Dr. Jazmin Markey - PhD, PAS
This article focuses on the impact of stress in performance horses and ponies as they transition into more demanding travel, training and competition schedules, as well as nutritional management strategies to support them.
During this time, horses are exposed to multiple simultaneous stressors, including long-distance transport, environmental changes, shifts in routine and changes in workload. These factors can influence feed intake, hydration status and overall gastrointestinal function.
Effective feeding strategies should prioritise consistency, digestibility and efficient energy delivery, while minimising disruption to established feeding patterns. Supporting the horse through these transitions requires not only meeting nutrient requirements, but also ensuring those nutrients are consistently consumed and effectively utilised, while maintaining and prioritising digestive health.
Even well-conditioned and experienced horses may display changes in appetite or behaviour during this time. Increased travel and environmental change elevate stress levels, while changes in workload may further influence overall energy demands and intake patterns.
Stress has a direct impact on feed intake, water consumption and overall gastrointestinal function. Horses may experience periods of reduced feed and water intake or exhibit signs of digestive disruption such as altered manure consistency, decreased gut motility or signs of mild colic.
Reduced intake becomes particularly important when paired with increased energy requirements, as this combination can lead to gradual loss of body condition and reduced performance. Maintaining digestive stability during these periods is therefore a central component of nutritional management.
While travel schedules may vary, consistency in feeding practices remains one of the most effective tools for reducing stress-related disruption.
Horses perform best when provided with familiar feeds, consistent feeding times and minimal abrupt changes in diet composition. Sudden changes in feed type, feeding rate or ingredient profile during periods of stress can further reduce intake and disrupt digestive balance.
Maintaining continuity in the feeding programme supports both intake and overall stability. During periods of increased stress, feeding strategies should be intentional and consistent, rather than reactive.
When additional calories are required to support workload or maintain condition, increasing meal size or total feed volume is not always the most effective approach, particularly in horses already experiencing reduced intake as a result of stress.
Increasing calorie density through digestible fibre and fat allows horses to receive more energy in smaller, more manageable meals. This approach supports energy intake while minimising digestive strain and reducing reliance on larger starch-rich meals that may further disrupt intake and digestive stability.
In these situations, feeding should be approached strategically, rather than simply increasing volume. Strategic feeding allows for targeted adjustments to the diet to meet energy demands while maintaining overall balance, ensuring horses receive the nutrients they need in a form and quantity they are willing to consume.
Adequate forage intake plays a critical role in supporting gastrointestinal health, particularly during travel and competition. Continuous or frequent access to forage helps maintain gut motility, support microbial populations and promote normal digestive function and buffering of gastric acidity.
Prolonged periods without forage, common during transport or busy competition schedules, can increase the risk of gastric irritation and hindgut disruption. Providing forage during travel where feasible, and re-establishing normal intake patterns promptly upon arrival, helps mitigate these effects.
Hydration is closely linked to both performance and digestive health. Horses often drink less during transport due to unfamiliar water sources, environmental changes and altered routines.
Dehydration can impair gut motility, reduce performance and delay recovery. Supporting hydration may involve offering familiar water sources where possible, as well as incorporating soaked feeds or hydrophilic fibre sources - those with an affinity for water - to help increase total water intake while supporting gut fill.
Not all horses and ponies respond to stress in the same way. Some maintain intake and normal metabolic function with minimal disruption, while others require closer monitoring and adjustment.
Regular evaluation of variables such as body condition, topline, appetite and manure consistency provides valuable insight into how an individual horse or pony is responding. Feeding programmes should be adjusted based on these observations rather than applying uniform changes across all horses.
In general:
• Maintain consistency in feed type, feeding rate and schedule wherever possible
• Prioritise forage intake and avoid extended periods without adequate fibre
• Support hydration through both management and feeding strategies
• When adjustments are needed, increase calorie density before increasing meal size
• Minimise abrupt changes in feed during periods of transport and competition
• Monitor intake, body condition and digestive health closely
• Adjust feeding programmes based on individual response
• Maintain intake, as horses cannot benefit from nutrients they do not consume
At Keyflow®, these principles are reflected in products designed to support digestive stability and efficient energy delivery.
Pink Mash® can be particularly useful during transport and competition to support hydration and encourage intake through highly digestible fibre. For horses requiring additional calories without significantly increasing meal size, Pink Mash® Condition and Key-Plus™ provide fibre- and fat-supported energy respectively.
Where further calorie density is required, Key-3 Oil™ can be incorporated to support energy intake and overall condition without increasing total feed volume. In addition to its role as a concentrated energy source, Key-3 Oil™ provides omega-3 fatty acids that support recovery, help modulate inflammatory responses associated with training and travel, and contribute to overall wellbeing.
The Keyflow Range
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