How to Choose Horse Feed for Topline Muscle
What do you feed a horse to build topline muscle? How does diet help topline on a horse? What is a horse’s number one limiting amino acid? Our equine nutritionists at Nutrena® break down some of these most frequently asked questions about how to choose horse feed for topline, so you can feel confident that you are supporting your horse’s muscle development and maintenance regardless of life stage and activity level. Because here at Nutrena, we believe what’s inside counts®.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Evaluate your horse’s topline muscle using the Topline Evaluation System (TES) that scores three areas: wither & back, loin, and croup.
- Horses may lose topline muscle due to factors like age, poor saddle fit, and nutrition; consult a veterinarian for persistent issues.
- For building topline muscle, prioritize a diet high in quality forage and sufficient crude protein, typically 10-18%.
- Essential amino acids in the diet support muscle repair and growth; check feed tags for their content and balance.
- Nutrena offers various horse feed options tailored to support topline muscle based on your horse’s evaluation.
How to Evaluate a Horse’s Topline Muscle
Similar to Body Condition Score, Topline Evaluation is done using a measuring system to grade musculature from A, B, C, or D. This score indicates amino acid status and muscle quality along the spine. The horse’s Topline Evaluation System, also referred to as TES, looks at three main areas:
- Wither & Back
- Loin
- Croup
You can determine your horse’s TES grade by assigning a score to each muscle area and adding up the sum of “adequate-to-good” areas.
- 3 of 3 areas adequate to good = TES score of A.
- 2 of 3 areas = B
- 1 of 3 areas = C
- 0 of 3 areas = D
Causes for Lack of Topline Muscle
Horses can lose topline muscle for a variety of reasons including age, poor saddle fit, atrophy from lack of exercise, lameness, underweight, metabolic conditions, and nutrition. If you’re unsure of the underlying cause of your horse’s topline loss, please be sure to consult your veterinarian. For nutritional guidance, you can also schedule a virtual consultation, and one of our equine nutritionists can help you choose the best horse feed for topline muscle.
Diet Suggestions for Building Topline Muscle
When it comes to choosing a horse feed for topline muscle, sufficient protein is key. Make sure to pay attention to these key ingredients and guarantees on your feed tag to ensure your horse is getting proper diet recommendations for building topline muscle.
- Quality Forage: First, the foundation of any diet is quality roughage. If in doubt, we can help coordinate a hay analysis to test your hay levels and guide you to the best feed or supplement to round out your feeding program.
- Crude Protein: On average, horses’ diets require anywhere from 10-18% protein depending on their age and activity level. Younger horses and performance horses will likely have higher protein needs. When calculating protein intake, horse owners often overlook how many total pounds of each feed type make up the total diet. To get an accurate estimate of protein in your horse’s diet, you also need to test protein levels in your hay.
- Amino Acids: Protein is made of amino acids, which fall into two categories; Essential Amino Acids (horses can’t make these, so they need to be provided in feed) and Nonessential Amino Acids (horses naturally make enough of these). To fuel, repair, and recover muscle, equine diets need the correct ratio of the top essential amino acids. That’s why it’s so important to check your feed tags to see how many amino acids, which ones, and what rates are guaranteed in each serving. For example, Nutrena® has Topline Balance® Technology in all of our premium feeds that deliver the three most Limiting Amino Acids (Lysine, Methionine, and Threonine). Your horse needs proper balance of these amino acids to maximize appearance, healthy skin/hoof/hair, strong muscle recovery from performance, and sound growth and development.
Find Horse Feed for Topline Muscle Near You
Nutrena offers a few different options depending on your horse’s topline evaluation and body condition score.
