Protein Intake For The Performance Horse

Protein is an important aspect of any horse diet as it plays an important role in the renewal and repair of many of the horse’s body tissues. With the exception of water, protein is the second major component of bodily tissues, including skin, coat, hoof, and muscle, to name a few. Protein is made of building blocks called amino acids, with essential amino acids having to be supplied by the diet as the horse isn’t able to produce sufficient quantities to meet requirements. Protein sources which naturally provide these essential amino acids are considered to be ‘quality protein sources,’ and are highly beneficial in the diets of performance horses.

Exercise triggers muscle protein turnover, meaning the body breaks down the protein and re-synthesizes it to repair tissue damage. Fatigue in muscles occurs due to limitations in the nerves signalling to the muscles to contract, or within the muscle tissues themselves due to either a shortage or inability to utilise muscle fuels such as ATP (adenosine triphosphate). As well as contributing to possible poor performance, if there is an insufficient quantity of protein in the horse’s ration, the body cannot recover as sufficiently. One study found that three of the branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) found to be in short supply following exercise were leucine, isoleucine and valine. Further studies in human athletes found that when supplemented with BCAAs, there was 30% less muscle soreness when compared to those who were offered a placebo. These athletes also performed better and found that fatigue was prevented for longer. In equine studies, horses fed 1 hour after exercise had lower creatine kinase, indicating that there was less muscle damage and improved recovery rates.

SO, WHAT FEEDS CONTAIN QUALITY PROTEIN?

Cereal grains are lacking in lysine and are therefore considered to be a poor quality protein. If you were to feed your horse a diet containing predominantly cereals and restricted quality protein sources you would find that, no matter how much work you put into your horse, the development of muscle tone and top line would be very difficult. It is also likely that your horse would experience increased muscle soreness and become more prone to infections etc. In extreme cases you may even start to observe muscle wastage. Raw materials that are high in quality protein include soya bean meal, alfalfa, linseed and peas and these will be listed on ingredient labels, giving you an idea of the quality of the protein included in the ration. Typically, conditioning feeds, performance feeds and stud feeds are likely to have higher inclusion levels of quality protein sources than a feed used for maintenance.

NEED SOME GUIDANCE?

For further advice on how to feed to support muscle development please contact the nutritional team on 01622 718487 or email nutrition@saracenhorsefeeds.co.uk