64 Feeding elite equine athletes: Perspectives from high-goal polo and endurance riding competitors

Knowing equine stakeholder feeding practices can better inform research, extension, and education programs. The objective of this exploratory survey was to describe feeding management and activity of horses performing at elite levels in polo and endurance riding. High-goal polo participants were targeted for survey distribution through a polo magazine publication during the winter of 2018. A researcher recruited endurance riders to participate at an American Endurance Ride Conference sanctioned event held in Florida during March 2018. Participants were contacted 3 times to complete a questionnaire to describe horse management practices, dietary information, and preferences with regards to equine nutrition. Eight of 11 (72.7%) polo players and 9 of 22 (40.9%) endurance riders completed the survey. Seventy-six percent of barns (13/17) were located in Florida at the time of survey completion. To compare disciplines, continuous data were analyzed using t-test and categorical data using a Mann-Whitney U-Test. Polo ponies were fed alfalfa hay, with 50% (4/8) of respondents predominately feeding alfalfa hay, and the remaining feeding alfalfa/grass hay mixtures. Endurance horses were more likely (P = 0.056) to have ad libitum access (7/9) to forage than polo ponies (2/8), likely because most endurance horses were housed on pasture (6/9). For hay, nutritional value was extremely important in forage selection decisions for both polo and endurance sports. Polo respondents were more likely to value (P = 0.018) forage color and smell than endurance participants. All respondents reported feeding their horses grain or concentrate, a typical recommendation for feeding horses with elevated nutrient requirements due to increased workload. Nutritional value was the most important factor for selection of grain or concentrate, followed by feed availability, veterinarian or nutritionist recommendation, feed manufacturer reputation, cost, or industry professional recommendation, in order of preference. Polo ponies worked an average of 51 ± 24 min/d (STD DEV) 6 times per week. Endurance horses worked longer (115 ± 52 min/d, P = 0.007) but less frequently (4 times per week, P = 0.001) than polo ponies. Polo ponies tended to compete more frequently (3.9 ± 2.3 times per month, P = 0.101) than endurance horses (1.8 ± 0.7). During a race, endurance horses were fed more frequently and offered different feeds than the typical ration. These data indicate feeding management preferences are specific to athletic activities. Widespread use of this questionnaire could help target equine educational programs to the needs of the industry.