Horse dietary needs you must know
In this article we will talk about horse dietary needs, most horses have fewer needs than you might think but they still require some hard work and dedication.
this is my opinion on horse diet like most other things in life there are many different opinions on this topic and different diets will work better for different horses
so don’t just take my word for it do your own research and experiments with yourself and your horse,
with that being said there are some principles that apply to every horse which I will discuss in a little bit.
This is a guide for maintenance horses or horses that do mild to moderate work.
some of the tips that I share can still be applied to top-performing, young, or senior horses but they may need additional supplements to meet their specific needs.
In this article, I will give you information about how I take care of my horses while on a tight budget and how you can do it as well.
You don’t have to be rich to own a horse as long as you are willing to do the work yourself
since I have started studying equine massage I have learned a lot more about the needs of our equine friends and will continue to look for ways to improve my horse’s health as I learn more I will continue to share tips and advice.
How Do I Take Care Of My Horses?
my horses have access to grass 98% of the time they receive one small meal each day mainly so that I can give them their supplements which we will talk about in a minute.
horse dietary needs change with the seasons therefore my routine also changes
as we are getting deeper into the summer the fields are no longer providing as much grass therefore I will need to start feeding them more small meals throughout the day,
this time of year the grass is also not as sweet as it is in the springtime making it necessary for me to feed them more.
in late fall or early winter, I will start feeding hay and keep the horses out of the field for short periods of time so that they can have grass throughout most of the winter.
To find out more about how horses should live,
let’s take a look at how they live in the wild so that we have a better idea of how they would naturally survive
Wild Horse Diet
wild horses eat a forage-based diet (their bodies are not designed to digest grain although a little bit might be okay for some horses)
horses will graze for 16-20 hours each day.
What Should I Feed My Horse?
Hay or grass should be about 80-90% of your horse’s diet
grass is usually better and easier to feed, plus it is cheaper. when feeding hay you need to watch for mold because even a little bit can cause serious illnesses and/or kill your horse.
some horses will need more than grass or hay for instance young horses or senior horses,
alfalfa pellets are a great thing to feed because they contain protein and it is also a source of forage.
soaking the pellets before feeding is necessary because they are really dry and my horses have choked because of it. here is a link to sprout pellets that are a great option
or you can buy alfalfa pellets at your local Tractor Supply.
if you don’t want to feed alfalfa pellets you can feed alfalfa hay which would actually be the best option because it is easier to give them free choice hay than needing to feed lots of small meals every day.
How Often Should I Feed My Horse?
smaller meals are better because of the way their digestive system works. horses are designed to graze getting a constant slow supply of food,
food normally sits in their stomach for 2-4 hours. when a horse gets 1 or 2 big meals a day the food is pushed into the small intestine without being broken down properly,
therefore the horse will not get all of the nutrients in the food. it also increases the chance of colic due to impaction
not getting enough nutrients can lead to weight loss or it could maybe cause weight gain in some horses my reason for thinking it could lead to weight gain is,
because I stopped feeding alfalfa to my horses for a couple of weeks because it is summer and they have plenty of grass and they were really fat
but whenever I would be working with my horse every chance she got she would try to eat grass and I had not seen her this bad
therefore I believe lack of nutrients could cause overeating leading to an overweight horse
feeding more smaller meals is going to be the best option for your horse if you need to supplement their hay or grass.
Does My Horse Need Supplements?
every horse should have constant access to salt and minerals, especially in extreme weather conditions, a salt and mineral block is very inexpensive and lasts a long time click here to buy a salt block on chewy.com
I could not find a mineral + salt block on Chewy but you can buy some from Tractor Supply.
feeding salt can make your horse drink more water so you will need to make sure they have constant access to fresh water
the only supplements that I give my horses are garlic and diatomaceous earth because my horses are very low maintenance and they do well on just these two plus alfalfa pellets and grass, for most horses this will be enough
they also have a salt and mineral block.
conclusion
3-4 small meals a day is best for your horse, these meals should be forage based such as alfalfa or timothy pellets.
24/7 grass or hay and unlimited water is the bare minimum that horses need
also every horse should have constant access to salt, especially in extreme weather.
some horses may need added supplements to meet their specific needs.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about something I did not cover!
