by Megan Worley

Created on: February 25, 2009   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

How to feed a horse

The digestive system of a horse is designed to function the way that it would have for a horse in the wild. Horses in the wild eat little and often, wandering around to graze on the grasses that grew in their environment. Domesticated horses must be fed more to match up with their increased activity level and they have to be fed periodically rather than being allowed to graze all day. Feeding horses today can be tricky but following a few simple guidelines can make the process less daunting.

Roughage

Forage, either grass, or another type of hay, is the most important part of the horses diet. Hay and grasses is what horses were designed to eat and it serves to provide his digestive system with the roughage it requires. In todays over crowded world it is nearly impossible to keep a horse healthy with simple grazing alone and so horses need hay to get enough calories, especially when they are being worked. In addition some pastures are much lusher than those that wild horses find and then their intake needs to be monitored to keep the horse from foundering.

How much to Feed

The amount of food a horse needs to take in every day is roughly equivalent to 2-2.5% of his body weight. In terms of hay they need about 2 pounds of hay per 100 pounds of body weight, or twenty pounds of hay for the average horse. That evens out to be around 4 flakes of hay a day. A general rule is that horses that are doing little to no work should get most of their food requirements from hay, instead of concentrates such as grain. Horses being worked more should receive more grain. However every horse is an individual and will need to be fed accordingly. For example some older horses have trouble keep weight on and need to be fed more grain, perhaps in a mash, to keep their weight at a good level.

Good Hay and Grain

Most people choose to feed grass hay, or a mix of grass and alfalfa, rather than straight alfalfa which has a high protein level. Which type of hay you choose it should be keep free from dust, dampness and mold spores. When you buy hay be sure to check and make sure that you are not getting hay that is moldy or becomes moldy quickly. If that is the case then switching suppliers is a good option. Talk to other horse owners in the area to find one that is reliable and sells good quality hay. There is a huge variety of different grains out there to choose from to feed your horse. To figure out which one is best for your horse do a little research. There many types of grains for all types of horses from the old retired ones to the young show horses. If you decide to switch feeds be sure to do so slowly, allowing your horse to adjust at its own pace to the new feed and try to be consistent with what you feed.

General Rules about Feeding

1. Introduce any diet changes gradually; quick changes can result in stomach aches or colic.

2. Feed most of the horses diet as hay.

3. Make sure that fresh water is always available.

4. Don't work a horse immediately after feeding them. They need about an hour to digest.

5. Match amount of food with amount of work. If a horse's workload increases their food amount may also need to increase for example.

6. Feed smaller amount several times a day. Three or four times is optimum but not possible for most horse owners. Shoot for feeding twice a day.

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