Horse nutrition: Feeding your horse correctly

To perform at optimum levels, horses need to be fed correctly and kept in prime conditions for their health and nutrition. Feeds must be of high-quality because horses are unable to correctly digest poor quality foods. It may seem costly at first, but giving your horse the best quality feeds will save you money and stress in the long run.



Here are tips to help you feed your horse correctly:



1. What to feed

Like humans, horses need a balanced diet with plenty of nutrients, protein, vitamins and minerals. These feed mixtures usually consists of roughages (hays and crops from pastures) and concentrates (grains and meals like oats, sunflower meals or linseed meal).
Never give your horse mouldy, contaminated or dirty food, and never use yesterday's leftovers with today's feed. Mix your horse's daily ration and then get rid of any uneaten feed before their next meal. Leftovers can turn bad or sour, attract bugs, and leave your horse with gut problems.
Finally, make sure you give them plenty of fresh water and access to salt.



2. How much to feed

As a general rule of thumb, an adult horse will consume about 1.5% to 2.5% of its body weight in food daily. On the other hand, foals will eat up to 3% of their bodyweight a day. Of course, this will vary based on the breed and size of the horse, as well as the quality of your feed. Remember to weigh the amount of grain, meal and roughages you give your horse, and not the volume. This is because each grain will differ in density, so best to stay as accurate as possible.
And if you're thinking about switching to a different diet, you'll need at least a week for your horse to adjust or it'll have digestive problems. If you have a working horse, make sure you lower the concentrates by 50% if they are not being worked, this is important to prevent metabolic diseases.



3. How often to feed your horses

Unlike cattle, horses only have one stomach so they need to be fed in small rations, but at least three times a day, particularly working horses. Make sure you train your horse by feeding them at the same time and place daily.



4. Get your horse moving regularly

Don't leave horses in enclosed environments for too long, they need regular exercise to keep them fit and healthy. If you’re going on holidays, you can place and ad or search on horse listings for dedicated horse trainers to spend time with your horse if you’re away.