Feeding horses successfully used to seem quite simple!
Thirty years ago horses were largely fed in order to do the work we required them to do. Today feeding has become more involved in the psychological relationship between the owner and the horse.
Manufacturers and retailers often seem to be profiting at the cost of the health of horses and ponies. The easiest repeat sales are unregistered supplements, feed and treats particularly when they are eating more than they need.
There are more problems today with laminitis, EMS, allergies, stomach ulcers and colic. How many of these are food related? And how many of these are further targeted by feed or supplement companies in the promise of help?
The change in the feeds now available to us and the way horses are kept appears to be making more problems for us all.
Having worked in the equine industry for over thirty years I have witnessed this change and how it is often affecting horses and their owners negatively. I believe horses were healthier all those years ago than they are today.
Could this be because; ...
Horses had more access to grazing and weren’t generally confined to stables unless they were competition horses or injured?- We fed more straight feeds with a plan for what we wanted to achieve?
- If the horse worked hard it got more food?
- If a horse was losing weight we would increase the feed?
- If a horse was putting on weight we reduced the feed?
- If a horse stopped working for any reason (illness, injury or day off) we cut the feed right back?
- We rode in all weathers and usually for a minimum of an hour unless for a good reason (injury or illness) and usually in that case the level of exercise was adjusted rather than the duration and feed would be reduced?
- If a horse was being difficult we worked it more or turned it out 24/7?
- Haylage (horsehage) was mainly used for competition horses who needed it for dust allergies. Other horses and ponies may have had their hay soaked but that would have been for dust reduction not weight loss?
- Laminitis was not excused by any reason other than bad management and an owner would be mortified that they had allowed it to happen to their pony? Cases in horses were rare.
- Horse walkers were a thing of the future and those around were not recognisable to what is used today? A horse would not be left unattended and out of sight and they were used for warming up or, more importantly, cooling down a horse after exercise. They would not be used as a substitute for ridden exercise.
And then there were the foods available. Straight feeds were more commonly fed and feeding was kept simple. The usual feeds would often have been;
- Pony nuts or paddock mix – basic everyday cube or mix for most horses or ponies and especially useful for the one horse owner. They would provide a balanced feed with added vitamins and minerals.
- Honeychop, a simple oat straw chaff. Often supplemented with salt and limestone flour. Alternatively hay or straw was chopped ourselves. Chaff makes the horse chew its food more, slowing down the speed of eating.
Bran – usually given as a warm mash on the night before a day off, often after a days hunting or competing. It would be supplemented with limestone flour if used regularly to help balance calcium uptake.- Barley – if a horse needed to gain weight or to help maintain it in winter. Micronised is best.
- Maize – if a horse needed weight gain or more energy but it could make some silly! Best if micronised.
- Oats – generally fed to competition horses or hunters. (By this I mean those working at least an hour a day with fitness training and competing at a reasonable level) Oats have a higher fibre content than other cereals but lower in energy when fed on a weight-for-weight basis.
- Competition cubes or mix – an easier alternative to straight feeds for the competition horse with higher nutritional needs.
- Peas and beans, were fed to horses in very hard work for energy and condition and as with oats could make horses a bit fizzy. Very high percentage of protein.
- Sugar beet is a great warming feed in the winter that is great for the stomach. If unmolassed it is low in sugar, low in starch and highly digestible. It has a good use for most horses and ponies and can help with older horses as a substitute for hay.
Although these different feeds can seem confusing as to where to start, they actually made it simpler. Feed was considered more carefully as to whether the horse really needed it. What confuses me slightly is how often I see peas and beans, oats or maize in a lot of basic mixes and some supposedly calming ones. These were feeds that were always avoided for the livelier types that may get fizzy.
Of course there is always a very good scientific reason why these ingredients are being added and that it’s the ‘digestible energy’ that counts not protein etc etc. However I still wonder about the need for these and how indiscriminately they are used especially when the horse or pony is not working at a level these feeds were intended for. I would still prefer owners if they have concerns to cut out these feeds and go back to the basics rather than look at other calming feeds or supplements.
Many owners would be surprised at just what the professional riders and yards are feeding their horses. Often competition horses have less and more basic feed than the leisure horses that are walking round the block a few times a week. And far less supplements too!!
In the past riders were brought up with feeding regimes handed down from years of experience. They learnt more from riding and training horses every day, (not once a week) and making adjustments due to work, weight and behaviour. In my opinion, science and technology has now confused this by providing too much information, much of which still manages to contradict itself!
Keep it Simple
So, if in doubt about what to feed or if you have a problem with your horse that does not require a vet, instead of reading more feed or supplement labels to add further confusion try first;
To make it simple. Most horses in light work do not need much more than grass or hay.
Add just one good all round supplement.
Feed extra only when doing enough work to justify it.
If your horse is overweight then it needs less food and/or more exercise.
If your horse is underweight then it needs more food and/or less exercise.
