Halter and sale horses are the two main groups of horses which are assessed and valued, to a large extent, based on their conformation and condition. In the past, many halter and sale horses were over fed, because “fat is the prettiest color.” But, in the modern show and sales arena, horses must be properly conditioned. Horses should be raised in an athletic, conservative manner on pasture, if possible, with special attention given to nutrition from before conception and onward. Then, these horses can undergo a feeding and fitting program for the sale or show ring that takes about three to five months.

Fitting horses, whether western halter horses or Thoroughbred sales weanlings or yearlings, requires a combination of superior nutrition, superior health management, superior and specific exercise, and superior genetics, tempered with more hard work and attention to detail than most people are willing to provide (which makes jobs for sales agents and halter horse trainers). The following feeding and fitting guidelines have worked for me in the preparation of halter weanlings for futurities, halter horses for major Quarter Horse shows, and weanlings, yearlings, and broodmares for major Thoroughbred sales.

FEEDING
Weanlings require individualized, balanced rations with palatable, easily digested nutrient sources that provide optimal, not minimal, amounts of protein, energy, minerals, and vitamins. While all-grain feeds may encourage fattening, they do little to ensure optimum growth and bone development. In fact, more cases of acquired flexural deformities and metabolic bone disease are caused by improper mineral balance and over-feeding of starch than from over-feeding of protein or any other nutritional cause.

To increase a horse’s condition, one must feed more than the maintenance requirement of energy-producing nutrients (carbohydrates and fats). Starch, a carbohydrate that makes up 50-70% of cereal grains, is the traditional source of additional energy for horses. However, too much starch in the diet cannot be digested in the foregut, so it reaches the hindgut, where it disrupts the pH, killing beneficial bacteria and often leading to colic or founder.

Lowering starch intake by feeding fat, feeding fermentable fibers, and improving forage quality and amount fed (1.5-2% of body weight daily) can increase energy intake more safely. It is rare to prepare a sale or show horse without using a significant amount of fat. The easiest way to add fat to the diet is to top-dress oil or stabilized rice bran. Stabilized rice bran is usually more palatable than oil and is less messy. It contains 20% fat and numerous antioxidants, including vitamin E and gamma oryzanol (1,500 mg/lb), and is very effective for adding bloom. Other supplements may provide up to 1,000 mg of gamma oryzanol per lb and are more expensive than stabilized rice bran. Also, I never recommend anabolic steroids, since I see them as unethical, unnecessary, and detrimental to the long-term use of the horse. Stabilized rice bran is a safe, nonsteroidal alternative to anabolic steroids.

In addition to fat, many of my prep and show rations contain about 10% beet pulp as a highly fermentable fiber source. Laminitis and starch over-load colic present potential dangers to yearlings. By using beet pulp (or soybean hulls), one can reduce starch intake while increasing energy intake. I have used up to 25% beet pulp (shreds, not pellets) in the concentrate. But, remember to consider all feeds, supplements, and fiber sources in the formulation to ensure the diet remains balanced. I usually feed a light-horse (Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, Paint, Appaloosa) weanling a minimum of one lb of a 16-18% protein concentrate feed per month of age right up until the time of the futurity. I also feed high-quality alfalfa-mixed hay (harvested in early stages of maturity) to minimize the appearance of gut-fill that is often associated with hays of high-lignin content (harvested when more mature). I use a lot of alfalfa hay, because it provides about 1.2 Mcal/lb DE compared to about 0.6 Mcal/lb from Timothy hay.

Yearlings do best on a 13-14% protein ration balanced for macro and microminerals and fat- and water-soluble vitamins. Feeding rates for yearlings are extremely variable depending on growth history, skeletal size, individual metabolism, actual age in months, and availability and quality of forage. High-quality hay cut at early maturity should also be fed to yearlings. In my experience, it takes more feed to get a colt fit than a filly.

FITTING
Fitting a weanling is the biggest challenge of all, and fitting for halter futurities is more difficult than fitting for sale. Major weanling futurities are held earlier in the year, and more emphasis is placed on overall fitness at futurities compared to sales. Beyond the feed trough, the real art involved in fitting weanlings is the exercise and “rubbing” they receive. Although I am not an advocate of longeing for weanlings under five months of age, I think that judicious use of longeing, free longeing (round-penning), ponying, and handwalking can be very useful, depending on the individual. Daily grooming, rinsing with warm water, braiding or banding of manes, and conditioning of tails are all necessary if optimum fitness is to be achieved.

Turn-out is usually somewhat different for sale and show weanlings. Show weanlings are usually turned out on good pasture or in dry paddocks in the evening (when the sun’s rays are not as strong).

Sale weanlings often benefit from turn-out on good pasture, since it is more acceptable for sale weanlings to carry both a little hair and a “little belly.” Sale and show weanlings should be blanketed as soon as night temperatures drop to below 50° F. In many cases, the blanket and hood serve to make the hair lay correctly, as much as to make the hair remain short. Also, hair growth, shedding, and hair quality, in general, are somewhat heritable characteristics. The use of artificial lights, for a constant 15 hours of light, may be of value in some programs. Weanlings should be dewormed every 30-60 days or fed a daily dewormer.

