This article first appeared in the December 2021 digital edition of Equestrian Life. To see what’s in the current issue, click here.
Victoria Davies and Andaluka Elegido. Image supplied.
A good gut feeling for performance horses
By Ellie Jolley
The key to producing a winning performance from your horses is ensuring they have a happy, healthy gut. Everything that goes into their mouths can have an impact on their overall performance, from failing to give them enough energy or creating too much fizz that can cause behavioural and digestive issues.
One of the most common causes of an unsettled gut is excessive levels of starch in your horse’s diet. These high levels of starch can create gas and lactic acid within the hindgut, upsetting the delicate balance and potentially causing problems such as colic and creating overall poor gut health.
From producing high-quality performance horses at her Andalusian and Lusitano stud and travelling the world to compete, Tokyo Paralympian and Hygain sponsored rider Victoria Davies knows all too well the importance of equine gut health. In fact, you could say she has a good gut feeling for knowing how to get the very best out of her horses because it’s in her blood….
