This text is delivered to you with assist from Sentinel Horse Feed.
“A contented horse is a gorgeous factor to be round.” – Sharon White
Sharon White, Sentinel-supported rider, and Claus 63. Photograph by Sally Spickard.
With a barn full of gorgeous horses, it’s clear that, as a five-star occasion rider, Sharon is aware of a factor or two about preserving her horses completely satisfied and wholesome. Her feeding routine is the important thing to her success, which was crafted with help from specialists at Sentinel Horse Feed.
“I’m not a feed professional in any method, form or kind, however I’m an professional horseman,” Sharon mentioned. “Horses will all the time let you know what’s happening with their feed should you take note of how they eat, in the event that they go away something, their poo, their coat situation, the shine, the look of their eye, their method of going. All of it actually issues.”
Making a feeding routine primarily based on the horse’s wants naturally leads to a program tailor-made to every particular horse. You received’t discover a one-size-fits-all resolution in Sharon’s feed room.
“Every horse is a person,” Sharon mentioned. “I feel every breed may be very distinctive and particular. It’s important to know the breed you’re coping with. A Warmblood is completely different from a Thoroughbred, and really completely different from a pony. An older horse is way completely different from a youthful horse. All of these items actually matter.”
When you’re undecided how one can tailor your program to your particular person horse, Sharon’s reply is easy: ask your horse. “It’s massively essential to concentrate to what your horses are telling you,” she mentioned. “They’re very earnest creatures.”
Sharon White and Jaguars Duende. Photograph by Shannon Brinkman
Sharon asks herself a couple of questions in relation to feeding horses:
Is your horse too sizzling? Are you feeding the horse an excessive amount of?
In case your horse is simply too lazy, are you not feeding them sufficient?
How outdated is your horse, and are they nonetheless rising?
What’s your horse’s physique situation? Do they want weight, and/or are you working to place muscle on?
On a day-to-day foundation, Sharon ensures that her horses have forage out there always. For these horses that are typically extra like a vacuum than a horse and hoover down all their forage as quick as potential, she makes use of slow-feed hay nets to maintain them from consuming too shortly. Alfalfa cubes and dust-free hay are all the time on-hand as an extra choice.
“My horses are typically in a number of work, so I make certain they’ve sufficient power from their arduous meals,” Sharon mentioned. “That is the place Sentinel is admittedly helpful for me, as a result of I don’t are inclined to feed a number of arduous meals. I take advantage of the Sentinel Efficiency LS, which is a tremendous low-starch grain, as a result of they actually glow and carry out on it with out feeding an excessive amount of. For added assist, the nutritionists at Sentinel set up a high gown for me referred to as Sentinel Care Topline 30, so I do know that they’re getting the nutritional vitamins and minerals they want.”
Whereas Sharon tries to keep away from overfeeding an excessive amount of grain, when wanted. “For my horses which are more durable keepers that do want extra grain, I break it into many feedings – I’ll feed as much as 4 occasions a day,” she mentioned. And when wanted, Sentinel’s Care Gastric Help feed can are available in clutch for extra assist of her horses’ digestive programs.
To maintain her competitors horses who’re simple keepers completely satisfied whereas their barn mates are chowing down, her resolution might be already in your fridge: carrots. “I’m a believer in carrots,” Sharon mentioned. “I’m a believer in a handful of carrots to maintain them completely satisfied when everybody else is consuming within the barn. You don’t wish to stress a horse out by feeding everyone else however not them, proper? And so a carrot can go an extended method to preserving them mentally completely satisfied.”
An enormous believer within the beliefs of the forage-first philosophy of feeding horses, with grass and hay making up the vast majority of her horses’ diets, Sharon says her horses’ should have forage out there all through every day.
Sharon White and Arden Augustus. Photograph by Sally Spickard.
“To me, grass and hay is massively essential,” Sharon mentioned. “I feel that horses have to have forage in entrance of them on a regular basis.”
When you’ve been fortunate sufficient to attend an occasion on the Kentucky Horse Park, then you definitely’ve pushed by way of these fields of bluegrass that give the state its nickname. Whereas many may assume that these lush fields are good for elevating competitors horses, Sharon disagrees. She believes that overly wealthy hay and grass can do your horse a disservice.
“I need dust-free hay, however it doesn’t should be essentially the most amazingly inexperienced, stunning alfalfa-looking factor I’ve ever seen, as a result of then you need to actually watch out with the quantity you feed,” Sharon mentioned. “And I feel that horses have to have forage in entrance of them on a regular basis. They’re meant to graze all day lengthy. So I would like that they’ve that capability. It helps with all kinds of intestine points and every little thing else. I feel alfalfa is rocket gas! So it has its function, for positive. I do feed alfalfa cubes to a few of my arduous feeders. I soak them very properly. I feel that may be a helpful factor to do, in the event that they prefer it. It additionally helps buffer the abdomen.”
