When it comes to figuring out how to feed a horse, it can be confusing. There are many types of food on the market and one horse will never be the same as another. The amount and type of food to feed the horse depends on various factors, such as breed, age, weight, health, workload, climate and what is available in the area.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Evaluating the Horse
Step 1. Create a system to record weight changes and food / work given
There are software that can do this, but keeping a log in a notebook is also fine. Leave some space on the pages to note any comments, such as problems related to nutrition (doses, etc.). Record:
- Weight and condition
- The performance of the horse with respect to food; so if you get fat or lose weight easily
- If the horse has specific needs, then if it is young or elderly, if it tends to have health problems or allergies.
- The personal tastes of the horse. (Foods he / she doesn't like)
- The level and type of work of the horse.
- His current diet.
Step 2. Weigh the horse with equine scales
Electronic horse scales are usually very accurate. Weight changes should be recorded using the horse's "body condition score". Weigh the animal every 2 weeks and draw a graph of the changes.
Part 2 of 2: Schedule a Ration
Step 1. Calculate the total daily requirement (forage and concentrates)
The requirement is between 1.5% and 3% of body weight, on average on 2.5%. Body Weight / 100x2.5 = Total Daily Ration
Step 2. Determine which weight variation is right for your horse
Do you want the horse to stay as it is (maintenance diet), do you want to reduce its weight due to health problems (weight loss diet) or do you want to increase the weight of the animal that has decreased due to previous illness or because it is underweight? In any case, whatever the reason for changing the weight of the animal, do not feed the horse based on its current weight, but on the ideal one. Let's take an example. The horse is underweight and weighs 300 kg and usually its best performance is when it is 400 kg, do not feed it 2.5% of 300, but 400 which is its normal or desired weight. The same goes for an overweight horse: calculate the amount of food starting from the desired weight, and not the current one, because only in this way can you really give it less food and get a thinner waistline.
Step 3. Make water and salt available to the horse
Step 4. Feed it first
Forage we mean hay, hay-silo, straw or pasture. The horse can eat at will, and it usually makes up 2-3% of the horse's body weight.
Step 5. Also feed the horse other vegetables such as grass, fruit and vegetables, beets or chard leaves on a daily basis
Step 6. Check the energy level of the forage by giving the animal different types of food or by mixing them together
Different forages contain a different amount of ED (digestible energy), depending on the type of forage (grass, hay-silo, hay, oat-hay) and the type of grass (rye, rat tail, moss grass). As for grazing, the time of year affects ED. Spring weed has a high level of ED, while winter weed has a low one. The "cut" of the stored grass affects the ED. Grass cut while still young has more ED than grass cut later. The hay-silo has little ED. The best way to know the nutritional values of the forage is to have it analyzed.
Step 7. Choose a suitable type of energy for your horse
Some horses tend to "heat up" (become over-excited and nervous). These need to be fed gradually energy-releasing foods (fiber and oil), as they are the ones that will cause the least health problems. Other horses are lazy and lack "liveliness". You can then feed them fast-releasing energy foods (starch, which you find in grains like oats and barley). Starch has been shown to be associated with various health problems and should be administered in moderation to some horses.
Step 8. Increase energy
If the more energetic forage you find does not provide the horse with an adequate level of energy, give the animal some concentrates to increase the level in its diet. These foods can be in compound (multiple foods mixed) or plain form.
- Compound feeds are specially formulated feeds for horses. They constitute in themselves a balanced diet. There are various types, specific for various needs. Follow the instructions on the bag.
- Simple ones are staple foods; include rye, barley, beetroot, molasses, oil and husk. You have to mix them yourself. They can also be added to compound foods to increase their energy level, but they could unbalance the diet.
Step 9. Balance your diet
If you give your horse compound feed you are already certain that you are feeding it an optimal diet. This is the simplest way to be safe. Mixing staple foods is a different thing and is not recommended if you have no experience with horses.
Step 10. Supplement the food
If necessary, you can provide the horse with "supplements" such as staple foods, herbs or commercial supplements. This is to address behavioral, emotional and health problems, and also to increase ED.
