Raising horses is definitely not a simple matter.

Perhaps most people have the impression that the main food intake of horses is to eat grass, so what is the usual diet of the horses in the race? Obviously, if the horse simply eats grass, it will be far from being able to adapt to the high-intensity competition. So how do you ensure the nutritional intake of a horse and how do you maintain a balanced nutrition with food?

Just like human athletes, racehorses need professionals to regulate their nutrition, because one of the key features of sports is that they are consumed faster (i.e., calories), so they need more and more nutrients.

If you have visited different stables, you will find that different institutions have different configurations for horse feed.

Hay is naturally the most common, but you can also find corn, oats, carrots, fruit and even oil and salt, and many stables now use mixed feeds to meet different nutritional needs. Of course, different foods have different advantages and disadvantages, for example, some studies have shown that corn is easy to absorb, but if not fed at the right time and in the right amount, it is easy to fatten horses, and alfalfa, which some experts believe is like a biscuit, and it is reasonable for these "horse racers" to consume two to three "tablets" a day.

In general, horses are nutritionally similar to humans, and there are generally three main nutritional needs of a horse: carbohydrates, protein and fat.

Carbohydrates are the main nutrients for horses.

Horses galloping on the field are inseparable from the support of carbohydrates.

Most of the feed used for racehorses is made up of different types of carbohydrates, and there are many different types of carbohydrates, to which the body responds differently. For herbivores, fiber is an important carbohydrate. The advantage of fiber-rich foods is that fiber can be digested in both the horse's foregut and hindgut, the horse's hindgut has a strong ability to digest fiber, and fiber fermentation is different from starch (grain) fermentation, which can be used as a source of energy for horses throughout the day. All in all, all physical activity relies on carbohydrates to some extent, especially horses that engage in high-intensity sports such as speed racing.

Protein is the building block of horses' movements.

Protein is present in most feeds, and the extra protein intake can also be used as an energy supplement for horses. However, excessive protein intake produces amino acids, which are broken down by the liver and excreted in the form of ammonia. If your foal has increased water requirements and elevated blood urea levels, you should avoid excessive protein intake, as elevated blood urea levels can lead to intestinal disorders, and increased ammonia levels in the blood can cause nervousness and other metabolic disorders.

Fat is one of the most neglected sources of energy for horses.

Horse racing nutrition is a science, fat is stored in the horse's adipose tissue and muscle, and fat is very important for low-intensity training, endurance training and maintaining racehorse energy. Fats are easily digested, such as vegetable oils, which have 2 1/2 times the digestible energy of corn and 3 times more energy than oats, and are relatively safe and do not cause hindgut disorders in horses and do not ferment in the hindgut of horses.

In addition to fat, nutrients such as vitamins and minerals that horses need are naturally found in high-quality feed. However, with the long-term use of chemicals, including fertilizers, the land is being depleted and food for humans and animals is no longer of the quality it once was. In order to ensure the proper balance of vitamins and minerals, additional supplementation is often required.

So the question is, should the horses not be able to eat fresh grass? Of course not, but it must also be adapted to the conditions of the time and the local conditions. The time when horses eat grass also needs to be paid attention to when feeding, early spring grass looks very attractive, but it is not a good choice for horses, because early spring grass contains a substance called fructan, which cannot be digested.

If you want to look at a more detailed feeding method, it can be said that the composition and digestibility of the feed have a great impact on the health and athletic characteristics of the racehorse.

Horses have a very sensitive digestive system. Therefore, the following basic feeding rules must be strictly enforced:

First of all, it is necessary to feed at the specified time and at a fixed time.

Secondly, for each horse, a specific mix of feeds should be designed according to the breed, weight, athletic nature and feeding characteristics (appetite, preference for certain types of feed, sensitivity to feed changes).

Again, strictly control and keep the feed trough, automatic drinking fountain and other utensils clean.

Thirdly, when changing the feed, substitutes should be gradually added to the base feed, from less to more depending on the feeding characteristics of each racehorse.

Again, drinking water should be done before eating.

Finally, most of the hay feed should be fed in the evening, when the horses have enough time to chew and digest.

