I mean that tongue in cheek because of course exercise and balanced equine nutrition do go together. Mega Calories (MCal) or digestible energy (DE) burned through activity and exercise must be replenished by increased feed intake or “calories in”. When balancing an equine diet, the first metric I measure is the amount of calories a horse consumes daily with his current diet. Then I look at his body condition score, and if he needs to lose weight, we discuss a way to use a combination of exercise and foods which are not particularly “calorie dense” to do that. It is not good for a horse’s health to simply withhold food or “starve” the animal to get him to lose weight. It has to be done gradually and with care.
The worth of exercise is more than a way to increase the amount of MCal burned so that your horse is less likely to store fat and put on extra weight. It is good for a horse’s mind because (see my blog on the “3 F’s”) horses are evolved to move and to do so efficiently and with the presence of herdmates. Grazing and feeding while in continuous movement helps to maintain digestive function and motility. Movement helps relieve boredom in horses, offers humans a way to interact with horses through riding, groundwork, or hand-walking, and keeps the joints of senior horses mobile when done thoughtfully. I learned today, that on a biochemical level, a horse within an exercise program is less likely to develop high blood insulin levels that may lead to metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance (IR) or equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). There are many benefits of exercise for horses; see a great summary by Mad Barn: https://madbarn.com/benefits-of-exercise-in-horses/
As always, I like to discuss the practicalities of exercise as part of your horse management. Although intense or heavy exercise such as endurance riding or racing is very calorie intensive, and subsequently these horses must be fed a higher carbohydrate/MCal diet to perform adequately, for most horses “a little goes a long way” intertwining a regular exercise program and a balanced diet where horse body condition (weight) is monitored. I stress regular exercise because not only will that build a habit for you within a sometimes very busy life schedule, but regular exercise for your horse will avoid muscle strain and/or digestive upset and fluctuations as his feed intake and activity fluctuates. Horses will look forward to your routine; my gelding is usually waiting by the gate to “do something” if I miss more than a couple days of riding. My senior mare suffers from orthopedic issues but otherwise loves regular handwalks and the occasional ride on the trails. I notice a huge improvement in my mare’s mobility and mood with these short but frequent walks. Lastly, whatever you decide to do for your horse in terms of exercise, a couple of nutrition-related cautions: 1. As part of your routine, allow your horse to eat hay while you’re getting ready to ride or work your horse - the “mat” that forms in his stomach will help in preventing gastric ulcers or upset as a result of exercise, and 2. Watch your horses sweat losses from exercise (relevant in very hot climates or during a heat wave) and supplement accordingly with electrolytes. More on that later in a future post.
