The ABC' c of Feeding
Dr. Kirsten Voigt

Feeding you horse or horses can sometimes seem like a big mystery.  Grass and hay does not come with the nutrition label we are used to reading on the side of the breakfast cereal box.  Bags of feed that do have info on them leave us wondering what the horse's daily requirements are.  To confuse matters more there are so many companies with so many products claiming so many things, how do you know whom to trust?   

Let's simplify and go back to the basics.  Forage, which is pasture or hay, is the most important component of the horse's diet.  As grazing animals, the horse's digestive tract is intended to be continually full of forage material and is most suited to digest this type of feed.  They should eat on average 2-3% of their body weight in hay every day.  This means 20-30 pounds for the average sized 1000 lb horse.  This will provide all of the calories most adult horses need.   

There are a few things to look for when shopping for hay.  The two general categories are grass hay or alfalfa.  Alfalfa is higher calories and other nutrients than grass hay. The age of the plant when cut and the length of time in storage also determine the nutritional value.  Older plants have more stem component and less leaf making them lower calorie because they are less digestible.  Hay that has been stored for more than a year looses nutritional value as well.  For senior horses who can no longer chew long stem forages, hay replacers or complete feeds must be fed to meet their forage needs and extra calories can be added in the form of fats and/or highly digestible fibers if needed. 

Vitamin and mineral content of hay varies greatly with the type of hay, time of cutting, drying process and age of the hay.  The same goes for grass.  Nutritional testing for hay and grass is available which is a great idea but remember that each batch of hay may be different even if it comes from the same field.  For this reason it is wise to give a vitamin and mineral supplement made specifically for horses to ensure their needs are met.  The red salt lick alone is not adequate because it is primarily made of salt.  Supplements come in the form of pellets or powder for topdressing feed, pellets to be fed alone, or licks that a horse can use free choice.  Many pelleted feeds are fortified to meet daily vitamin/mineral needs when the feed is given at the recommended amount.  If feeding less than that amount a supplement may still be needed. 

There are a few categories of horses who need extra calories in the form of a concentrated feed.  These are the young growing horses, mares and stallions used for reproduction, performance or working horses, senior horses with weight loss or hard keepers.  It takes more than three heavy workouts a week to enter into the performance or working horse category so the average pleasure or trail horse does not fall into that.  Concentrates come in the form of grains or pelleted feeds.  In general pelleted feeds are the better choice for any horse.  They are more easily digested and contain fewer carbohydrates, or starches, than the grains.  Keeping starch intake as low as possible is the best rule of thumb since horses are not designed to digest them well and they are often responsible for laminitis, colic and stomach ulcers.  Leave the sweet feeds to the racing industry where the horses burn tons of calories and trainers don’t mind the effects of the sugar rush they get from those pure carbohydrates in grain.  These days there are better options than straight corn and oats. 

Two other sources of extra calories are fats and highly digestible fibers such as beet pulp or soybean hulls.  Fats such as corn or flaxseed oils or stabilized rice bran have the greatest calorie density and digests without producing a sugar rush. A horse can digest up to four pounds of fats a day but palatability could be an issue.  A good place to start is a half to one cup a day.  There are also high fat supplements commercially available. Highly digestible fibers are somewhere between forage and concentrate in calories and fiber content making them an excellent choice especially if laminitis is a concern.  Start with one to two cups a day and increase if necessary.  Beet pulp and soybean hulls are very dry feeds and need to be soaked thoroughly before feeding to avoid choke or colic. Remember, these higher calorie foods are only needed if the horse does not maintain weight with hay alone.  

On the other hand many of our horses are overweight.  Easy keepers may need a 75% reduction in feed meaning only 15-20 pounds of hay.  For these horses, a lower calorie hay can be helpful so they can still get enough to satisfy hunger and keep the digestive tract healthy.  It is especially important to give them a vitamin/mineral supplement since their total intake of hay is less and the quality may be less.  If the horse is on pasture it is best to have a dry lot available so that grazing time can be limited.  If this is not available grazing muzzles allow the horse to be out but limit the amount of grass they can get. 

Since grazing animals are meant to be eating several hours a day it is best to feed smaller amounts in frequent meals.  Try to break feedings into at least twice a day and split the daily amount evenly between all feedings.  Using a scale to weigh out feed amounts is very helpful to take out some of the guesswork and give you better control of the diet.   Have fresh water available at all times, year round.  There are several medical problems that can be avoided simply by having enough water to drink.  

Fortunately feed companies have done a lot of the work for us by figuring out formularies for vitamin/mineral supplements and fortified feeds.  All we have to do is pick a company.  Stick with the reputable companies that have invested a lot of time and money in creating their products.  They have more research backing and better quality control. They also often have help lines or web site to guide you in choosing the right product for you horse. Use a product that is designed for the life stage of your horse such as a mare and foal feed or senior feed.  Start with manufacture recommendations since they know their feeds best but adjust as needed since you know your horse best.  Always make feed changes slowly over a week especially when increasing feed to allow the digestive track time to adjust.  

Feed each horse as an individual.  I know this is asking a lot in some cases but if you want each horse to be in a healthy condition their diets may need to be different.  They are not all created equally and life stage plays a big part in their dietary needs as does their individual rate of metabolism.   Pay attention to body condition and overall appearance and attitude, as this is the best measure of how a feeding program is working.  If you are having troubles, contact your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist to help guide you.  Good luck and happy feeding.