Working Horse Nutrition and Performance Welfare

The nutritional requirements of working horses vary dramatically with workload, and under- or overfeeding relative to work demand causes significant welfare problems in sporting and working horses.

Key Facts

A horse in hard work may require twice the energy intake of a horse at maintenance — significant dietary adjustments are needed
Muscle fatigue from insufficient energy during performance causes musculoskeletal strain and recovery welfare problems
Overfeeding energy-dense feeds to horses in light work causes obesity, laminitis risk, and stereotypy from excess energy
Forage should form the basis of all equine diets — reducing forage below 1.5 percent body weight per day impairs gut health
Electrolyte losses in sweat during hard work must be replaced through appropriate supplementation and access to salt licks
Vitamin E and selenium deficiency in hard-working horses causes muscle disease (tying-up/rhabdomyolysis)

Welfare Considerations

Nutritional welfare in working horses is a complex balancing act — matching energy supply precisely to demand across a varying workload schedule. Horses in hard work that are underfed suffer from energy deficit that compromises muscle function, recovery, and immune health. Overfeeding high-starch concentrate feeds to horses in lighter work causes metabolic stress, gastric ulcers from disrupted acid buffering, and stereotypic behaviours from excess energy with no appropriate outlet. The welfare-positive approach centres on forage as the dietary foundation with targeted concentrate supplementation matched to actual workload. Regular body condition scoring and weight taping allow dynamic adjustment of rations as workload changes across seasons.

What You Can Do

Assess your horse's body condition score monthly and adjust rations accordingly as workload varies seasonally
Ensure forage forms at least 1.5 percent of bodyweight daily regardless of concentrate feeding — forage is essential for gut welfare
Provide appropriate electrolyte supplementation during and after hard work or periods of heavy sweating
Consult an equine nutritionist when transitioning horses between significant workload levels — dietary changes should be gradual