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Nutrition |
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Diet and nutrition pay a huge role in a horse's health thoughout their lives and is often overlooked by vets and owners alike.
Water
Adult horses require approximately 2ml/kg/hr for maintenance. This equates to roughly 24litres per day. Water should always be made readily available as requirements can increase and decrease the same way ours can, in the hot weather, for example. It must be noted that in wet conditions grass provides a large amount of the water required.
Energy
This is usually the most important requirement of the horse as the energy drives all that the horse is able to do, including efficiently utilizing other feedstuffs such as vitamins and minerals.
Sources of energy are as follows:
- Fibre:
Fibre is an excellent source of energy and is broken down into volatile fatty acids (VFA's) in the caecum and colon. The absorption of these VFA's is capable of meeting all the energy requirements of all idle mature horses and pregnant mares until the last trimester. Every horse's diet should contain approximately 25% fibre. Fibre is most commonly fed as forage e.g. hay, etc.
- Starch:
Starch is digested in the stomach and small intestine. Despite being a good source of energy too much feed high in starch can upset the bacterial populations in the intestines which can lead to colic or laminitis. If this is a worry it is best to reduce the size of each feed and increase the frequency. Most grains are good sources of starch.
- Fat:
Fat is very well digested in the small intestines. Vegetable oils are a example are very useful in animals with poor weight.
- Protein:
Only any left over protein is used as energy. If a horse's stable smells of ammonia this can indicate that the horse is being fed too much protein.
Protein
Protein is often overfed in most equine diets as owners believe that by feeding diets high in protein they are improving their horse's health in fact too much protein can be damaging. Most horses require 10-12% of their feed to be protein which is covered by most feeds on the market.
Vitamins and minerals
When thinking about supplementing minerals it is important to look at the whole diet to see exactly how much your horse is receiving before implementing any changes as too much can be as harmful as too little. If you are concerned about mineral levels your horse is receiving it is best to consult a nutritionist it is very difficult to assess individual elements.
Growing animals and lactating mares require higher levels of calcium and phosphorous so should be fed a specialist diet.
Feeding your horse
One of the keys to feeding your horse is to continually monitor. For example, if your horse is overweight you can formulate a diet to help reduce weight, however, when his condition is as required the diet may need to be altered slightly. Horses should not be fed too much in any one feed, maximum 2.5kg for a 500kg horse (1.5kg for a pony), therefore, the number of feeds should be increased if this is the case. You must then decide the level of work your horse does to assess requirements.
- Resting horses:
Resting horses should be fed approximately 1.5 to 2% of their bodyweight per day of which 80-100% can be pasture or hay with the rest as concentrate. 10% of their diet should be protein.
- Light work:
Horses in light work, ranging from hacking and local shows to dressage and showing, require 2% of their bodyweight per day with 50-80% roughage and 10-11% protein.
- Medium work:
Horses in medium work, most competing horses that aren't at the very high levels, require 2-2.5% of their bodyweight per day with approximately 50% roughage and 10-11% protein.
- Intense work:
Horses in intense work, including racing, endurance and performance horses, require 2.5-3% of their bodyweight per day with a minimum 25% roughage and 11-12% protein.
Types of feed
Pasture
Good pasture provides both nutrients and the opportunity to exercise. The pasture should be kept free of weeds if possible by regular mowing or clipping.
In sandy areas, horses should be provided with supplemental hay when pasture is short (ie, overgrazed) to prevent them eating sand and getting subsequent colic.
Hay
Probably the most common way to feed roughage is as hay. There are many types of hay used including both grass hays and legumes such as alfalfa or clover. Moldy hay should not be fed to horses. Coastal Bermuda grass has been associated with an increased risk of impaction colic.
Concentrates and Other Supplements
Concentrates include all grains and are high in energy and/or protein. Horses should be slowly acclimated to being fed larger amounts of concentrate over 1-2 weeks. Due to differences in density, grains should be measured by weight, not volume.
Oats
Oats are probably the most traditional grains for horses and may be fed whole, rolled, or crimped. "Hulled" or "naked" oats are more energy dense than regular oats and should be introduced slowly to reduce the risk of founder or colic.
Barley
Barley is higher in energy than regular oats but lower than corn and is, therefore, a good grain for horses. It may be fed as the only grain to horses that have a high energy need and is usually rolled or crimped, however, some horses don't find it as appealing as corn or oats.
Corn (maize)
This is a high-energy feed, useful for horses that are working hard or being fattened, however, can result in colic and/or laminitis if fed in large amounts.
Other Supplements:
Beet pulp
This is a byproduct of the sugar beet industry and is added to horse rations as both a source of calories and fiber. It contains moderate amounts of calcium and protein and can be safely fed on a daily basis in larger amounts than the bran products. Shredded beet pulp should be soaked in water before feeding to horses.
Bran
This is though to be a laxative, which it is not, however, feeding it as a mash is useful as it is very palatable.
Fats
Fats may be added to the diet to increase the energy density. Corn and vegetable oils are commonly used. Diets containing 5-10% added fat have been associated with improved performance in some types of exercise. Oils should be introduced slowly to the ration to avoid diarrhea.
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Lameness
