Energy sources explained

Energy sources explained:

Racehorse Cubes uses a range of highly digestible energy sources, including:

Fast-release energy:

  • Cooked grains including barley and oats provide highly digestible starch for rapid glucose and muscle glycogen replenishment during high-intensity work.

Slow-release energy:

  • Fibre sources such as lucerne and lupins, help support sustained energy, digestive health and controlled calorie release.

The formula is designed to support both:

  • Anaerobic exercise (short, explosive speed and sprint work) through starch-derived glycogen
  • Aerobic exercise (longer duration training and recovery work) through fibre and fat metabolism

Racehorse Cubes provide approximately 14 MJ/kg of digestible energy

Why does a performance horse need grain-based energy sources?

Performance horses and racehorses use fast bursts of energy. During this type of work, their body needs to use anaerobic metabolism which is fuelled almost entirely by carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are stored in a horse’s body as glycogen within their muscles. The rapid accelerations and fast bursts of work deplete muscle glycogen (energy) stores rapidly.
Performance horses need to have enough of this energy stored to fuel them, but it also needs to be restored during recovery and training periods.
These carbohydrates come from grains which contain highly digestible starch that is then absorbed as glucose and converted to glycogen.
It’s not just about the energy source, but how it’s treated too:
The horse’s digestive system is designed to process small, continuous feeds, and their feed sources should be easily digestible to avoid issues in the gut. For grain-based feeds, the grains need to be cooked and treated to maximise digestibility and avoid undigested starch moving from the small intestine into the hindgut.
Racehorse Cubes have been carefully milled and cooked to ensure the ingredients are highly digestible, to maximise digestive efficiency and nutrient availability.