‘’A well-developed topline and healthy muscle tone in young horses will not only have a positive impact in the sales ring, but also on a horse’s soundness and athletic ability.”
Research has shown that low intensity exercise during the first year of a thoroughbred yearling’s life induces muscle adaptations, which positively influences athletic performance in later life.
Exercise and Nutrition Work Hand in Hand to Achieve a Well-defined Topline in Young Horses
Topline is the muscle structure, which runs from the poll, down the neck, over the back and into the hindquarters. Equine muscle contains more than 70% protein so feeding this requirement during this intense period is essential for sound development. As muscle is made up of protein, a diet that contains an appropriate level of protein is key for muscle development. It is not just the protein quantity that matters, but also the quality of the protein that the feed contains.
Exercise will activate muscle condition in horses while protein in the diet will help to build muscle
Providing adequate energy is also important to ensure the horse is energised and working well, and key vitamins and minerals play a major role in normal muscle function, ensuring that muscles don’t become fatigued prematurely slowing progress down. Exercise will activate muscle conditioning, while a balanced diet will provide amino acid building blocks to build and repair a healthy muscular system.
Selecting the Right Feed for Optimal Condition as Part of Sales Prep is Essential
Topline and muscle conditioning of young horses cannot be achieved when they are not holding the appropriate condition. Yearlings that come in for prep at lower body condition scores, or those that are struggling to maintain condition as the workload increases will benefit from a high fat conditioning pellet.
Define and Shine allows you to feed high calories in a low volume meal size
Connolly’s RED MILLS Define and Shine is a quality top-up horse feed for horses needing weight gain and top- line support. Define & Shine’s amino acid profile uniquely mirrors the ratio of horse muscle, providing optimal proportions to support growth and development. The high levels of omega-3 rich oils increase the calorie density of meals while also supporting coat condition and overall well-being. Define and Shine is also a low starch horse feed that allows you to feed extra calories in a small volume. Introduce slowly and feed 0.5-1lb daily throughout prep on top of a balanced diet.
