1. Feeding Horses

2. Nutrient Requirements  All horses require certain nutrients to maintain body weight and to support digestive and metabolic functions  Energy (DE)  Protein for AA (CP)  Minerals (Ca and P)  Vitamins

3. Daily requirement for a 1100 lb working horse Type of Work Example DE (MCal) CP (grams) Ca (grams) P (grams) Maintenance Little to no riding 16.46562011 LightPleasure Riding20.58202518 ModerateRanch Work24.69843021 IntenseRace Training32.813124029 Most horses receive their daily ration in two parts Roughage Concentrates

4. Feed & Feed Composition  Divided into 5 groups  Roughages  Concentrates  Protein Supplements  Minerals  Vitamins

5. Math of Feeding  Steps  Horse Requirements  Type of Feed  Palatable Feed  Amount of Feed  Calculate Nutrients

6. To find nutrient content….  Multiply the pounds of each feed in the mixture (corn, oats, soybean, etc) by the level of nutrient (DE, CP, Ca, P, etc)  Total amounts obtained in the mixture and divide by the total pounds to get an average level of each nutrient in each pound of feed  Example:  To find average protein in a mixture that is 200 pounds of oats and 100 pounds of soybean meal  200 lbs oats x 54 g protein/lb = 10800 g of protein  100 lbs SBM x 202 g protein/lb = 20200 g of protein  31000 g of protein / 300 lbs = 103 g of protein  For Alfalfa (easier):  10 lbs x 82 g protein/lb = 820 g protein  For DE:  10 lbs x 1.02 Mcal/lb = 10.2 Mcal of DE  Using the previous table, you can that if a 1100 lb horse doing light work was being fed 10 lbs of alfalfa/day, the amount fed would fall way short of nutritional needs

7. Daily requirement for a 1100 lb working horse Type of Work Example DE (MCal) CP (grams) Ca (grams) P (grams) Maintenance Little to no riding 16.46562011 LightPleasure Riding20.58202518 ModerateRanch Work24.69843021 IntenseRace Training32.813124029

8. Roughages  Include:  Alfalfa  Grass Hays  Clovers  Timothy  Fescue  Bromegrass  Prairie Hay  Pastures  Adequate amounts of roughages in rations decrease the risk of colic and laminitis  Helps maintain the correct Ca:P ratio  Because grain is low in Ca and roughages are high in Ca  Rule of thumb:  Horse eats at least 1 lb for every 100 lbs of BW  EX – 1000 lb horse fed about 10 lbs of hay per day

9. Selecting Good Hay  Needs to be free of dust and mold  Early-cut, properly cured hays are preferred  Identified by:  Color  Head development on grass hays  Leaf-to-Stem ratio  Size of Stems (in legumes)  Bales should be broken to check for dust and mold  Legume hays are higher in protein and minerals  Also, more palatable than grass hays

10. Alfalfa  Best of the legumes  High protein, Ca and vitamins  Great for brood mares and growing horses

11. Timothy  Can be grown in a wide range of climates  Cures easily  Bright color  Free from dust and mold  Low in protein  Good for mature horses  Should be supplemented with protein or grain  Mature, late-cut is a poor feed

12. Pastures  Natural feed for horses  No one feedstuff is as complete in nutrients as green pasture grown on fertile soil  Reduces cost of feeding  Furnishes minerals and vitamins  Hardworking horses will need supplemental energy feeds because of the high water content of grass  Dry grass is low in protein and vitamins  Heavy stocking rates pose a parasite problem  Can reduce stable vices  Pasture rotation reduces the problem of parasites  Rotational grazing will also reduce patch grazing  Require 2-5 acres for maintenance

13. Concentrates  High energy feeds  Grains are used with hay to regulate energy intake  Medium-sized, hardworking horses may need as much as 12lbs+ of grain and an equal amount of hay to maintain BW

14. Oats  Bulky nature of oats permits liberal use with a minimum danger of digestive disorders  Higher protein than any other grains  Useful with low-protein hay  Variability depends on the Federal grade  Grade 1 and 2 are the best to buy  Most ratios can be formulated without them

15. Corn  Corn is higher in energy than oats  Useful for improving body condition score  Good buy on a per unit energy basis  High energy and low fiber content, corn must be fed with more care than oats to avoid colic  Corn and Oats in equal parts make an excellent grain ration

16. Barley  Satisfactory feed when ground and fed as described as corn  15% wheat bran or 25% oats fed with barley eliminates the risk of colic

17. Wheat  Seldom fed  1/3 of grain ration when fed with bulky feed  Should be rolled or coarsely ground

18. Wheat Bran  Highly palatable  Slightly laxative  Bulky feed  Preferred for animals stressed by extreme fatigue, foaling, or sickness  Higher protein content than oats, wheat, barley, or corn

19. Protein Supplements  Average horses need ¾ to 1 lb (455g) of DP daily  Supplementing rations of young horses is insurance against an AA deficiency  Common supplements:  Linseed meal  SBM  Most common, higher in protein, better balance of AA, often cheaper than rest  CSM

20. Minerals  Rations should contain more Ca than P  1:1 – 2:1  Trace mineralized salt contains no Ca  P and CaHPO 4 are not a source of selenium, manganese or other trace minerals  Mix trace mineralized salt with limestone or CaHPO 4  Limestone and CaHPO 4 are rich but unpalatable sources

21. Guidelines for Feeding Horses  Quality feeds  Balanced rations  Higher protein and mineral rations to growing and lactating mares  Non-legume hays for adult horses  Salt separately, free-choice  Horses will eat better, digest better, and be less likely to colic if exercised frequently  Feed to horse  Weight, not volume

22. Guidelines for Feeding Horses  Minimize fine, small particles  Good, clean water, free-choice  Change feed gradually  Do not feed grain until tired or hot horses have cooled and rested  Feed before work  Minimum of 2x daily  Give half the hay allowance at night, while horses have more time to eat and digest it

23. Final Word  Commercial feeds provide nutrients such as trace minerals, vitamins, and protein supplements in less expensive form than the individual horse owner can provide.  Aside from adequate nutrition, no nutrient or supplement will do any of the following:  Make hoof grow faster  Cure a curb, spavin, ringbone, or other problem  Increase conception in mares, or libido  Increase intelligence  Prevent colic  Horse owners should not be fooled into buying magic from, bag or can.