5 Recovery Reasons to Choose Höveler Western Sport

Quick answer: Höveler Western Sport is a high-energy, low-grain muesli for medium to intensively trained western horses, delivering 12.19 MJ digestible energy per kg, 14% protein with 107 g/kg digestible crude protein, vitamin E at 260 mg per kg, and 28% alfalfa. It costs $37.99 for a 44 lb bag. Best for horses in serious programs whose owners want the day-after to look like the day-of. Last checked: September 2026.

The ride you remember is the good one. What decides your training week, though, is the quiet one after it — whether your horse comes back fresh or flat, willing or sour. Recovery is where programs are made, and here are five reasons Western Sport is formulated with the working horse's bounce-back in mind.

1. 14% protein and 107 g/kg digestible crude protein to service working muscle

Hard work uses up muscle, and recovery is when the rebuilding gets funded. Western Sport supplies 14.0% crude protein, with 107 g per kg in digestible form, plus named amino acids — lysine 0.58%, threonine 0.53%, methionine+cysteine 0.46% — and 28% alfalfa. That is the raw material list for muscle maintenance arriving with every meal, not as an now-and-then supplement. The page ties its 28% alfalfa share to muscle development and peak performance. A horse fed like this is stocked for the next session before it comes.

Who this is for: horses in busy schedules where one hard day currently takes two easy ones to recover from.

2. Vitamin E 260 mg per kg plus dual selenium sources — micronutrients for horses in work

Intense exercise generates oxidative load, and Western Sport covers the standard micronutrient bases inside the bag: 260 mg of vitamin E per kg, 0.25 mg selenium from sodium selenite and 0.25 mg from selenium yeast per kg. The package fills out with Vitamin A at 18,216 I.E., Vitamin D3 at 3,299 I.E., biotin at 1,185 µg, and B-vitamins per kg. These are exactly the nutrients discussed for horses in sustained training, and here they are supplied daily with the feed. No extra tub on the shelf, no missed scoop. The amounts are printed per kg so you can check them against anything else in the barn.

Who this is for: owners who currently run a standalone vitamin E and selenium stack on top of a base feed.

3. 12.19 MJ digestible energy with 6.10% fat — refill the tank without refilling the starch

A recovering horse needs his energy reserves rebuilt, and how that energy is delivered matters. Western Sport supplies 12.19 MJ of digestible energy per kg, with 6.10% crude fat from sunflower and linseed oil and 16.7% crude fiber taking a share of the load. Starch sits at a moderate 18.30% and sugar at 5.30% in an oat-free base. That is energy density without the metabolic sharpness that strains a horse already spending his budget on repair. The feed does its rebuilding quietly, which is exactly what the day after a big effort calls for.

Who this is for: horses that come back from hard work hot and unsettled, burning energy they should be banking.

4. Inactivated brewer's yeast and 16.7% fiber support the gut during recovery phases

Recovery phases are when digestion and appetite matter the most, and Western Sport includes inactivated brewer's yeast — one of the page's named highlights — alongside 16.7% crude fiber and 28% alfalfa. The formula treats the hindgut as part of the recovery process, because a comfortable gut keeps the horse eating through the days when rebuilding actually happens. Höveler has made horse feed since 1905 — over 120 years of expertise — and this is the sort of long-view inclusion that experience earns. Consistent intake through a recovery week is not luck; it is by design.

Who this is for: horses whose appetite or condition dips in the days following a show or hard block.

5. Competition-safe, FEI-compliant, and backed by a risk-free trial

Recovery nutrition only works if it is competition performance feed legal on the day, and Western Sport is competition-safe and FEI-compliant — verify specific rules with your event organizer, as the page notes. It is made in Germany to a formulation line dating to 1905, over 120 years of expertise. In the US, bifid stands behind it with a 9.0/10 store rating across 24,098 reviews, a 24/7 licensed vet team, and a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee, so you can trial it across a full work-and-recover cycle without betting the feed budget. European craft, American service. Judge it on your own horse's day-after.

Who this is for: competitors who want recovery support that is competition-legal and refundable if it disappoints.

How to feed it

Daily amounts, per 220 lb / 100 kg body weight:

Work levelDaily amount per 220 lb (100 kg) body weight Light work0.55 lb (250 g) Medium work0.88 lb (400 g) Heavy workNot listed — the page gives no heavy-work rate; adjust to condition and training intensity, with adequate forage always provided.

Key specs at a glance: muesli mix, 44 lb bag, $37.99; 14.0% crude protein, 107 g/kg digestible crude protein, vitamin E 260 mg per kg, dual selenium at 0.25 mg each; oat-free; competition-safe and FEI-compliant.

Set the daily rate for your horse with the bifid Feeding Calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How does Western Sport support a horse's recovery after hard work?

It supplies the building blocks and micronutrients working horses burn: 14.0% crude protein with 107 g/kg digestible crude protein, named amino acids, vitamin E at 260 mg per kg, and dual selenium sources at 0.25 mg each per kg. Recovery itself is a training and management process. The feed's role is making sure nothing nutritional is missing on the day following.

Is it suitable for horses in back-to-back show weekends?

Yes — it is formulated as a high-energy feed for medium to intensively trained horses, and it is competition-safe and FEI-compliant, so it remains in the bucket all weekend. Adjust amounts to condition and training intensity, with forage always alongside. Confirm specific rule details with your event organizer.

Does it help with muscle maintenance in hard-working horses?

The formula carries 28% alfalfa, which the page ties to muscle development, plus digestible crude protein and lysine at 0.58%. Combined with 12.19 MJ of digestible energy per kg, it is designed to maintain muscle under workload rather than have the horse burn it as fuel.

Will it make my horse fizzy on rest days?

It is oat-free and low-grain, with 18.30% starch and 5.30% sugar, so it is milder than a grain-heavy concentrate by design. On light days, feed the light-work amount of 0.55 lb (250 g) per 220 lb (100 kg) of body weight. Individual responses vary, so judge on your own horse.

What does the 44 lb bag cost?

The 44 lb bag is $37.99, covered by bifid's 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee, with a store rating of 9.0/10 across 24,098 reviews.