Generally speaking, try not to feed the raced horses coarse feed, so as to avoid the occurrence of indigestion, abnormal blood circulation and other conditions, which will affect the physical health and athletic ability of the horses. At each feeding, the horse should be given plenty of time to eat so that it can chew and digest well.

Horses are slower to eat roughage, green fodder, and silage as compared to concentrate.

The length of time that different types of feed stay in the gastrointestinal digestive system of horses varies greatly, for example, green feed takes more than 9 hours, concentrate feed takes more than 22 hours, and roughage takes more than 36 hours. Therefore, horses are more likely to starve than green and juicy feed. After 36 hours, most of the residue in the feed is removed from the body, and it may take up to 5 days for the remainder to be finally removed. For this reason, the volume of the horse's digestive tract is relatively small, and in order to eat in moderation, it should be fed 3-4 times a day.

Nutrients are a source of energy for horses. One gram of protein or carbohydrates provides 4.1 kilocalories of energy, and 1 gram of fat provides 9.3 kilocalories. However, only 25%-30% of the energy from feed can be used for exercise. Therefore, in order to compensate for the energy consumption, feed 3-4 times the energy loss is fed every day.

It is best to raise racehorses with oats or a corresponding compound feed consisting of a combination of hay and a moderate amount of straw.

It is best to add good quality oats, rye or wheat straw to the oats, cut into 2.5–4 cm. When eating such a mixture, the horse secretes more saliva to infiltrate the feed, the starch is better absorbed, and it also promotes intestinal peristalsis and enhances digestion. The forage should be dried. Undried or moldy hay can cause diseases in horses, such as abdominal pain, laminitis, etc. In addition, clover feed can form a lot of gas, which can cause flatulence, so it should be added gradually to the feed and watch the horses react. Clover is best mixed with meadow hay.

Hay - oat fodder has many advantages. The rearing process is less labor-intensive, and horses prefer and are accustomed to eating this traditional feed. However, the above feed combinations are more expensive, so oat substitutes can be fed in daily feeding, as shown in Table 5.

For racehorses, oats and hay should be the most basic feed combination, but other feeds such as carrots, sugar beets or various compound feeds should only be used as additional feed.

Industrially produced compound feed can completely replace oats, but its suitability for the horse must be determined before feeding. Oats can also be replaced with barley, rye or wheat in moderation, although the above substitutes are similar to the nutrients of oats but are not digestible. Therefore, when replacing oats with barley, do not exceed half of the amount, and no more than 1/3 of rye and wheat.

Feeding should be ground, flattened or fed whole. Peas or other bean substitutes should not exceed 20% of the amount of oats, these substitutes may cause abdominal pain, flatulence and other diseases, so they must be fed in combination with carrots, beets, etc. Legumes are common high-protein feeds that can be fed regularly during heavy exercise training. Urea can also be used as a source of protein and energy, but these additives are used in strictly limited quantities in equine competitions.

For horses, especially young horses, if possible, the possibility of grazing in pasture should be provided. Sunlight is good for promoting vitamin D and helping calcium-phosphorus conversion. Grazing can be done in the evening, after training. Experience has shown that a horse can feed on 30-60 kg of grass for a full night of grazing. Nighttime food intake accounts for about three-quarters of total feed intake when the weather is hot, and about half of the total feed intake when it is cool. No matter what the weather, bathing in the fresh air for a long time can strengthen the horse's body and strengthen the immunity. This exercise should be done regularly during the winter months. If there are no conditions for grazing, you can feed different kinds of clover, green corn, 30-40 kg of green fodder, alfalfa, no more than 20 kg per day and night.

Vitamins and trace elements are also necessary for the health of horses and the improvement of athletic performance. Trace elements should be in moderation, no more and no less. For example, excess phosphorus can lead to osteomalacia, which may eventually lead to lameness. Therefore, the proportion of calcium and phosphorus in the feed should be balanced. During the competition, the advice of the veterinarian should be observed when purposefully increasing the content of vitamins А, В and Е in the feed. Adequate chlorine, especially sodium, is also important for racehorses. Sodium deficiency can lead to dehydration and reduced physical energy.

