FEED ADVICE – DISCIPLINES
Feeding Polo Horses: The Ultimate Guide
Feeding polo horses requires a precise balance of energy, stamina, and recovery support. Polo is an intense and fast-paced equestrian sport, where horses need to perform repeated sprints, sharp turns, and sudden stops over several chukkas (periods), often in hot weather. Their performance depends heavily on proper nutrition, which fuels explosive speed, sustained energy, and rapid recovery between chukkas. In this guide, we will explore the best practices for feeding polo horses to help them stay at the top of their game.
What is Polo?
Polo is a fast-paced team sport on horseback that demands speed, agility, and quick recovery across multiple short, high-intensity chukkas.
Horses need a balance of quick-release and slow-release energy to perform at their best throughout the game.
Electrolytes and quality protein help replace losses from sweating and aid muscle repair between chukkas.
A complete, fibre-based diet with added vitamins and minerals supports condition, performance, and overall wellbeing.
Understanding the Nutritional Needs of Polo Horses
Polo horses have unique nutritional requirements driven by the high-intensity nature of the sport. Their diet must provide:
Quick-Release Energy
Polo horses need bursts of speed for sprints, requiring easily accessible energy from carbohydrates.
Muscle Development and Recovery:
High-quality protein is essential for muscle maintenance, repair, and recovery between and after games.
Sustained Energy and Stamina:
The ability to maintain performance over multiple chukkas demands slow-release energy from fats and fibre.
Hydration and Electrolyte Balance:
Given the fast pace and physical exertion, particularly in hot conditions, maintaining hydration and replenishing lost electrolytes is critical.
Metabolic Requirements of Polo Horses
Polo horses face high metabolic demands, as they are required to perform repeated short bursts of intense activity followed by brief recovery periods. To meet these demands, their diet should include:
Carbohydrates: For quick-release energy to fuel sprints and bursts of speed.
Fats: For slow-release energy, which supports sustained performance over several chukkas without causing excitability.
Proteins: For muscle repair and recovery, helping horses to maintain peak condition over multiple matches.
Key Components of a Polo Horse’s Diet
Forage
High-Quality Hay: Forage should form the bulk of the diet, providing slow-release energy and supporting digestive health. Timothy, meadow hay, or alfalfa can be excellent choices for polo ponies, offering a good balance of fibre and nutrients.
Grass: Access to fresh grass is ideal, but it should be balanced with supplementary feeding to ensure consistent nutrient intake, especially during competition seasons.
Hard feed
Performance Feeds: Polo horses benefit from feeds specifically designed for intense work. Performance feeds typically provide a mix of quick-release carbohydrates and slow-release fats to ensure energy is sustained throughout the match without causing spikes in energy or excitability.
Balancers: A feed balancer ensures that essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids are supplied without adding excessive calories. This is crucial for maintaining muscle health and overall vitality – Did you know the Pure Feed complete range all include balancers so no need to add one!
Key Components of a Polo Horse’s Diet
Energy Sources
Carbohydrates: cereals like oats, barley, and corn provide the fast-release energy necessary for the explosive bursts of speed required during chukkas. However, these should be fed in moderation to avoid over-excitability.
Fats: Vegetable oils, such as linseed or soya oil, are excellent for providing slow-release energy. Fats help sustain energy over multiple chukkas without increasing the risk of sugar spikes or excitability.
Fibre: High-fibre feeds such as beet pulp or alfalfa are ideal for providing sustained energy while promoting digestive health and maintaining even energy levels.
Protein Sources
Alfalfa: A high-protein forage, alfalfa supports muscle health and endurance, helping the horse recover quickly after exertion.
Soybean Meal: Rich in essential amino acids, soybean meal helps maintain muscle mass and repair tissue after the physical demands of a polo match.
Linseed: Contains both protein and omega-3 fatty acids, supporting muscle recovery and promoting a healthy coat – Did you know all of the Pure Feed complete range already contain linseed?
Key Components of a Polo Horse’s Diet
Supplements
Electrolytes: Essential for replacing salts lost through sweat during matches. Electrolytes should be supplemented before, during, and after games to ensure the horse remains hydrated and avoids fatigue or muscle cramps. Did you know normal electrolytes can be corrosive on the digestive system and often contain hidden sugar? Check out Pure ReFuel for the low sugar and starch, digestive friendly recovery mash!
Joint Supplements: Supplements containing glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM can help support joint health, reducing wear and tear from the physical demands of the sport.
Digestive Aids: Probiotics and prebiotics support a healthy digestive system, particularly important when travelling to competitions or during periods of stress.
Hydration
Fresh Water: Polo horses sweat heavily during games, so constant access to fresh, clean water is essential, especially during training and matches. Hydration is vital for maintaining performance and preventing heat exhaustion.
Feeding Tips for Polo Horses
Energy for Performance: Provide a balance of quick-release carbohydrates for speed and slow-release energy from fats and fibre to maintain stamina over multiple chukkas.
Pre-Game Feeding: Avoid large meals just before games to prevent digestive upset. Light meals, rich in fibre and low in starch, are ideal before matches to ensure sustained energy without making the horse sluggish.
Post-Game Recovery: After matches, focus on rehydration and muscle recovery. Offer easily digestible feeds with moderate carbohydrates and high protein content to support muscle repair and replenish energy stores.
Conclusion
Feeding polo horses is all about balancing quick-release energy for power with slow-release energy for sustained performance, while also supporting muscle recovery and joint health. A diet based on high-quality forage, balanced concentrates, and targeted supplements will help ensure your horse performs at its best, both in training and during matches. Tailoring the diet to the unique demands of polo—where speed, stamina, and rapid recovery are key—will help your horse stay at peak performance throughout the season.
Hear from the Expert – Sarah Hughes’s Approach to Polo Nutrition
Sarah Hughes is a seasoned polo player with over 19 years of experience, competing in mixed and ladies’ tournaments across the globe, from 0 to 18 goal. She has represented England in international matches, including at Guards Polo Club and in India, the birthplace of polo, where she played on traditional Manipuri ponies. As an elite polo player, Sarah understands the demands this intense sport places on her horses, and why their nutrition is so important.
Polo ponies, often retrained ex-racehorses, are asked to perform at high intensity—galloping at full speed, shutting down quickly, turning sharply, and accelerating again, all while managing the rigours of close-contact play. This high level of performance requires the right fuel, which is why Sarah trusts Pure Feed to keep her ponies in top condition.
Pure Feed’s low-sugar, low-starch formulas, high in oil and fibre, provide the slow-release energy her ponies need to maintain peak performance throughout the chukka without becoming too excitable. This balanced approach ensures that the ponies remain focused and steady, even in the heat of competition. The feed’s inclusion of a balancer also covers all their vitamin and mineral needs, promoting fitness, condition, and overall health.
To support recovery, Sarah uses Pure ReFuel after matches. Packed with electrolytes to replace those lost through sweat and limiting amino acids to aid muscle recovery, it helps her ponies bounce back quickly, ensuring they’re ready for the next game.
With the help of Pure Feed, Sarah ensures her ponies are fit, focused, and fully prepared for the demands of top-level polo, both in the UK and around the world.
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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.
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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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