Step 11. Consult a professional
Some manufacturers provide telephone support services that you can use to get advice on feeding your horse.
Advice
- Weigh the food. Don't think in terms of "number of dosers to give to the horse". Weigh the contents of a dispenser for each type of food.
- Give the horse a lot of fodder. Have it graze, give it hay silos, hay or oat straw so that the animal has something in its stomach all day. This will promote peristaltic movement and the action of gastric juices, and will prevent the appearance of behavioral or health problems.
- Feed the horse often and in small quantities. The equine stomach is small compared to the total tonnage of the animal, and cannot hold much food.
- Mix foods daily and remove leftover food. If you prepare your food on a daily basis instead of making a mixture once to draw from for a long time, you can ration it and better check what the horse eats. If the animal leaves some food or gets sick, you can remove some.
- Equine scales are expensive and not everyone can afford them. Ask your vet, dealers, and horse farms if you can use one. However, remember that weight "changes" are important.
- If you have free access to a scale, record the horse's "body condition score". An animal that has gained weight may have gained muscle mass and not fat mass.
- When you feed the horse after it has made an effort, give it hay. Depending on the type of horse, you can also give it a cup of rye or wheat.
- Do not give a heavy meal before or after exertion; let about 1 hour, 1 hour and a half pass between food and work. Do not remove the hay.
- If only one horse needs to eat fodder, but the others do not, "fool it" with a little husk or some other low-energy food. Doing so will not make the horse feel excluded from the group when feeding all the animals together.
- Depending on how you feed your horse, you may need to give it some extra hay, as some of it will be trampled on the ground or will go to the horse's bed and is therefore wasted.
- Give the horse only good quality food and forage. Poor foods can be moldy or sour, and cause colic. Bad or cheap foods may not be consumed and will cost you more in the long run.
- Horses that live outdoors should put on a few pounds during the winter and lose weight in preparation for spring grass. A horse with a few extra pounds will be less cold during the winter.
Warnings
- Make dietary changes slowly and gradually over a few days.
- When you feed the horse, do it at fixed times. So, for example, don't do this one day at 7 am and the next day at 8 am. When you feed an animal, do it at the same time every day.
- Some staple foods need to be processed before they become horse food. The sugar has to be filtered, the flax seeds have to be cooked (and if it doesn't, in both cases these foods are very dangerous for horses). Grains must be ground or crushed to ensure proper digestion, but are not harmless when fed whole.
- Be careful that the horse does not drop you at mealtimes (at any time, but especially when he eats).
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Malnutrition is linked to various health and behavioral problems, including:
- Vices "of the mouth", eating wood and dung leads to stomach ulcers. Make sure the horse always has forage on hand to avoid this type of behavior.
- Podophlemmatitis, arrembature, nervous behavior. To avoid them, reduce the amounts of starch and sugar in your diet.
- Azoturia (also called "Monday morning sickness"). Feed according to workload and reduce energy consumption on rest days to avoid it.
- Colic. To prevent them from appearing, feed the animal little and often, preferring fiber and good quality foods. Change your diet gradually - see above.
- Obesity, wasting. To prevent the horse from gaining weight or losing too much weight, regularly record the condition of the animal and check the energy levels of the food.
- Do not overdo the supplements in the horse's diet. An excess of vitamins and minerals is as harmful as a deficiency. Use supplements only when strictly necessary and not to say "you never know".
- Make sure the horse always has plenty of fresh water available.
- Some owners become obsessed with wanting to feed their animals well, complicating things too much and often unbalancing the horse's diet. Variety is a good thing, but always do everything in moderation. Instead of varying the types of compound feed, feed the horse with different types of forage, herbs, fruits and vegetables, at will. Do not overfeed the animal with only one type of food. Gradually introduce and remove foods from your diet - see above.
- Just like humans, horses can also suffer from allergies. The most common allergies are to barley and alfalfa. They usually manifest as a skin rash. Your vet can help you with the diagnosis.
- Some equine scales are not accurate.
- Do not feed the horse immediately after he has worked, as this could cause him to colic. Allow the horse to cool down before feeding.
