Feeding Cold Adapted Breeds in Modern Environments

 

Not all horses process energy equally.

 

Cold adapted and easy keeping breeds evolved to survive harsh climates on sparse forage. Their metabolic efficiency is an evolutionary advantage in resource limited environments.

 

In calorie dense modern systems, it becomes a liability.

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Metabolic Efficiency as Double-Edged Sword

 

Cold adapted horses often:

 

• Extract significant energy from fibre

• Conserve calories efficiently

• Accumulate adipose tissue rapidly

• Exhibit higher risk of insulin dysregulation under excess carbohydrate exposure

 

Feeding these horses using performance horse models designed for high metabolic turnover breeds creates imbalance.

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Forage Ratio Over Concentrate Load

 

In cold adapted horses:

 

• Forage should dominate caloric intake

• Starch exposure should remain conservative

• Body condition should remain leaner than modern show standards often promote

 

A fleshy cold adapted horse is not thriving.

 

It is at risk.

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Behavioural Misinterpretation

 

These horses often internalise stress and do not display overt agitation. Owners may interpret this calm demeanour as tolerance for higher feed energy.

 

Metabolic strain does not always manifest as behavioural intensity.

 

It often manifests as adiposity and lamellar vulnerability.

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Feeding Strategy Must Match Genetics

 

Modern pasture abundance does not erase evolutionary design.

 

Management must adapt to the horse, not the other way around.