One term you might hear quite often when you look at the temperament of horses is fizzy. It is basically saying they are excitable and have a lot of energy. It can be more difficult to manage them, especially when it comes to work and riding. That is important though to ensure they are healthy and you can ride comfortably. A crucial thing is to make sure you choose the right horse feed. We want to have a look at that in more detail below.

Type of energy

A crucial thing with feeding is to ensure horses get the right kind of energy. If they are excitable by nature, you can make them fizzy and overly energetic by favouring feed that is high in starch and sugar. These provide fast-release energy, and can make the horses overly energetic really quickly.

The best thing to do is to choose feed that offers slow-release energy instead. For example, you can go for feeds with oil and fibre rather than whole cereals and molasses with a lot of sugar and starch. This can reduce the horse’s heart rate and reactivity to novel stimuli. In turn it will provide enough energy over a longer period and can reduce over-exuberance.

Digestion

It is also important to focus on digestive health in general. Some horses get excitable or fizzy simply because of discomfort when they are digesting feed. It can happen for a number of reasons including diet (excessive starch), feeding times, and even exercise schedule. Improving digestion can result in more positive behaviour.

Amount of food

A common mistake people make with horse feed is they overestimate how much an animal needs. This can result in excitability because they are getting more food and energy than they need for the level of activity. What you should do is ensure you are feeding to suit the workload, avoiding overfeeding. You should also adjust the amount of food as exercise and activity levels change.

Stress

Some horses have behavioural issues and get excitable because of stress. It can make them more prone to weight loss. What you need to focus on here is maintaining their condition and weight. The key could be a consistent routine of activity and rest. Then, you can feed small meals several times a day. Focusing on getting fibre in the diet is great too, because it will help with maintaining weight.

Competition

If you have an excitable horse that competes, you need to be even more careful. You must increase calories to support body condition and achieve energy levels, but without the fizz. A wise idea is to choose feeds with higher protein levels to support muscles. Oil is good for stamina and conditioning. Plus, fibre helps with digestion. The crucial thing is to avoid competition feeds that are high in sugar and starch.

Ordering horse feed

JS Hubbuck Ltd is a reliable source of feeds for a variety of animals. You can find all kinds of products here, such as feed for horses, dogs, sheep, and more. We stock quality items and have some exceptional prices too.

So, whether you need horse feed for excitable horses or anything else, speak to us. We offer a friendly, reliable service and can arrange delivery.