Feeding your horse to control behaviour is a common question we get here at Pryde's. The simple answer? Don't feed too much! It is so important to match your horse's calorie intake with their calorie requirements.

1:28 Don't feed anything that will cause excess fermentation of starch/sugars in the hindgut. An example would be if you are feeding grains only, make sure that they are well cooked and easily digested in the small intestine.

1:50 Don't be afraid to change the amount you feed on a daily basis according to how much work they are doing each day.

2:43 The type of feed you use may make a difference in some horses. If your horse seems reactive to grain-based feed, try a fibre and oil-based feed (some example EasiSport and EasiOil).

How to feed and build topline in your horse requires three things:

1. Adequate work - creating an environment where your horse is being worked in an appropriate manner where it will encourage topline and muscle development.

2. Adequate calorie intake - with energy need to develop topline, having the right calorie intake is essential to encourage this.

3. Good quality protein - Having a good quality protein is the building blocks to develop this topline. Without this quality, the job of encouraging this will become a lot harder.

Once you have decided on your preferred horse feed manufacturer, selecting an appropriate horse feed will be your next thing to consider.

Here are three points to think about when making this decision:

0:44 Always use a feed for the purpose it was intended. Why? Because horse feeds are designed with a very specific type of horse in mind. If you use them for another type of horse it may not meet requirements for some nutrients and provide too much of others.

1:43 Select a horse feed with a suitable recommended daily feeding rate. A common thing that we see is someone will choose a horse feed with a recommended feeding rate for your horse of 3 kg but only feed it at 0.5 kg/day.

6:13 Select a horse feed with ingredients that suit your horse. If you know a particular horse wither doesn't like or can't have particular ingredients for any reason, read the ingredients list vert carefully and avoid any unsuitable ingredients.