What is the best feed ration for a horse?

Damon,

Mrs Grace is sad to tell you that there is no one right ration for a horse.

Find out what the horse has been eating and match that. If you must change do so gradually over a month or so.

Alfalfa has a badly skewed Calcium / Phosphorus ratio which is fine for pregnant mares and growing foals but not good for horses. Feeding Alfalfa hay has been linked to the formation of entrolyths in the gut.

You do not mention what part of what country you are in so it is difficult to recommend a particular ration.

The majority of your horses food should either be grass or grass hay. Hay should be clean and free of weeds with no mold or dust.

Go to a local feed store and look for a grain and forage based feed that is about 12% protein and 4-8% fat. A mature horse does not require higher protein. Excess protein is hard on the horse's liver.

The higher fat content adds calories for energy.

There are many very good mixed rations on the market so it just makes sense to use one.

Start with a liter (or quart) in the morning and a liter in the evening. Adjust the amount fed daily to maintain body weight.

Horses caloric needs vary greatly, it is easier to go up than down.

Be mindful of the weight of the concentrate you are feeding. Feed less volume if the weight of the ration (per liter) is high. A liter of corn weighs a lot more than a liter of crimped oats.

Get a weight tape (ask your feed dealer) and check every week. If your horse begins to drop weight increase feed. keep a little note book of how much you feed and the weights you see on the tape. Should anything go wrong your vet will be very glad you have done this.

I never recommend sweet feeds as the sugar in them has been implicated in laminitis cases.

CAUTION: Most people overfeed grain and underfeed hay. This leads to colic and laminitis.

Did you know horses stomach has a capacity of 2-4 gallons? That limits the amount of feed a horse can take in at one time. Horses spend about 16 hours a day grazing pasture grasses so that means with the left over space the horse has , it needs to get the right amount of the 7 nutrients that a horse needs. Horses need to have these 7 nutrients to survive: water , fat , protein , vitamins , minerals , energy from carbohydrates & lipids which are fats. Without these horses wouldn't be able to survive . However horses w/ different lifestyles & ages need very distant diets. I am going to tell you what you should feed performance horses, older horses, and pregnant horses.

High level performance horses are probably the most difficult group of horses to feed because of the many different breeds and the many different events. Winning isn't all about nutrients , its a combo of genetics, training, and skill , but nutrition is key! High fat or added fat feeds are used to improve endurance, reduce the risk of certain types of metabolic problems , provide the horse with energy and a calming effect at the same time , and reduce the heat load during hot weather. Vegetable sources such as canola, soy, and corn oil are highly recommended. Energy can come from fiber , fat , starch, and protein. Keep in mind to maximize the energy from high quality fiber and appropriate level of fat . However lower protein levels with proper amino acids could improve performance because it limits the excess nitrogen produced when extra protein is being used as a energy source. Minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, copper and zinc are known for bone growth. However sodium and chloride from salt are some of the main ones. Vitamins command attention from the owner . Vitamin E and biotin are really popular right now . Biotin is being used for hoof and hair growth and quality.

There is no way to really answer this question. Every horse has different caloric requirements. My 1600lb draft cross who is worked 3-5 times per week eats less than my grandfather's 1100lb thoroughbred who is not currently working at all! Both are mares that are the same age.

What you need to do, is ask the current owner of any horse you plan to buy what the horse is currently eating. Feed your horse whatever the old owner was feeding him/her in the exact same amounts and on the same schedule for a few weeks after the horse moves. A sudden change in diet, especially during a stressful time such as a move will make a horse sick.

After your new horse is fully settled in, make any changes gradually over the period of a few weeks. For instance, if you want to switch brands of feed, feed a small percentage of the new feed mixed into the old feed for a few days. Gradually increase the ratio of new to old over the course of a few weeks without changing the total amount of feed until the horse is fully switched over to the new feed. If you want to increase or decrease the amount of feed, increase or decrease in small increments until you reach the desired amount.

It is recommend that horses be fed free choice, quality forage in the form of good hay or grazing. For many average horses, this alone is enough to keep them in good body weight. The addition of a ration balancer or mineral block can help fill in any gaps in the nutrition of a horse that does not need grain to stay fit. If your horse gets fat on hay and pasture or eats too fast, feed hay out of a slow feeder hay bag or manger, and use a grazing muzzle.

If your horse does need grain to stay in good body condition, then I recommend a fixed formula pellet that is high in fat but low in sugar and starch. These are great for helping a horse gain weight without making them hot or unnecessarily elevating the risk for founder. Hard keepers often do well on senior feeds, regardless of age.

Avoid cheap pellets and sweet feeds. Sweet feeds can make a horse hot and fidgety which makes them difficult to handle and makes it harder for them to keep weight on. Pellets that do not have a fixed formula are usually cheaper because the ingredients change based on what ingredients are cheaper at the time. This means the nutritional balance of the feed can fluctuate, causing behavioral changes, weight gain or loss, and changing ingredients can elevate the risk for encountering unexpected food allergies.

Supplements can be added on an as-needed basis. If your horse is eating a balanced diet, and has no other issues, then supplements are unnecessary.

Every horse is different and every pasture is different. Start with what the current owner is feeding him/her and make adjustments when necessary.