FEED ADVICE – DISCIPLINES
Feeding Show Jumping Horses: The Ultimate Guide
Feeding show jumping horses is a precise task that requires balancing energy, muscle support, and recovery. Show jumping is a highly demanding sport that requires bursts of power, speed, and agility. Horses must have the energy to clear high fences, the strength to push off from the ground, and the stamina to perform across multiple rounds in competitions. In this guide, we will explore the best practices for feeding show jumping horses, ensuring they have the fuel they need to excel in this physically demanding discipline.
What is Show Jumping?
Show jumping is an equestrian sport where horse and rider navigate a course of fences, aiming to complete the round with as few faults as possible.
The sport requires not only precision and agility but also significant strength and power.
Horses must be able to accelerate quickly, jump high, and maintain their focus over multiple rounds.
Nutrition plays a crucial role in supporting a horse’s ability to perform at this level, providing the necessary energy, muscle strength, and recovery support.
Understanding the Nutritional Needs of Show Jumping Horses
Show jumping horses have distinct nutritional requirements due to the physical demands of the sport. Their diet must provide:
Quick-Release Energy:
Show jumping horses need bursts of power for jumping, requiring quick-release energy sources that don’t lead to excess excitability.
Muscle Development and Recovery:
High-quality protein is essential for maintaining muscle tone, strength, and recovery after intense exercise.
Joint and Bone Health:
The physical impact of jumping places strain on a horse’s joints and bones, requiring nutrients that support long-term joint health and bone strength.
Hydration and Electrolyte Balance:
Proper hydration and replenishment of electrolytes are vital, especially during competition days when horses may sweat excessively.
Metabolic Requirements of Show Jumping Horses
Show jumping horses have elevated metabolic needs, particularly in terms of energy for short, intense bursts of exercise. Their diet should include:
Carbohydrates: Provide quick-release energy for fast acceleration and power. Careful management of carbohydrate intake is crucial to avoid over-excitement or metabolic disorders.
Fats: Offer slow-release energy, helping to maintain stamina and calmness over multiple rounds of jumping.
Proteins: Crucial for muscle development, recovery, and repair after strenuous jumping sessions.
Key Components of a Show Jumping Horse’s Diet
Forage:
High-Quality Hay: Forage should form the foundation of the diet, providing slow-release energy and supporting digestive health. Timothy and meadow hay are excellent choices for their balance of fibre and nutrients.
Grass: the foundation of a horse’s diet, providing essential fibre for digestive health. It supplies energy, protein, and key vitamins and minerals, supporting overall well-being. However, the quality and quantity of grass vary throughout the year, so balancing the diet with additional fibre and nutrients is often necessary.
Concentrates:
Performance Feeds: Specialised performance feeds for show jumpers are designed to provide a balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, supporting both energy and muscle needs.
Balancers: A balancer can help ensure that all essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids are provided without adding unnecessary calories, particularly for horses prone to weight gain.
Key Components of a Show Jumping Horse’s Diet
Energy Sources
Carbohydrates: Grains such as oats or barley can provide the quick-release energy needed for power, but should be fed in controlled amounts to prevent over-excitability.
Fats: Linseed and rapeseed oil are excellent for providing slow-release energy, supporting stamina without causing spikes in energy levels.
Fibre: High-fibre feeds like unmolassed sugarbeet offer slow-release energy and are easy on the digestive system, helping to maintain even energy levels during competitions.
Protein Sources:
Grass Pellets & Grass Chaff – Provide highly digestible protein to support muscle maintenance and overall condition.
Unmolassed Sugar Beet – Primarily a fibre source but contains some protein to contribute to overall dietary intake.
Rapeseed Oil – A valuable plant-based protein source that supports muscle tone and strength.
Linseed: Offers a balance of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, supporting muscle health and promoting a healthy coat.
Key Components of a Show Jumping Horse’s Diet
Supplements:
Joint Support: Glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM are key supplements for supporting joint health, helping to protect against the wear and tear that comes from repeated jumping.
