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Forage
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Close attention is paid to a horse's performance and condition. According to BloodHorse.com, thoroughbred trainers and nutritionists build a performance diet around forage first. The term forage, or roughage, refers to hays and grasses that make up the bulk of a thoroughbred's diet. Note that hay quality and nutritional value vary greatly among species and locations. One study performed by Antony Meyer Jones of Equiworld U.K. compared and contrasted more than a dozen European hay types and concluded that most performance horses can perform well when fed top quality meadow hay, though Jones suggests a mix of Italian rye grass and Timothy hay as a superior forage.
Grain Feed Revolution
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Straight grain is no longer the feed of choice. Trainers choose pelleted combination feeds. According to the University of Leipzig, Germany, horse feeding practices in Europe differ from those in North America because of the quality of forage available, meaning that European horses are typically fed more grain feeds. Most European trainers add grain-based feeds to supplement a thoroughbred's need for calories and specific nutrients. In particular, thoroughbreds used for racing expend more energy than thoroughbreds used for other disciplines, meaning that racehorses generally get more feed than the average riding horse. Oats have been a long-time traditional horse feed in Europe, but are losing popularity. Barley and corn have become more common in the diets of all European horses, but the University of Leipzig notes these grains are not fed as whole isolated portions of a diet, but as a compound pelleted mixture of forage and grain. In fact, the use of compound pelleted mixture feeds is expanding in almost every European country.
Fatty Acids Controversy
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Oils are a popular additive in the leisure riding community. Some thoroughbred trainers add fats to a horse's diet in the form of oils, such as corn oil or canola oil. However, Utrecht University of the Netherlands has performed studies on the addition of fats, performance and the effects of a feed's overall digestibility when fat-enhanced, and concludes that high-fat diets cannot be proved to enhance a horse's athletic performance. Note that oils are a common additive to horse feeds among the leisure riding and showing community, as they are known to fatten up a lean horse and add luster to his coat.
Supplements
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BloodHorse.com says diets for performance thoroughbreds in training should include salt and light supplements, plus something to help prevent ulcers, which hot-blooded thoroughbreds are sometimes prone to. A high quality grain or pelleted feed designed to meet the nutritional needs of a performance horse should already contain most of the vitamins a thoroughbred requires. So resist the urge to over-supplement your horse.
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European Thoroughbred Training Diets
European thoroughbred training diets are used by horse enthusiasts in Europe and throughout the world. Their purpose is to maintain or improve a horse's performance on the track or in the show ring. In addition to excelling at the race track, thoroughbreds are very popular in other equestrian sports, especially English style competitions such as dressage, fox hunting and show jumping. Thoroughbreds are known for their hotblooded temperament. This means they are energetic and easily excitable. It can be difficult to add weight and muscle to the thoroughbred body, and a shine to its coat, without adding an unreasonable amount of energy and spirit. Thus the demand for specialty thoroughbred diets.