What I wish I knew about feeding for energy at events
For a long time, I thought energy at an event came down to one simple decision: give the horse enough feed, and make sure I ate breakfast. That approach sounded practical until I started noticing how differently a horse can feel from one phase to the next. A horse may be bright in the warm-up, flat by the time cross-country arrives, and too tense to eat afterward. I could feel the same shift in myself.
Eventing makes feeding complicated because the day is rarely predictable. We may arrive early, wait through a delayed dressage time, walk a course in the heat, jump several hours later, and then load up before anyone has properly recovered. The physical work matters, but so do nerves, travel, weather, hydration, gut comfort, and the horse’s individual metabolism.
The most useful lessons have come from paying attention to patterns rather than chasing a dramatic burst of energy. I wish I had understood sooner that good event nutrition is built around steadiness. The goal is a horse and rider who can think, move, recover, and repeat the process without feeling overfed, dehydrated, or depleted.
Energy is more than a lively feeling
When I first began paying attention to energy, I confused animation with fuel. A horse that felt quick and expressive seemed ready for competition, while a quiet horse made me wonder whether he needed more feed. In practice, a horse can be mentally electric and physically underpowered, or calm and fully prepared. Those sensations are not interchangeable.
For eventing, useful energy means the horse has enough available fuel to work without losing coordination or concentration. Dressage requires balance, suppleness, and thought. Show jumping asks for power and careful footwork. Cross-country adds sustained effort, difficult terrain, changing pace, and a significant cardiovascular demand. A feeding plan needs to support all three phases rather than create a temporary spike.
Forage is the foundation because it supports the digestive system while supplying steady calories. Depending on the horse, that may come from grass, hay, haylage, or a measured combination. Concentrated feeds can add calories when forage alone is insufficient, but they cannot replace the routine of regular forage access. I learned to think of feed as part of the horse’s whole workload plan, alongside conditioning and rest.
That distinction changed how I viewed a quiet morning. If my horse was eating, drinking, moving normally, and responding in the warm-up, I did not need to manufacture extra excitement. A settled horse often has more useful energy available than one that feels artificially charged.
The danger of feeding for a quick boost
The temptation to add grain or a high-calorie feed before a competition is understandable. An event feels important, and it is easy to believe that a larger meal will provide extra stamina. The problem is that a sudden increase in starch or concentrate can create digestive upset, excitability, or a horse who feels difficult to organize. None of those outcomes helps in a start box or a tight show-jumping arena.
The best competition feed is usually the feed the horse has already tolerated in training. If a new product is worth trying, it needs to be introduced weeks in advance, in small measured amounts, and assessed during ordinary work. An event is the wrong place to discover that a horse dislikes a particular texture or becomes sharp after a larger ration.
I also wish I had understood that the timing of a meal matters as much as its size. A large concentrate meal immediately before strenuous exercise can leave the horse uncomfortable and may increase the risk associated with feeding around work. A modest, familiar meal with enough time before exercise is generally easier to manage, while forage remains important for digestive function and emotional steadiness.
The same principle applies to supplements. Electrolytes, oils, digestive support, and performance products may have a place, but adding several at once makes it impossible to know what is helping. A simple plan that can be repeated at home and away is more valuable than an impressive feed-room collection.
Building a rhythm that survives travel
A competition feeding routine begins before competition day. I now try to keep the horse’s usual forage and concentrate schedule as consistent as practical during the journey, rather than treating the event as a completely different day. Familiarity can make a meaningful difference when the surroundings are busy and the horse is processing new sights and sounds.
Travel often changes the details. Hay may need to be packed in smaller nets, dampened if that is part of the horse’s normal routine, or offered in a way that encourages eating without creating a mess in the lorry. Water may taste different at the venue. Some horses drink readily from a strange trough; others need time, a familiar bucket, or a gradual introduction to flavored water at home.
Hydration deserves the same attention as calories. A horse that arrives slightly dehydrated may lose appetite and recover more slowly, especially in warm conditions. I watch drinking, manure output, gum moisture, attitude, and urination rather than relying on one sign. Electrolytes can support sweat replacement when used appropriately, but they do not compensate for a horse that has inadequate access to plain water.
A useful way to plan is to work backward from the competition times. The competition schedule helps me see where the long gaps are likely to fall, when forage should be offered, and whether the horse will need a small familiar snack before a later phase. That simple bit of organization reduces the temptation to feed reactively.
| Event moment | Main priority | What I pay attention to |
|---|---|---|
| Before loading | Start hydrated and settled | Normal breakfast, water intake, usual forage |
| On arrival | Encourage calm eating | Familiar hay, small sips of water, relaxed surroundings |
| Before dressage | Avoid a heavy stomach | Light, familiar feed and enough time before work |
| Between phases | Replace fluids and maintain comfort | Forage, water, electrolytes if routinely used |
| Before cross-country | Support stamina without overfeeding | Timing, heat, sweat, gut comfort, mental focus |
| After work | Begin recovery | Water, forage, cooled-down breathing, normal appetite |
The schedule will never be perfect. Delays happen, classes move, and weather changes. The aim is a flexible rhythm, not a rigid timetable that creates more stress when the day goes off plan.
