Equine Feeds: Purina

The Problem		The Solution
Strong Starts, Lackluster Finishes Reliance on a high-grain diet comprised of starch and sugar can result in a horse that starts strong, but runs out of gas before finishing the event. Starch and sugar quickly convert to glucose which can be used immediately or stored in the muscles as glycogen. But muscle glycogen stores can be almost completely depleted in endurance trials, such as a 50-mile or longer race, or during repeated hard efforts.		Sustained Energy System Ultium is a blended fuel, based on a unique ratio of three fuel sources: low starch, higher fat and highly fermentable fiber. The horse utilizes all three sources on an as-needed basis. Ultium programs a horse's muscles to tap into its fat and fermentable fiber sources in order to conserve the "high octane" muscle glycogen for when its most needed for a strong finish.
Slow Recovery Muscle recovery, also called "bounce back," is a twofold process involving replenishment of glycogen (stored energy in the muscles) and tissue repair. The faster a horse recovers after intense exercise, the stresses of competing and the stresses of traveling, the sooner it's ready to compete again.		Targeted Nutrition Delivery System Ultium is designed to transport essential amino acids--the building blocks of protein--that rebuild tissue damage resulting from vigorous exercise to where they are most needed. Horses exhibit excellent "bounce back" and readines to perform when called upon.
Digestive Disturbances When a horse is overfed grain--starches and sugars--it doesn't have the capacity to digest it all int he foregut, and some may pass along undigested to the hindgut, which is not well equipped to digest grain. This is whyoverfeeding grain often results in excess gas productio and increased risk of colic and founder.		Ultium-Lower in Starch and Sugar, Higher in Fat Fats are concentrated energy, containing 3 times the digestible energy of an equal amount of oats, and 2.5 times the energy of corn. Fats are a source of cool energy, improving stamina and endurance, and delaying the onset of fatique. They also help smooth a horse's energy level by blunting glucose and insulin responses to meals high in starch and sugar. Adding fat to a horse's diet does not increase the risk of digestive disturbances.
Hot Horse When a horse gets more calories than it needs --or getting surges of energy from a high-starch diet--it will often use some of these calories for nervous activity, resulting in a distracted, resistant and hyperactive "hot" horse.		Level-headed, Responsive, Low Motor Increasing fats and fermentable fiber and decreasing starch levels out blood sugar concentrations, making horses more cool-headed and even-tempered. Field studies indicate Ultium may make a horse more controllable and manageable, more attentive and responsive, and mentally focused.
Maintaining Peak Condition The competitive horse requires up to 36,000 calories per day. The small size of a horse's stomach (10 quarts), combined with the stress of traveling and competing, often means a horse can't or won't eat enough food to meet his necessary caloric intake. Over the course of a competitive season, a horse can easily become "run down."		Nutrient Dense Formula It can take 120 days to get a horse into peak competition condition. Ultium helps keep the horse there, with a diet geared towards swift recovery and replenishment. Highly palatable and digestible, Ultium is nutrient dense and and highly efficent, so you can feed less.
Health A horse's immune system acts to defend the body against foreign invaders, such as baceria, viruses and fungi, that may cause disease. It also destroys infected and cancerous cells and removes cellular debris. A horse can have the best of everything, but without a healthy immune system it is vulnerable to illness. The competitive horse is subjected to further assaults on the immune system due to the stress of competition and travel.		High Quality Ingredients for Health Ultium includes Vitamins E and C, and Selenium, all of which destroy free radicals that can wreak havoc on healthy cells. Ultium also includes an optimum fatty acid profile, with Omega-3 and Omega-6, fatty acids from fats in flaxseed, soy oil, and rice bran, that improve hair coat and body condition, and help reduce recovery time after a strenuous workout. A horse can not generate these fatty acids on its own, so they must come from the diet.