Meadow hay, alfalfa, clover and grain germ contain important trace elements.

Green fodder and bran contain more phosphorus, but relatively less calcium, sodium, chloride and iodine. The content of trace elements should be determined in feeding, so that certain trace elements can be added when they are urgently needed. The main vitamins to meet the vitamin needs of young and adult horses are vitamins A, D, Е and vitamin В. Vitamin А is present in all green plants, as well as hay if stored properly, especially in red or yellow carrots.

These elements are important for the normal functioning of the horse's skin, as well as for the respiratory system, nervous system, vision, reproductive capacity, and athletic ability. As mentioned earlier, the В elements are also found in well-stored green fodder, where they promote growth, protein digestion and reproduction. If there is a deficiency of the В group elements, it will lead to a deficiency of boron, iron, copper, tweezers, cobalt, zinc, manganese, alum, molybdenum, etc. So the B element is very important for the health of horses, especially for young animals.

It is important to feed water regularly during the feeding process. The amount of water fed depends on the breed of horse, air temperature, humidity and intensity of exercise. Heavy horses drink the most water, half-blooded and thoroughbred horses drink less water, and Arabian horses drink very little. In terms of water consumption, the drinking habits of individual horses have a great influence on the amount of water they drink. In general, horses need 60-80 litres of water per day and night, including the water contained in the feed. Depending on the humidity of the feed, the horses drink about 30-50 litres of water per day and night, excluding the feed. When drinking, the water temperature should be 8–12 degrees Celsius, three times a day and night, before eating. Do not drink water immediately after exercise, and drink water when the horse's body temperature drops close to normal.

The above feeding standards are only the basic indicators of horse racing. In the process of breeding, this standard should be referred to as much as possible, and targeted diet and formula standards should be formulated according to the specific conditions of individual racehorses, so as to provide the best survival guarantee for racehorses. Moreover, the better the performance of the horse in the field, the more complex and meticulous the breeding standard, and the breeding time can even be detailed to the second, which shows how difficult the breeding of the horse is.

To sum up, the diet of horse racing is also a great kind of knowledge. When people see horses galloping on the field to win glory, the efforts of professionals in different fields behind the scenes also contribute to it.

These are all told to Zhou Fangyuan by the horse breeder on Weinstein's farm, Zhou Fangyuan's assistant is responsible for recording, and he should hire more professional people in the world to be responsible for this matter, but for the time being, he has no suitable candidate, and it is not good to dig the wall directly from Weinstein, so it is temporarily recorded by the assistant, and it is difficult to say whether this record is useful or not, at least it shows that he attaches importance to this horse.

Weinstein gave him a thoroughbred, arguably the most expensive horse breed in the world.

Thoroughbreds dominate the world with short and medium distance speeds, setting and holding world records for speeds at all distances up to 5,000 meters, and no other breed has surpassed it for nearly a thousand years. More importantly, the breed is genetically stable, has wide adaptability, and has high breeding value, and is recognized as the best riding horse breed in the world, which is extremely effective in improving other breeds, especially improving speed. Thoroughbreds are a breed of horses bred in Great Britain in the 17th century, and they are artificially bred to achieve the qualities, speed, and size required of humans. Thoroughbreds are known for their super-fast sprint speed and bounce footwork, and the world's most expensive thoroughbred currently sells for $64 million.

Of course, the thoroughbred here in Weinstein is definitely not so expensive, and the thoroughbred horses with tens of millions of prices are basically in the hands of the local tyrant princes in the Middle East. Zhou Fangyuan remembered that he had read a piece of news in his previous life, saying that these princes learned that there were poor people in the country, and when he went to the house, he lived in a house of thousands of square meters and had several cars under his name, but for the prince, he was a poor man, and as a result, these princes had more than 10 million yuan each, and they donated hundreds of millions of dollars of "poverty alleviation funds" to this "poor man", it can only be said that the world of local tyrants is really incomprehensible to ordinary people.

Weinstein can't compare, and Zhou Fangyuan can't compare, so they can only play with horses casually, and get some thoroughbred horses worth tens of thousands or tens of thousands, and tens of millions of thoroughbred horses really can't afford to play.