Ponies are just small horses, or are they? The pony is generally a hardy and independent creature requiring less human intervention in its management than does the horse. This is because the horse has been domesticated for 2-3 thousand years, and increasingly subjected to an artificial environment and feed regime. It is therefore relatively well suited to the diet it receives.

The modern pony by comparison far more closely resembles its ancestors. Its breeding and management have been less "manipulated" than the horse. Its feet do not grow as quickly and the hoof quality is generally good. Although it requires just as much food relative to its size as the horse, it is better adapted to a forage-based diet.

Ponies that are fed a diet rich in cereals, experience greater peaks and troughs of blood glucose than those maintained on a forage or roughage diet and this adversely affects the performance.

However ponies are found in all spheres of performance and in order to look and perform at their best they require a ration and supplement that is specifically formulated to optimise their natural potential.

For a range of possible beneficial inclusions to a supplement, see under the headings for specific performance.