Electrolytes: Especially important during competition season, electrolytes help replenish salts lost through sweat, maintaining hydration and preventing muscle cramps. If you’re looking at improving your horse’s recovery even faster, check out Pure Refuel – aiding electrolyte, muscle and hydration recovery.
Digestive Aids: Probiotics and prebiotics can help maintain gut health, which is particularly important when travelling to shows and during periods of stress.
Hydration:
Fresh, clean water should be available at all times. Hydration is especially important before and after jumping rounds, particularly during warm weather or intense competition days.
Feeding Tips for Show Jumping Horses
Energy Management: Provide a balance of quick-release carbohydrates for power and slow-release energy from fats and fibre to maintain stamina without causing excess excitability.
Consistency is Key: Feed your horse at the same times each day to maintain a consistent digestive routine, helping to reduce stress and maintain overall health.
Monitor Body Condition: Regularly assess your horse’s body condition score (BCS) and adjust their diet accordingly to ensure they remain in optimal shape for competition.
Recovery Nutrition: After intense jumping sessions, ensure your horse receives adequate protein and carbohydrates to aid in muscle recovery and replenish energy stores.
Tailoring the Diet to Different Stages of Show Jumping
The demands of show jumping can vary between training and competition days, and the diet should be tailored to reflect these changes:
Before Competitions: Focus on providing a diet rich in quick-release energy to support the bursts of power needed for jumping. Ensure hydration levels are maintained, and offer light meals before competitions to avoid digestive upsets.
During Competitions: Offer small amounts of easily digestible feeds, such as soaked hay or high-fibre feeds, between rounds to maintain energy levels and encourage hydration. Electrolyte supplementation is important to prevent imbalances.
After Competitions: Prioritise recovery by offering feeds that are rich in protein and moderate in carbohydrates to aid muscle repair and restore energy reserves. Continue to provide fresh water and electrolytes to support rehydration.
Conclusion
Feeding a show jumping horse requires a careful balance of energy, muscle support, and recovery. A diet that includes high-quality forage, balanced concentrates, and targeted supplements will help ensure your horse performs at their best, both in training and competition. Tailoring the diet to the specific needs of each horse, as well as the demands of the sport, will provide the energy and support necessary for success.
Hear from Brand Ambassador– Amy Inglis’s Approach to Showjumping Nutrition
Amy Inglis is an international showjumper, competing at the highest level up to 5* with her team of horses, which includes both her own and those of her owners. Amy’s dedication to excellence in the ring is fueled by the Pure Feed range!
At Amy’s yard, the horses are fed a tailored diet based on their energy needs and stage of development. For her seasoned competitors, Amy uses Pure Working to provide the balanced nutrition and energy required for high-performance demands. Her younger horses and those needing extra condition are fed Pure Condition Mix, ensuring they maintain muscle and strength as they grow and develop. For the yard’s youngstock and broodmares, Pure Stud is the feed of choice, supplying the essential nutrients for healthy growth and development. ome of Amy’s horses are naturally fiery, requiring a feed that delivers energy without causing them to become overly excitable. This is where Pure Feed’s low-sugar, low-starch approach is perfect, offering controlled energy to enhance performance without making the horses too fizzy.
Amy’s thoughtful approach to feeding, using a combination of Pure Feed products, helps her horses thrive, whether they are competing internationally or developing at home. It’s this balance that supports their success in the demanding world of showjumping.
What we recommend for Show Jumping Horses
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FAQs
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Hoof supplements are one of the most commonly purchased products in the horse world.
But what if the nutrients that support hoof growth were already in your feed? 👀
Every Pure Feed complete feed contains added biotin as standard, alongside the amino acids, vitamins and minerals needed to support hoof growth and horn quality.
Because whilst hoof oils, dressings and supplements all have their place, hooves are built from the inside out.
✔️ Added biotin in every feed
✔️ Essential amino acids
✔️ Balanced vitamins & minerals
✔️ Complete nutrition in every bucket
Your horse can stand in a field full of grass…and still be missing key nutrients 👀🌱
Because while grazing looks “natural”, modern pasture isn’t always nutritionally complete, especially for horses in work, restricted grazing, mixed grazing systems or poorer-quality field conditions.
