WHAT TO FEED
There are hundreds of different feeds available for your horse, and to know what to feed can be so confusing, especially with all the yard “experts” around.
I believe there are scientists that have studied for years, and are real experts, that have made balanced ready-made nuts or mixes for your horse, so you do not have to worry. I also believe that you should be very careful when adding anything to these mixes, as it then upsets the balance. There are many ratios you must be careful not to upset, for example phosphorus and calcium must be carefully balanced. So, unless you are willing to look into all of these, I would leave it to the experts who make the feeds, and not alter it. The only decision you really have to make is what mix and how much.
These decisions are also easy as the description of the mix just has to match your horse- calm and condition for a slimmer horse that can get excitable, cool mix for horses that become excitable easily, veteran for the aged horse etc.
The amounts to feed are on the packets as well, so feeding could not be simpler.
I will briefly cover some different types of feed just for general knowledge.
I have covered hay and haylage in a previous level and do believe that if your horse has turn out, and a good supply of meadow hay or haylage, that is all your horse needs. The exception is if you are competing at a high standard, your horse is doing a lot of work or has a medical condition.
In my riding centre, most of the horses and ponies do about 3 hours of work a day. That includes beach rides, jumping lessons and gentle treks. The majority have fairly poor grazing but adlib hay or haylage when in and over winter. The only extra feed is a cup of pony nuts when they first come in, just as a treat. The biggest issue we seem to have is that they are a little overweight. They rarely suffer from colic or laminitis and the ones that have, have been as a result of other issues (tempting fate again!!). The horses at the centre are generally well with lovely shiny coats and good feet. They are all wormed and their teeth are checked yearly so this all helps. I have had many horses and ponies come in with a huge list of feeds they must have and, within 3 months, are on a cup of nuts and looking so much better.
That said, if your horse is not looking good, you must find something that will rectify this- worming, teeth and a general health check are a must. Then start with checking the quality of your hay or haylage, making sure it has a good variety of grasses. After this, then look at adding more hard feed, but only to the recommended amount.
NUTS OR MIX?
Most varieties of complete feed come in a nut or mix.
In my experience most horses prefer the nuts, these are easy to store and do not sweat or go mouldy as quickly as the mix, but you cannot see what is in the make up.
OATS
They have a husk on the outside, a hard outer layer and a white kernel.
They must be fed rolled or crushed (as in the picture), as the outer shell is too hard, and the grain will not be able to be digested if fed whole. Once the kernels have been exposed they start losing their feed value so should be used within a couple of weeks.
Oats generally add energy to your horse, so are unsuitable for most ponies.
BARLEY
It is a small hard grain with no husk.
It must be fed rolled, crushed, micronised (as in the picture), or boiled to expose the inside so it can be digested.
It is generally fattening but can sometimes make your horse excitable.
SUGAR BEET
This is a by-product of the sugar beet process where the sugar has been extracted for human consumption.
Sugar beet must be fully soaked following the instructions or it could cause choking or colic and possibly lead to death. Because of this you must be very careful to keep it securely stored, where no horses or ponies can gain access.
This feed is an excellent source of fibre but can, in some horses, lead to excitement.
A scoop of nuts can have 5x more feed value than a scoop of sugar beet because of the high water content in the beet.
BRAN
This is a by-product of the sugar beet process where the sugar has been extracted for human consumption.
It is a high fibre product which used to be given as a warm mash for a “pick me up” after a horse had been hunting.
Bran is low in calcium and high in phosphorus and, as it is now known, this ratio should be kept equal in the horse’s diet. As a result this is not such a popular feed now.
LINSEED
This is a small, hard seed that must be boiled for a long period until it has completely broken down, as otherwise it is very poisonous because it produces cyanide.
This can be bought already prepared as a tea, micronised (as in the picture) or jelly.
This has a high oil content so is good for conditioning and can help towards a lovely shiny coat.
CHAFF
Chaff is chopped up hay or straw and can be fed in a variety of forms, the most popular being mollichaff, which is chaff with molasses added.
It is generally fed to encourage the horse to chew his food to increase mastication (the food mixing with saliva to aid digestion).
It is a high fibre feed and should never be dusty or mouldy.
ALFALFA
This is made from a plant from the same family as peas, beans and clover.
It comes in a variety of forms, “Alpha-a” being one of the most popular.
It is a form of slow release energy and full of protein, so is fed to put weight on a thin horse and for building muscle.
You must be very careful when feeding this as:
1- it has a very high calcium value, 3x that of grass or most chaffs. This upsets the calcium phosphorus ratio which can cause serious issues.
2- any horse with kidney or liver problems should not have too much protein.
3- it has a high magnesium content which, again, could cause issues.
Final Thoughts
I have only covered a few feeds, but please read up about anything you choose to feed your horse, and not just the write up from the people selling it.
This is so you fully understand what you are putting in your horse, and its effect.
Try to keep it as simple as possible and follow the scientists’ recommendations.