In general, I have found five months of age to be the most ideal time to wean. However, if a weanling is top-heavy, too fat, or starts to get erect in the pasterns or shows severe physitis, I will wean as early as three months of age so that I can carefully control nutrient intake. My general rule is to wean a foal at least 45 days or only five days before a futurity. Forty-five days gives me adequate time to get the weanling over the post-weaning slump, and weaning five days pre-futurity does not give the weanling time to fall apart. Although some people take mares and foals to the horse show together, I will not do so!

Yearlings are easier to fit than weanlings. Since we are talking about horses that are at least 12 months of age, there are fewer skeletal problems to worry about with yearlings. For other ages and classes of sale and halter horses, the feeding and fitting techniques are the same as for the weanling and yearling. Emphasis should always be placed on the individual in terms of feed intake levels and exercise programs. Fit and fat are not the same, and too much feed without a concomitant increase in the exercise program results in a horse that has patchy fat cover and is more prone to metabolic disorders, such as colic, laminitis, and enterotoxemia.

In my opinion, the most useful tool on a sales prep or training operation is a round pen (preferably covered) 50 feet in diameter (minimum). The ground surface needs to be very forgiving and absorb concussion effectively, like sand, tanbark, or shredded rubber over a gravel base (class I sand works well for a base). The surface should be a minimum of six inches deep. If this kind of forgiving surface is used, the occurrence of splints and other exercise stress related blemishes can be minimized.

I personally favor a free longeing or loose-line exercise program. Horses should always be longed with splint boots for protection. I generally start horses on a longeing program at the walk. It is crucial that horses be worked the same amount of time in both directions every time they work. Over a one week period, I work weanlings up to seven minutes both directions and yearlings up to 10 minutes both directions. I always start in each direction with a minute of walking and then move to a long trot. I have found that a square, two-beat trot is safer and easier on the legs that is the canter. Older horses may be worked longer as fitness levels increase and body condition dictates. Other possibilities for exercise include hand walking, ponying, swimming, use of a mechanical horse walker, and treadmilling. When we use a treadmill for fitting yearlings or show horses, we use sessions of five minutes to begin with and if the treadmill is adjustable, a 6% incline.

With any exercise method, one should be alert to changes in the feet and legs which may indicate an impending soundness problem or blemish. Common problems which necessitate reducing work load or backing completely off the exercise program include: splints, windpuffs, thoroughpins, joint effusion (swelling) in any joint but particularly the ankles, hocks, and stifles, active physitis, foot soreness, tendonitis, or any signs of lameness. It is essential that horses which are receiving a great deal of feed be exercised every day. Many people think exertional rhabdomyolysis (tying up) is strictly a problem affecting performance horses. But, a significant number of halter horses tie up due to large starch intakes and missed exercise days. Also, because most horses are fit in the summer months, heat stress and even heat stroke are real possibilities. Horses that are not sweating when worked hard should be stopped immediately, and anhydrosis, a potentially fatal lack of sweating, should be suspected.

During and after exercise are ideal times to work on conformational faults. Horses with thick, cresty necks should be exercised in a neck sweat and then tied in the stall after exercise for a cooling-out period. The shape of a horse’s neck and, therefore, the balance of a horse can be improved significantly by using a sweat. Horses that are particularly coarse in the throat benefit from wearing a throat collar all of the time (care should be taken that the mane is protected from the collar when these are used). Another quite useful tool for fitting horses is a set of side-reins and a bitting rig. This makes the horse arch the neck and can significantly change the appearance of the shoulder and neck. When reins are first used, they should be adjusted loosely, and only after the horse has worn them a couple of times should they be tightened and the horse be made to really go to work.

Now the most important and most neglected part of fitting the horse, RUB TIME. I find that immediately following exercise is a good time for an initial grooming. The best tool for the job is a small (about the size of the hand) flexible rubber curry. The horse should be thoroughly and vigorously curried all over the body, and then a medium soft brush should be used followed by a rub rag. Most horses should have one good grooming per day followed by a light “knockoff” later. I usually will give a horse a bath with plain water daily and use a mild soap once per week.

Manes should be washed, and unruly manes should be braided or banded to get them to lay smoothly. Tails should be picked out by hand and then put in a loose braid and bagged. Usually, once a horse is fit, the only time the tail should be picked and brushed thoroughly is on the morning of a show. Of course, proper nutrition and regular trimming are essential for producing good feet on sale and show horses.

Obviously, there are as many tricks of the trade as there are trainers. Techniques that work for some may not work for others. The important thing is to design a program and stick to it. Great genetics, optimum nutrition, and hard work beat poor genetics, steroids, and lack of preparation every time.

For More Information e-mail at AN_EquineHelp@admworld.com

or call toll free
EQUINE NUTRITION HELPLINE
1-800-680-8254
7:30 AM to 4:30 PM Central Time

ADM Alliance Nutrition, Inc. 1000 North 30th Street P.O. Box C1 Quincy, IL USA 62305-3155