Horses with grazing of limited quality or quantity will need additional feed in the form of lucerne hay and chaff and some energy dense feed such as grain or prepared feed. As a general guide about 1 to 3 kg of hard feed such as oats or prepared feed is adequate for a 500 kg horse. Endurance horses require good levels of vitamins and minerals in the diet so always ensure that the diet is balanced correctly. Always reduce the amount of grain fed to your horse on rest days by at least half. This is very important to prevent tying-up.
Electrolytes are important for endurance horses.
Sweat contains high levels of electrolytes which must be replaced or horses become prone to fatigue, dehydration or more severe problems. Avoid feeding electrolyte supplements with sodium bicarbonate as they are designed for fast working horses. Water is critical for the endurance horse and a clean supply of cool, fresh water should be available at all times. This article has been a brief introduction to the preparation of a new horse for an initial training ride. Obviously there are differing views on training and feeding methods but the basis of a steady preparation is fairly universal.