The rider needs a feeding plan too
I used to spend far more time measuring the horse’s feed than considering what I was putting into my own body. Then I would arrive at cross-country having eaten a rushed breakfast, drunk too much coffee, and forgotten to pack anything substantial. Nerves can disguise hunger for a while, but they cannot remove the physical need for fuel.
A rider’s event-day food should be familiar, portable, and gentle on the stomach. I do better with a breakfast containing carbohydrates and protein rather than something very heavy or highly sugary. Oats, toast, yogurt, fruit, eggs, or a simple breakfast wrap can work depending on the person and the start time. The important part is testing the routine at home before relying on it at a competition.
Small snacks are easier to manage than one enormous meal between phases. A sandwich, banana, cereal bar, rice cakes, trail mix, or yogurt can help bridge a long wait. I try to eat before I become shaky or irritable, because by then concentration has already suffered. A rider who feels light-headed may mistake that sensation for nerves or assume the horse is making the day difficult.
Hydration is easy to overlook when wearing layers, walking courses, and spending time in the lorry. I now keep water within reach and drink steadily instead of trying to catch up late in the afternoon. On hot days or after significant sweating, an electrolyte drink can be useful, but it should not replace ordinary water or a proper meal.
There is a mental benefit to feeding myself deliberately. Sitting down for five minutes to eat creates a small pause in a busy day. That pause can help me breathe, review the plan, and return to the horse with a clearer head.
Reading the horse between phases
The horse’s behavior after dressage can provide valuable information, but it needs to be interpreted carefully. A horse that is quiet may simply be conserving energy or settling after travel. A horse that paws, dances, or refuses to stand may be anxious rather than hungry. A horse that ignores forage entirely deserves closer attention, especially if water intake and manure production have also changed.
I look for the complete picture. Is the horse comfortable in his body? Is he passing manure normally? Does he show interest in water or a familiar low-stress feed? Is his breathing recovering as expected? Does he feel mentally present when I handle him? These observations are more useful than deciding that he needs “more energy” based on one moment.
After a demanding phase, cooling down comes before a large feed. Once breathing and body temperature have settled, forage and water become priorities. The post-cross-country period is about recovery, replenishing fluids, supporting muscle repair, and allowing the digestive system to return to its normal rhythm. A horse may not want a full concentrate meal immediately, and I do not force one simply because the feed chart says it is time.
Sweat loss varies enormously. The same horse may finish one event barely damp and another soaked, depending on heat, fitness, speed, terrain, and stress. That is why an electrolyte strategy should reflect actual conditions and previous experience. It is safer to establish the approach during training sessions than to improvise after a difficult round.
The rider’s observations should be shared with the support team. A groom, coach, or family member may notice that the horse has stopped eating while I am focused on walking the course. Good eventing management is collaborative, and small pieces of information become more useful when they are communicated early.
Practice the routine before the rosette is at stake
A feeding plan should be tested in the same way as tack, boots, studs, and warm-up strategies. I like to use schooling days, combined training, or local outings to see how the horse handles travel, waiting, work, and recovery. Those lower-pressure days show whether a feed is practical to carry and whether the horse will actually eat it away from home.
I also keep notes. They do not need to be elaborate. Recording the weather, travel duration, feed amounts, water intake, sweat level, competition times, and behavior can reveal patterns that memory misses. Over several events, I may see that the horse eats less when hay is offered in a certain net, drinks better after a particular routine, or needs a longer gap between concentrate and work.
The notes are especially useful when performance does not match expectation. A flat cross-country round may relate to fitness, sleep, heat, course difficulty, nerves, or nutrition. Feeding is one part of the picture, not an explanation for every disappointing result. If appetite changes, weight shifts, repeated digestive problems, or unexplained fatigue appear, I involve a veterinarian or qualified equine nutritionist rather than making increasingly dramatic feed changes.
For my own packing, I prepare food and drinks the night before. That removes one decision from an already full morning. I pack more than I expect to need, because delays are common and the cost of an extra sandwich is much lower than trying to function on coffee and adrenaline.
A practical event-day checklist
- Keep the horse’s forage and concentrate routine as familiar as possible, including during travel.
- Plan water access in advance and monitor drinking, manure, appetite, and recovery rather than guessing.
- Avoid introducing new feeds, supplements, or large concentrate meals close to competition.
- Pack rider food that combines easy carbohydrates, some protein, and enough fluids for the whole day.
- Record what happened at each event so future feeding decisions are based on patterns rather than nerves.
What I carry forward now
I no longer measure a successful feeding plan by how energetic the horse feels in the stable. I measure it by whether he can stay comfortable, attentive, and physically capable across a long day. I want him to eat after travel, drink after work, recover sensibly, and return to his normal self once the excitement has passed.
I also give myself the same basic care. A well-fed rider makes better decisions, communicates more clearly, and has a better chance of staying patient when the timetable changes. Eventing asks a great deal from both members of the partnership, and neither of us performs well on guesswork alone.
The most useful change has been replacing last-minute fixes with a repeatable routine: forage first, hydration taken seriously, concentrates kept familiar, and observations written down. For anyone preparing for an upcoming horse trial, start testing that routine at home and carry the lessons into the next event before the pressure of competition arrives.