Sufficient muscle mass is obviously very important for sport horses to perform well. Unfortunately, some horses struggle to develop sufficient (muscle) mass. We would therefore like to take a closer look at the main factors that are important for building muscle mass:

• TRAINING: To stimulate muscle growth, the muscles must be stimulated to do so. Training is necessary for this. During training, very small tears appear in the muscles. To repair these tears, certain signaling substances are produced which ensure muscle repair and extra muscle growth. To have a better effect, it is recommended to do exercises that appeal to as many muscle groups as possible. Such as riding up and down hills and training in water such as in an aquatrainer. Ordinary workouts on flat ground are not going to be as effective in stimulating muscle growth.
• EGG WHITES: Muscles are made up of proteins, which are long chains of amino acids. There are 21 different amino acids, 10 of which are called essential amino acids. This means that the horse cannot produce these amino acids itself, so they must be absorbed through the diet. It is important to work with high quality proteins. This means that they are proteins that are well digested and absorbed in the horse’s small intestine and that they are also rich in these essential amino acids (and also in the right proportions). Good sources of protein for horses include soy(meal), potato protein, brewer’s yeast, flaxseed(flakes) and rapeseed(meal).
• ENERGY: To achieve good muscle growth it is necessary for a horse to also get enough energy. If not, the horse will break down the available amino acids to obtain energy instead of using them for muscle growth. Moreover, a higher energy intake also stimulates the formation of certain growth hormones which will then also ensure more muscle growth. Supplementing the ration with an appropriate concentrate feed is therefore recommended to achieve sufficient energy intake. In our next blog, we will discuss the different energy sources that can be used in horse nutrition, and which energy source is most appropriate for your horse.

Meanwhile, if you are already looking for a source of high-quality protein to stimulate your horse’s muscle growth, we highly recommend our VitaMinalia equine OPTIGROW. This product is packed with high-quality protein and supplemented with additional essential amino acids in ideal proportions.

If you have additional questions please feel free to contact us as well!