. It is also important to recognise that energy can be partitioned towards different physiological priorities, ranging from performance and engagement under saddle to body condition maintenance and aspects of immune function.
Supporting recovery during a long competition season is just as important as preparation before and during an event. Maintaining forage intake, supporting hydration, and helping to replace calories expended through work should all form part of routine nutritional monitoring.
High-quality, digestible fibre sources and the strategic use of slow-release energy sources can both play an important role in competition-focused feeding programmes. Effective recovery management is often the difference between maintaining, improving, or gradually losing condition over the course of a season.
Strategic feeding does not mean constantly changing feeds. In fact, the opposite is often true. The most effective feeding programmes typically begin with a consistent base feed or primary nutrient source, with carefully considered adjustments layered in as demands change. Maintaining a stable dietary foundation may help reduce the likelihood of digestive disturbances.
While every horse's requirements will vary, several practical principles often apply:
Maintain a consistent dietary base and introduce strategic adjustments only when demands change.
Consider increasing nutrient density before simply increasing meal size.
Match energy sources to the horse's individual needs and performance goals.
Make feeding adjustments based on energy levels, rideability, body condition, and recovery patterns.
Remember that thoughtful product combinations may often achieve more than simply feeding larger quantities.
Ultimately, feeding to support competition demands is usually less about dramatic dietary changes and more about making small, considered adjustments that support the horse's individual requirements throughout the season.
Keyflow® offers a comprehensive range of feeds, balancers, and supplements for horses and ponies at all life stages. Common feeding approaches may include combinations of feeds such as Stay Cool®, paired with targeted additions such as Maestro®, alongside supplements including Pink Mash® Condition or Key-3 Oil®, where appropriate to support specific energy, body condition, or recovery goals.
We welcome enquiries regarding individual diet plans and nutritional support programmes.
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