The ideal feed for an endurance horse is a moderate to high energy feed, where the starch is digested in the small intestine and there is enough fibre to maintain good hind gut function.
In Capstone feeds the grains are micronized to ensure starch is digested in the small intestine and the feeds contain high levels of digestible fibre and Yea-sacc yeast culture to maintain hind gut function. Micronized lupins are a key source of digestible fibre.
Many endurance horses perform better on an oats free feed such as the muesli Cool Time or the pelleted Perform Time. These types of feeds can help keep horses calm and heart rates down.
The ideal feed for an endurance horse is a high fat feed to supply cool energy for extended work. All Capstone feeds contain added canola oil and the muesli type sweet feeds contain sunflower seeds as a palatable source of fat.
The ideal feed for an endurance horse contains high levels of vital antioxidants; vitamin E and selenium Capstone feeds fit the bill here.
The ideal feed for an endurance horse is one with added electrolytes which is found in Capstone Feeds.
Some endurance horses do so well on forage that they don’t need a lot of extra energy from ‘hard feed’.
The 1kg intake of the Capstone Life Time balancer pellet is a low energy feed, but will supply enough vitamins and minerals to balance the diet, as will 2kg of Flexi Time if more energy is required.
Endurance horses don’t need a lot of protein, but many South African hays are low in protein so the feeds often need some added protein. The low use rate of Capstone feeds means that they don’t overload the total diet with extra protein, even though the protein content of some of the concentrate feeds themselves may look high.
At the ride you need to offer horses a “smorgasboard” to encourage intake after vetting. Capstone have a pellet, Perform Time, and a sweet feed, Cool Time, which can be offered at vet checks . The pellet can also be soaked to increase water intake if so desired.
Endurance horses lose large amounts of electrolytes in sweat and need feeds with added electrolytes and a high specification electrolyte such as Capstone Electrolyte. Capstone electrolytes supplies both calcium and magnesium, which can be important in the prevention of “thumps”.
Capstone Electrolyte can be administered in feed or mixed with apple sauce and given as a paste. Always give the horse access to clean fresh water.
Capstone Excel is a vitamin and mineral supplement that can be used in feed, drenches or as a paste to boost vitamin intake, attitude and appetite in tired endurance horses.
Capstone electrolytes are formulated by Kentucky Equine Research. KER are the official nutritionists for the US and Australian endurance teams and have vast experience in designing diets for endurance horses.