The Feed Room Introduction
Feeding horses / ponies has become a science. So if you are starting to learn about feeding or you are an experienced horse owner this section will help you. Pay a visit to your local feed merchant and you will find a wide range of feeds you can choose from and a confusing number of supplements on the market. Here you will information that will act as a starting point for feeding horses / ponies complimented with the Feed Room Directory with information on feeds for horses / ponies and the Ask the Experts section with links to horse nutrition experts. We need to consider a number of factors when deciding on what to feed our horses. Feeding extends way beyond the feed room door. Clean fresh water it is essential that water buckets, drinkers and water troughs are regularly kept clean. Weight management / bodily condition here you can learn how to condition score to assess the amount of body fat on a horse. Grazing makes up a large part of a horse’s diet. You may need to restrict grazing as horses can quickly become overweight and run the risk of laminitis. Here look at ways to restrict grazing, using a grazing muzzle, strip grazing, use of electric fencing and stabling. You also need to consider the composition of grass changes during the year and paddock management. Forage Most horses will require their grazing forage to be supplemented or replaced with hay / haylage / straw / chaff at some times during the year. You will find useful information here to guide you. Straights / compound / bucket feeds The website will give you information on feeding a horse / pony, the difference between feeding straights and compound feeds. This along with the factors for feeding, behaviour at feed times, supplements, feedbalancers and guidelines for feeding to help you put together a feeding programme for a horse or pony.
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Please help promote the National Horse and Pony Network click here to download a poster. Or click here to contact us and we can send you a supply of posters. Clean fresh water must be available all the time. A horse can drink 20 to 40 litres a day depending on climate conditions, the moisture content of his food and his work load. Horses can be fussy about drinking water and will not drink if the water has a taint or it is stale. Therefore it is essential that water buckets, drinkers and water troughs are regularly kept clean by scrubbing, emptied and refilled with fresh water. A lack of clean fresh water can have serious health implications for a horse very quickly. Therefore it is good practice to check your horse’s water twice a day and ensure that the water buckets are emptied scrubbed and refilled with fresh water.
There are serious safety considerations with supply of water these include:-
In the field natural water supplies streams and ponds can become tainted or carry disease. They can dry up in the summer or become stagnant. In the winter they can freeze up and access can become muddy and dangerous. Horses have been known to become stuck in ponds and streams and some are not lucky enough to survive. Water containers need to be safe – e.g. old baths can cause dreadful injuries as horses can catch themselves on edges or get hooked up by their head collar or rug.
The yard water supply needs to be well maintained. Water taps need to be lagged to prevent freezing. The taps need to be sited near a drain and excess spilt water swept away. Hoses need to be stored correctly when not is use.
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Bodily condition should be noted and monitored, a horse should neither be fat or thin. It is good practice to condition score horses and to use a tape measure to monitor its’ weight. A thick winter coat can hide a loss of condition, it is essential to not only look but to feel. Condition scoring is about assessing the amount of body fat. The scale used is from 0 to 5.
0= emaciated
1 = poor
2 = fair
3 = good
4 = fat
5 = very obese.
To condition score a horse you need to look at 3 areas the neck, the barrell (rib cage and back) and the pelvis. To calculate the overall condition score of your horse you would score each area separately and then work out the average. This method along with using a weightape and adjusting the horse’s diet will help ensure your horse maintains a healthy weight. To find out more about condition scoring and to download The International League for the Protection of Horses fat scoring podcast please click here to visit the ILPH website and follow the instructions. For more information about the ILPH Right Weight Road Show or to arrange for the team to come to your yard, contact Samantha Lewis on 01953 497217.
