The inevitable has happened — our first snowfall of winter. It comes every year but is always a rude reminder of what is to come.
One of the concerns we horse owners have is insuring that our equine friends are receiving enough feed to get them through the winter conditions. In many cases, horses do not have access to sufficient, quality forage that they can search out on their own so we owners have to help them out with good quality hay and sometimes supplements. If you walk in to a feed store, the variety of feed available can be overwhelming and confusing‚ just exactly what does your horse need?
A recent article in the magazine Horse and Rider (August 2012) identified five basic rules for simplifying your feeding guidelines.
The first rule is to “meet the basic needs” of your horse. These needs include energy, protein, vitamins, minerals and water. So what does all that mean? Energy is the number of calories your horse consumes from any source. You can tell your horse is getting the right amount by checking his body condition – you should just be able to feel ribs when you run your hand down the side of your horse but you shouldn’t be able to see their ribs. Protein is best determined by having your hay or pasture analyzed. Ideally protein should be 10 to 12 per cent of the total food consumption for your horse. For the most part, your horse should be getting the bulk of the vitamins and minerals required from the forage if it is good quality. If you suspect a shortage, you can supplement with a simple vitamin supplement and a free choice mineral block. We have chatted about the importance of good, clean water particularly in the winter (just snow is not sufficient).
The second rule is for “more forage”. At a minimum, 70 per cent of the daily calories should come from forage. Forage includes your hay and any grazing the horse can do.
The third rule is to “make it small”. Horses have relatively small stomachs — they can only hold two to four gallons at once. That is why horses spend so much of their time grazing — “full tummy” does not last them all day. When we keep our horses in restricted areas and we are the sole source of their food, we really need to keep this in mind. Spreading out their feedings over several times a day is much healthier and has the added bonus of reducing boredom.
The fourth rule is “control quality”. This means feeding that two year old hay may be economical for you but may not be healthy for the horse. Insure your hay retains its quality and is not too dusty. Old hay may have little nutritional value and may cause your horse some respiratory problems.
The fifth rule is “trust the experts”. Rather than spend copious quantities of time formulating your own concoctions of what you think your horse needs, take a good look at the commercial preparations available to you. A great deal of time and energy by well educated professionals has gone in to preparing many of these commercial preparations and you may find one that meets your needs — will save you lots of time rather than individually and repeatedly mixing up your own “special blend”.
There are many situations where proper nutrition can solve many of your equine challenges.
For example, the “hot” horse might be hot because he is getting too much of a high carbohydrate feed and not enough forage. A stabled or confined horse that colics frequently might not be getting enough small meals throughout the day but just gets a meal in the morning and a meal at night — having a better feeding schedule and proper, daily exercise might resolve the problem. The list goes on.
Proper equine nutrition does not have to be a daunting task. If you follow these five simple rules, your feeding regime will be simple and your horses will be healthy, happy and not hungry in the coming months.