Grass nutrient levels constantly change depending on:
☀️ Weather
🌱 Growth stage
🌧️ Rainfall
🐴 Grazing pressure
🧪 Soil mineral content
Which means the same field can provide very different nutrition throughout the year.
That’s why many horses can still benefit from targeted vitamin & mineral support, even when the grass looks lush or if they`re a good doer 🩵
At Pure Feed, we believe forage should always come first… but it shouldn’t have to do all the heavy lifting alone.
A well-balanced diet helps support:
✔️ Hoof quality
✔️ Muscle function
✔️ Energy metabolism
✔️ Immune health
✔️ Skin & coat condition
✔️ Gut health and fibre digestion
Need help figuring out which feed would suit your horse? Check out our diet plan service, link in bio 🩵
If you turned your horse’s feed label over… would you actually know what you’re looking at? 👀
A lot of feeds focus on calories first. At Pure Feed, we focus on what those calories are bringing with them 🌱
Because a horse’s bucket should support far more than just weight maintenance ⬇️
🧬 Amino acids to help support muscle repair, topline and recovery
🦠 Pre & probiotics to support a healthy hindgut microbiome
⚡ Oil-based slow-release energy for stamina without the starch spikes
💧 Salt & hydration support to help maintain fluid balance during work and warmer weather
🌾 Highly digestible fibre sources to support gut function and digestive health
🦄 Vitamins & minerals balanced to support normal bodily function, immunity and performance
🐴 Added biotin to support hoof quality and skin condition
And the best bit?
It’s all already built into the feed 🩵
Just complete, fibre-focused nutrition designed around what horses actually need to thrive.
Halfway through the season and suddenly your horse feels… flat? 👀
By mid-summer, many competition horses are working harder, travelling more, sweating more and burning through energy reserves faster, but simply throwing more starch at the problem isn’t always the answer. ⚡
At Pure Feed, we focus on controlled, fibre-based energy to support horses through the busiest part of the season without the unnecessary fizz. 🌱
Why fibre-first refuelling matters 👇
✔️ Slow-release energy supports stamina and consistency
✔️ Added oils provide safe calories without huge starch spikes
✔️ Essential amino acids help support muscle recovery and topline
✔️ Electrolytes & gut support become increasingly important as workloads and temperatures rise
✔️ Highly digestible formulations help horses maintain condition even during intense competition periods
The goal isn’t just more energy 👉 It’s usable energy, sustainable condition and horses that recover well enough to go again next weekend 💪
Most horse feeds are built around adding things in. At Pure Feed, we built ours around taking the confusion out 🩵
No separate chaff.
No balancing products.
No complicated feed charts stuck to the tack room wall.
Just scientifically balanced, fibre-based nutrition designed to support the horse as a whole 👉 from gut health and energy metabolism to muscle recovery and condition.
What makes us different? 👇
✔️ Complete nutrition in every feed
So every mouthful contributes towards a balanced diet; not just calories.
✔️ Low sugar & starch, no molasses, no alfalfa
Carefully formulated to support horses needing a more controlled, fibre-focused diet.
✔️ Gut-first formulation
With high fibre levels, pre & probiotics, and highly digestible ingredients to support the hindgut microbiome.
✔️ Real-world feeding that actually works
From happy hackers to top-level competition horses, we create feeds that are practical, consistent and easy to feed correctly.
Because feeding well shouldn’t mean feeding more products 👀
🏇 Worked hard. Sweated hard. Recovered properly?
When your horse exercises, they don`t just lose water. They also lose electrolytes, burn through nutrients and create muscle fatigue that needs supporting before the next ride.
That`s why we created Pure Refuel 🩵
Refuel combines:
⚡ Electrolytes to replace what`s lost through sweat
💪 Essential amino acids to support muscle recovery
🦠 Live yeast to support gut health
🍒 Cherry for to tempt the fussiest of horses
🌱 Low sugar & starch formulation
💧 Quick-soaking mash to encourage fluid intake
Whether you`ve just finished a competition, a training session, a fun ride or a long day travelling, Refuel helps support recovery from the inside out 🩵
🚨 Good doers need nutrients too 🚨
One of the biggest feeding myths we see? 👀
"My horse gains weight easily, so they don`t need hard feed."