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Horses and ponies have evolved as trickle feeders spending up to 16 hours a day grazing on a forage diet. The forage we provide must be suitable for each horse. This forage includes the grazing we provide. Sadly most grazing made available for horses is too rich and packed full of calories. A native pony, a cob or good doer may need to have their grazing restricted or they will become overweight very quickly which can cause a number very serious health problems e.g. laminitis. There are many methods you can use in restricting grazing and you may need to use more than one to be successful. Here are a few examples of how to restrict grazing:–
You also need to consider the composition of grass changes during the year. Here are a few examples:-
Click here if you want to go back to the top of the page. Horses are trickle feeders and require a diet that contains roughage. Most horses will require their grazing forage to be supplemented or replaced with hay / haylage or straw at some times during the year. The feed value of hay and haylage can vary depending on the time of the year it was made, how well it was made, species of grass it contains and how well it has been stored. You need to ensure the hay / haylage / straw you feed is sourced from a supplier who will guarantee it is free from poisonous plants e.g. ragwort. Good hay / haylage / straw should be free from moulds, smell sweet and be clean. It is good practice to soak hay before feeding to reduce dust. Only well made quality forage should be purchased. Improperly made or spoilt forage can be very hazardous to your horse’s health. Never feed mouldy or spoilt forage. Oat and barley straw can be as nutritious as low quality hay, and it makes an excellent choice of forage for native ponies and good doers. Correct storage of your hay / haylage / straw is essential in maintaining it in good condition, spoilt hay / haylage / straw is potentially very dangerous to feed. Hay and straw needs to be stored under cover in a dry well ventilated area. It is good practice to store off the floor on a pallet to ensure air circulation. Haylage is wrapped in plastic and can be stored outside. It is essential that the plastic wrapper is not damaged as this will cause the haylage to spoil. The storage area should be kept clean and tidy and provision should be made for the disposal of string and wrappers. Making sure your horse is fed good quality forage is very important. You need to purchase from a reliable merchant or farmer. If you can recommend a local supplier why not share this with the network, click here to tell us and we can produce a directory with recommended suppliers listed. There are alternatives to hay / haylage / straw available. They are more expensive but have the advantage of being dust free, clean, nutritional value known and for older horses easier to eat. There are many on the market and coming soon will be links to websites for you to find out more.
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Horses often need more energy / calories than a diet of forage alone provides. These are provided in the form of a bucket feed. The feed can be provided in the form of straights (individual cereals, gains, e.g. oats, barley, maize etc…) or as a compound feed (commercially formulated ready prepared mixes or pellets). Most owners are not experts in equine nutrition and select to feed compound feeds. There are compound feeds designed to meet the wide ranging needs of equines. Feed companies are happy to provide advice on feeding and coming soon to the site will be links for you to find out more. Many of these compound feeds contain vitamins and minerals and therefore if fed at recommended amount further vitamins and minerals supplements are not required. It is dangerous to over feed supplements. All feed needs to be stored in dry rodent proof containers. Feed scoops vary in shapes, sizes and designs therefore it is essential you know how much in weight each scoop holds as feed is fed by weight. Often a fibre source is added e.g. chaff or sugar beet is added to a feed as it aids digestion.
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When you are putting together a feeding programme for a horse it will be dependant on a number of factors these include:-
Horses normally eat 2 to 2.5% (dry weight of food) of their body weight each day. From this calculation it is possible to work out how much to feed your horse / pony.
Here is an example. A healthy and correct weight for size 500Kg horse will require between 10 to 12.5kg food a day. If he was in light work we could divide this 12.5kg allowance up into 85% forage and 15% bucket feed. This makes the feed for this horse 10.6kg forage (hay) and 1.9kg bucket feed suitable for a horse in light work.
If you are in any doubt about feeding your horse or pony feed companies are expert at giving advice and will be able to best advise you on a suitable feeding programme for your horse or pony. Coming soon to the site will be links for you to find out more.
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Horses can become protective of their food at feeding times. Some can become aggressive therefore it is essential that people giving out feed and working with horses are safety conscious when feeding horses. Horses are individuals and have different feeding habits, it is important that you recognise what is normal behaviour for each horse. Any change from what is normal can be the first sign all is not well.
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Here are some simple guidelines for feeding horses:-
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There are many supplements available for horses. It is important to make sure if you are giving a supplement that you select the correct one for your horse. If your horse suffers from a particular condition a supplement can be very useful. Please note if you use a compound feed they often contain vitamins and minerals and therefore if fed at recommended amount further vitamins and minerals supplements are not required. It is dangerous to over feed supplements.
Here are some simple guidelines to help you decide about feeding supplements:-
Coming soon will be links to experts for you to find out more.
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The Feed Room Directory is currently under development and new enteries will be added each week. The directory contains information on feeding your horse / pony and on the supplements available there are links to companies and organisations that will be able to provide more information on their products.
If you are interested in promoting your company / organisation it’s products or services in the Feed Room Directory please click here to contact us. The National Horse and Pony Network is able to offer companies / organisations a whole page entry in the directory, this can include text and images and a link to your website. Click here if you want to go back to the top of the page.
Vicki Jayne Maris BA Hons
National Horse & Pony Network Managing Director & Inspirational Horsemanship Tutor
Tel 07930605544
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