Crafting Premium Racehorse Feeds
Premium Quality
As we inch closer to this year’s Kentucky Derby, we want to congratulate all the horses, riders, and trainers earning their way to one of the year’s most anticipated racing events. We applaud your commitment! So much work goes into qualifying for this prestigious event—including developing the optimal nutrition program to fuel these elite racehorses.
Curious about what a champion racehorse eats? Our years of research have taught us a thing or two about racehorse feeds, and we’d like to share some of that here.
One Word: Energy
When creating a nutrition program for a racehorse, energy is the biggest (but not only) consideration. These tremendous athletes need a lot of calories to power them through their training and, of course, their races.
Because forage alone cannot provide the amount of energy a racehorse needs daily, an energy-dense racehorse feed is added to the nutrition program.
These racehorse feeds get their energy from various sources, including fiber, fat, highly fermentable fiber, and starch.
In the past, cereal grains, like oats, corn, or barley, were used as a common energy source. However, research has shown that too much starch can lead to hindgut acidosis. Therefore, today’s top racehorse feeds are more likely to supply energy through a combination of energy sources, including some starch sources, and also fat and highly fermentable fiber (e.g., beet pulp).
Essential Nutrients
Besides energy, racehorses need to consume precise amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals to ensure the health of their bones and muscles.
We developed Stamm 30 to fill this need. Stamm 30 is a highly concentrated source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals; it provides racehorses with critical nutrients like bioavailable microminerals, bioavailable magnesium, bioavailable selenium, and the antioxidant vitamin E.
In addition, we added Buffered Mineral Complex (BMC), to improve gastric and hindgut health and improve bone density. Research has shown that BMC helps prevent excessive gastric acidity in the stomach and large intestine, helping prevent gastric ulcers and hindgut acidosis. Plus, it increases bone density, which helps deal with the stress of training and racing.
Champion Racehorse Feeds
Hallway Feeds has had the privilege of fueling many champions throughout our history. Many elite trainers choose our feeds because they know the care and research that goes into crafting our energy-dense formulas. Some of their top choices include:
• Race 13, made with a variety of energy sources, including beet pulp, designed for the race- fit equine athlete
• Fibrenergy, which provides a long-lasting, slow energy release due to a combination of soluble fiber and oil; it does not contain any grain whatsoever, making it perfect for horses that tie-up or need to avoid starch in the diet
• Prep 14, a reduced-starch ration with a considerable amount of highly digestible fiber and fat, perfect for adding body condition or energy to horses in race training
All three of these racehorse feeds are fortified with Stamm 30 and BMC, to guarantee optimal nutrition.
Find Your Feed
We’re proud of our history of creating research-based racehorse feeds that have led to hundreds of champions, and we’re always eager to share information that could improve your horse’s nutrition. If you’re considering a racehorse feed, let us know; we’d welcome the opportunity to help you find one that meets your horse’s needs.
