There may come a time when you feel your horse could do with some more energy. Before heading to the feed store however, it’s key to understand whether your horse needs instant energy for quick bursts of performance or stamina for sustained work - with that information you can tailor your diet accordingly.

First Things First: Ruling Out Underlying Issues

Before assuming your horse’s feed is to blame, check for other factors:

• Is your horse fit enough for the workload?
• Are they overweight or unfit?
• Could pain or discomfort be holding them back?
• Are they receiving enough forage day to day?
• Are they drinking enough?

It is worth noting, if your horse’s lack of energy is sudden or unexplained, consult your vet to rule out pain or health issues before immediately changing feed.

Feeding for Instant Energy In Horses

What is Instant Energy?

Instant energy is fast-release fuel that helps with:

• Dressage horses needing extra spark for advanced movements
• Hacks where your horse feels sluggish
• Showjumping rounds requiring quick responses

How to Provide Instant Energy

• Choose feeds higher in starch, from cereals such as oats, barley, and maize
• Look for cereals listed first on the feed label (oats, barley, maize = higher starch)
• Remember: starch is quickly broken down into glucose for fast-release energy and topping up muscle glycogen stores

DID YOU KNOW?
Despite their reputation, oats are actually the highest fibre, lowest starch cereal grain used in horse feed.

FEEDING YOUR HORSE FOR STAMINA AND ENDURANCE

Why Stamina Matters For Your Horse

For longer training sessions, eventing, endurance rides, or hunting, stamina is essential. Horses need slow-release energythat supports controlled performance without fizz.

Fibre for Increasing Stamina In Horses 

• Feed plenty of forage (grass, hay, haylage)
• Look for super-fibres in hard feed:
  
  • Soya hulls
  • Alfalfa (lucerne)
  • Beet pulp

These highly digestible fibres provide as much energy as cereals — but in a slow-release form that reduces the risk of excitable behaviour.

Oil for Increasing Stamina In Horses

• Horses adapt well to high oil diets (up to 20% overall fat)
• Oil provides a safe, calorie-dense energy source for performance horses
• Benefits include:
  
  • Glycogen sparing effect (oil is used before muscle glycogen, delaying fatigue)
  • Larger energy reservoir for stamina
  • Support for horses prone to digestive or behavioural issues

Guidance: It can take 3 – 6 weeks for horses to adapt to a high oil diets so results won’t be immediate.

Feeding Energy Without Weight Gain In Horses

Remember: energy = calories. For good-doers, too much high-energy feed can lead to unwanted weight gain and this will not help with weight gain.

Solutions to this include:

• Use a balancer such as Competition-Fit Balancer or Shape-Up

• Add small amounts of higher-energy feed without oversupplying calories
• Consult a qualified nutrition advisor for tailored guidance