Sharon understands that, like people, horses additionally deserve some ‘me time.’ At her barn, her horses know that their outing grazing of their pastures is their very own. “My horses are typically out all night time and inside throughout the day, as a result of that method they know their time alone is after they’re out and nobody’s gonna trouble them,” Sharon mentioned. “And I feel that’s essential. Through the day, I can monitor how they’re consuming and whatnot, and what issues have an effect on them.”
In fact, with a full schedule of competitions from spring to late fall, Sharon’s horses don’t all the time have a precise common schedule. Like several elite athlete, the horses at Final Frontier Farm want many extra energy throughout competitors season than over the winter.
“Their workload issues rather a lot as to the quantity of grain I might feed them,” Sharon mentioned. “In competitors season, if my horses have a break day, they get half meals. They don’t get their full meals, they get half of their meals as a result of they’re not truly burning the power that they might in work.”
Sharon White and Claus 63. Photograph by Tilly Berendt.
The largest modifications for her horses come within the off season, when even a few of their dietary supplements are decreased or stopped altogether. “They’ll get breakfast and dinner, however they received’t get three meals a day,” Sharon mentioned. “We’ll minimize method again on the quantity. I complement throughout the competitors season– like my electrolytes. Most of my competitors horses would come off of all dietary supplements within the off season, to offer every little thing a break.”
There are numerous completely different feeding philosophies floating up and down barn aisles everywhere in the nation– low starch versus excessive calorie, by no means feed grain versus some horses want grain, feed alfalfa versus keep distant from alfalfa. Navigating the chaos of data surrounding the precise method to feed your horse could be complicated, to say the least. Sharon says that for anybody who’s having a tough time determining what’s greatest for his or her horse, hearken to what your horse is telling you.
“Information is energy, however data could be lethal, proper?” Sharon mentioned. “So, if you’re trying on the data and never the horse, you’re doing your self a disservice. So you need to take a look at the horse or pony, and take note of the animal, the creature or the residing factor, not the knowledge that claims that is what you could do.”
As for herself, Sharon tries to hearken to her personal physique the identical method she would hearken to her horses. “I might consider it precisely the identical as I do my horses, proper? When you truly take note of what you eat, your physique will let you know, ‘Oh, that works for me,’ or ‘Oh, that doesn’t work for me.’ I occur to like salmon, and I do know the issues that my physique truly loves as a result of I really feel higher after I eat them.”
Whereas she needs to be aware of her well being, significantly when she’s on-the-go at horse reveals the place wholesome choices are few and much between, all through her profession Sharon has realized that not consuming in any respect has extra unfavorable penalties than consuming one thing she usually wouldn’t think about wholesome.
Sharon White and Jaguars Duende. Photograph by Shannon Brinkman Images.
“What I’m personally simply studying is the truth that not consuming has simply as many unfavorable results for me as consuming the unsuitable factor, proper?” Sharon mentioned. “I don’t like breakfast, I get busy. I overlook to eat. After which by three or 4 o’clock within the afternoon, wow, I’m not doing something properly. And I don’t notice it’s simply because my physique is like, ‘Okay. And now we’re simply in shutdown mode.’”
“I attempt to be nicer to myself, after which simply notice, such as you’re both gonna really feel good otherwise you’re gonna really feel dangerous, proper?” Sharon continued. “When you don’t eat, you’re gonna really feel dangerous. I strive to not eat processed meals, however you realize what a peanut butter cracker goes a great distance. It is available in a package deal, so it’s processed, however it places me in a greater temper, so it’s going to be okay. That’s higher than not consuming after which turning into simply an absolute loopy particular person.”
On the finish of the day, Sharon’s recommendation is to strive your greatest to eat wholesome, hearken to your physique about what it wants, however don’t overthink it – which, she admits, is less complicated mentioned than carried out. “I’ve to watch out of turning every little thing I put in my mouth into this large challenge, as a result of I have a tendency to try this with all issues,” she laughed. “I’m going to concentrate on every little thing, I’m going to consider every little thing, I’m going to try to do the precise factor. And generally, that’s simply attempting too arduous and truly, simply consuming is all you bought to do, proper?”
The identical idea applies to Sharon’s horses, that are all the time the precedence in order that they’ll carry out to the most effective of their talents for her. Listening to every horse, calling in skilled help to craft the precise program, and by no means being afraid to make modifications primarily based on present wants helps set Sharon’s program up for achievement from the bottom up – beginning with diet.
Love this text? You’ll want to try our interview with Sentinel’s Equine Product Supervisor Kristyn Sturken on The Go Eventing Podcast right here, and browse extra horse & human diet ideas from one other Sentinel-supported rider, Ema Klugman, right here. To be taught extra about Sentinel Horse Feed, go to feedsentinel.com/efficiency.
