Returning to work
After a period of rest, your horse will need to go through a phase of recuperation to prepare for his return to full work – this usually means regaining fitness, strength and building up muscle, all of which require a suitable diet and exercise.
DIETl
Muscles are made up of building blocks called proteins, which in turn are made up of building blocks called amino acids. Horses can source these in one of two ways: Eat them in their diet (essential amino acids) Make them in their body (non-essential amino acids) To help your horse build muscle using either of the above two channels, you’ll need to provide him with a complete dietary source of these building blocks of muscle. You can opt for a commercially available muscle supplement, designed to supply high quality amino acids in the diet and support the building up of muscle. For example, Equitop Myoplast – such products can be sought from your vet or equine retailers In addition to amino acids, you’ll need to ensure your horse has an adequate source of other nutrients. As his recuperation begins, his energy requirements will increase and his diet will need to match this with readily digestible carbohydrate sources such as cereals and sugars. Introduce the extra carbohydrates slowly to allow the digestive system to adjust, and to avoid unwanted weight gain or exuberance.
EXERCISEl
When considering what to feed your horse during his recuperation and return to work, it’s vital to follow an appropriate exercise or rehabilitation plan. For horses who’ve been injured, your vet and/or physio will give you guidance. This may include walking exercise, slowly built up over a number of weeks, hill work, pole work, and core muscle exercises in the stable. At this time you may start to alter his feed to increase the calorie content as the work increases.