The reality is that calories and nutrition aren`t the same thing.
A horse can be carrying plenty of condition while still falling short on important nutrients needed for healthy hooves, muscle function, immunity, coat quality and overall wellbeing 🌱
That`s where a feed balancer comes in 🩵
Designed to provide concentrated nutrition without unnecessary calories, a balancer helps support your horse`s diet when they don`t need large bucket feeds.
Why do owners choose Pure Balance? 👇
✔️ Low calorie, nutrient-dense formulation
✔️ Vitamins & minerals to help balance forage and grazing
✔️ Added amino acids to support topline and muscle maintenance
✔️ Pre & probiotics for digestive support
✔️ Biotin for healthy hooves
✔️ No molasses or added sugar
Think of it like this...
Your horse may not need more feed 👉 they may just need more nutrition. 🧬
Perfect for good doers, native types, horses on restricted grazing, and anyone looking to support a balanced diet without adding unnecessary calories 🩵
The hard work doesn’t end when the ride stops.
Whether it’s a competition, a schooling session, travelling, or simply coping with hot weather, giving your horse the right support afterwards can make all the difference to how they feel the next day.
Hydration, muscle function, digestive support and replenishing what’s lost through sweat all play a huge role in keeping horses comfortable, healthy and ready to go again.
That’s why we created Pure Refuel 💧🐴
An easy-to-feed recovery mash designed to support horses after work; without relying on cereals or unnecessary sugar 🍒🩵
Your horse’s feed should do more than just fill a bucket 👀
At Pure Feed, our complete range is formulated to be just that: complete. Meaning your horse gets balanced nutrition in every bite, without the need for endless extras and complicated feeding plans 🌱
Each feed combines:
✔️ High-quality fibre for digestive health
✔️ Added vitamins & minerals for daily balance
✔️ Essential amino acids to support topline & muscle
✔️ Linseed & rapeseed oil for slow-release energy
✔️ Pre & probiotics to support the gut microbiome
Because feeding your horse shouldn’t feel like solving a science equation every day 🧪
Whether you have a happy hacker, competition horse, veteran or good doer, the goal stays the same:
➡️ Simple feeding
➡️ Consistent nutrition
➡️ Healthy horses
☀️ Grass might look like the perfect summer feed… but appearances can be deceiving.
Lush grazing can provide plenty of calories, but it doesn’t always provide the balanced nutrition your horse actually needs to support:
⬇️ Muscle function
⬇️ Hoof quality
⬇️ Gut health
⬇️ Recovery
⬇️ Energy levels
⬇️ Overall performance & condition
As grass grows rapidly through summer, nutrient levels can fluctuate massively, and key vitamins, minerals, quality protein and electrolytes are often still lacking.
That’s why at Pure Feed all of our feeds are designed as complete feeds 🩵
Meaning every scoop contains:
✔️ High-quality fibre
✔️ Added vitamins & minerals
✔️ Pre & probiotics for gut support
✔️ Linseed & rapeseed oil for slow-release energy
✔️ Essential amino acids to support topline & muscle
No complicated feed rooms. No balancing guesswork. Just simple, complete nutrition that works with your horse`s gut not against it 🌱
It’s a really common misconception that Pure Feed has “higher feeding rates” than other brands. That perception usually comes from how different feeds are structured, not how much nutrition the horse is actually receiving.
Firstly, many traditional feeding systems are built across multiple separate products: a chaff for fibre, a balancer for vitamins and minerals, a mix or cube for energy, and then additional supplements for gut health, hoof condition, or muscle support. Because these elements are often purchased individually, it’s easy not to fully register just how many separate feeds are being used to build the daily ration.
Secondly, when you compare feeding rates in isolation, it can also be misleading. A single product, such as a chaff, may appear to have a lower recommended intake on its own, but that’s because it’s only contributing one part of the overall diet. The rest of the nutrition comes from other bags, buckets, and supplements.
