Characterizing the Exercise Workloads and Energy Needs of Horses

certain percent increase in energy being supplied per day through their diet.
Light Exercise 20 increase above the daily digestible energy maintenance requirement
Moderate Exercise 40 increase above the daily digestible energy maintenance requirement
Heavy Exercise 60 increase above the daily digestible energy maintenance requirement
Very Heavy Exercise 90 increase above the daily digestible energy maintenance requirement
However it is important to note that there is a lot of individual variation in horses and a horse may need less or more DE per day. For example a horse may tend to put on weight more easily due to breed and genetic predisposition and therefore will need less energy than the NRC requirement to maintain a good body condition. Ponies are an excellent example of equids that tend to be easykeepers and gain weight from very little feed. On the opposite

 end of the spectrum some horses may be harder to keep weight on due to breed or temperament and may need more energy than their NRC energy requirements to maintain a good body condition such as Thoroughbreds. In addition feed tags usually dont provide energy content so it can be hard to know exactly how much energy you are feeding. This is why it is important to monitor each horses individual body weight and condition and adjust the diet as needed.
Conclusion

Overall providing the accurate amount of energy to a horse per day requires knowledge of the average daily requirement and how this energy requirement changes based on the exercise workload. Furthermore providing the accurate amount of energy per day will also require caretakers to observe their horses and keep track of their weight or their body condition score. If a horse is in exercise but is beginning to lose weightcondition then more energy may need to be supplied in the diet. For example you could top dress
the horses feed with oil or choose a feed that has a high fat percentage. More information on energy sources for horses can be found in this article. If a horse is in exercise but is still gaining weightcondition then either the diet exercise schedule or both need to be adjusted. Working with an equine nutritionist can help caretakers formulate a diet with the appropriate amount of energy for their horse while balancing other essential nutrients.