Feeding

One of the most important factors in maintaining your horse’s health is optimally balanced nutrition. The horse’s digestive system is designed to just take in small amounts of food at one time, since in their natural environment horses mostly graze all day.

Hence, feeding should be divided into as many meals as possible. Hay, silage or fresh grass can serve as the basic bulk staple. For hard-working horses, the amount of staple feed needs to be increased and supplemented with concentrates in order to meet their added need for energy. Suitable concentrates are oats, barley or corn, or complete feeds containing mixed grains in pellet or muesli form.

Even if the horse has a higher energy need, it is always best not to feed additional grain, but rather to up the amount of forage food instead. Nibbling on forage also keeps the horse busy and protects it from getting bored.
The horse owner should also pay careful attention to the amount of minerals contained in the feed. Mineral deficiency can lead to a number of health problems, including disturbed muscle metabolism, shedding of coat, skin problems, dysfunction of the reproductive system or poor bone density.

To ensure optimal supply of vitamins and minerals, horse owners should know how many of these nutrients are in their horse’s basic feed and then add special mixtures, i.e. so called feed supplements, accordingly. There are different supplements available for various dietary needs. The range includes supplements for optimal hoof growth, for healthy joints and bones, and herbal mixtures for a healthy respiratory system.