Our Complete feeds are formulated differently. Everything is already built in; a balanced fibre base, carefully selected energy sources, a full vitamin and mineral profile, plus targeted functional support for gut health, muscle function, and hoof strength. Because of that, the feeding rate can look slightly higher when compared directly to a single-component product like a chaff, but you’re actually seeing the full ration in one place rather than just part of it.
It simplifies the whole routine, reduces the need to juggle multiple products, and ensures consistency in every mouthful 🩵
Final week ⏳
£5 off Pure Stud ends soon!
If you’re looking for a complete, balanced feed to support youngstock, mares or stallions, now is the time to try!
With higher protein levels, a full balancer, and a formulation free from cereals, molasses, soya and alfalfa, Pure Stud offers a simple and effective feeding solution.
Available in-store and online 🩵
Molasses is commonly used in horse feeds as a cheap palatability enhancer, effectively adding sweetness to make heavily processed or less naturally palatable ingredients more appealing.
The issue is that this approach also increases the overall sugar content of the diet, while encouraging reliance on flavouring rather than formulation quality. For some horses, this can contribute to unnecessary spikes in dietary sugar intake and inconsistent energy levels, particularly in more sensitive types.
That’s why the Pure Feed range is completely molasses-free.
We don’t rely on added sweetness or masking agents to make our feed tastier. Instead, we focus on naturally palatable, fibre-led formulations with slow-release energy sources, supporting steadier intake, more consistent condition, and a more transparent approach to nutrition.
Want to learn more about our molasses free feeds ? Link in bio 🩵
Feeding shouldn’t feel like building a puzzle every morning 🧩
A complete feed brings everything together in one consistent, carefully formulated ration; designed to deliver fibre, energy, vitamins, minerals and protein in the right proportions, every time.
Instead of relying on multiple buckets, supplements, and guesswork, you’re giving the horse a single, balanced foundation that supports gut health, condition, and performance as one joined-up system.
Because when nutrition is already complete, everything else becomes simpler, keeping them feeling their best, day in, day out🐴 🩵
A complete feed should do more than just “fill a gap”; it should actively support the horse from the inside out, every single day.
That’s why the Pure Complete range goes further, building in targeted support through Gut Support, Muscle Support, and Hoof Support packages as standard = not as add-ons, not as extras, but as part of the formulation itself.
So instead of juggling separate supplements and hoping everything adds up, you’ve got a fully balanced feed that supports digestion, topline, strength, and hoof health in one simple system.
Complete nutrition, complete support = all in one bucket 🩵
When it comes to youngstock and breeding horses, nutrition plays a key role in long-term development 🩵
Pure Stud provides higher levels of protein and a full balancer, while remaining low in sugar and starch, supporting a more controlled rate of growth.
Formulated without cereals, molasses, soya or alfalfa, it offers a clean, consistent approach to feeding, with a lower-risk profile for developmental concerns such as OCD.
Available in-store and online 👉 and now £5 off throughout May!
A complete feed is more than just a bucket of feed thrown together; it’s a carefully balanced system designed to support your horse from the inside out.
Each component plays a role: high-quality fibres for gut health and steady energy release, essential oils for slow-release fuel, and a fully balanced vitamin and mineral profile to remove the need for additional supplements. Add in digestible protein for topline and muscle repair, and you’ve got nutrition that works in harmony with the whole horse.
No gaps. No guesswork. Just everything they need, all in one place.
That’s the idea behind a Pure Feed complete feed = simplicity, balance, and performance you can see. 🐴
Vitamin C is a vital nutrient involved in a range of key physiological processes in the horse. It acts as a powerful antioxidant, helping to neutralise free radicals and reduce oxidative stress, particularly important during periods of work, growth, or recovery. It is also essential for collagen synthesis, supporting the integrity of connective tissues, including tendons, ligaments, skin, and blood vessels, all of which are under constant strain in the athletic horse. In addition, vitamin C contributes to normal hormone synthesis, supporting overall metabolic balance and physiological function.
Because of its importance across multiple systems, vitamin C is included as part of the carefully balanced formulation in our Complete feeds. This ensures horses receive consistent, appropriate levels as part of their daily nutrition, supporting health, resilience, and performance without the need for additional supplementation 🩵
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