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The oldest known version of this page was edited on 2009-08-27 16:54:31 by dogwoodhorse (unregistered user)Horse care is always at the forefront of horse lovers' minds. It is true that you will get back from your horse what you put in so our equestrian experts have put together some useful advice for feeding your horse in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle for your horse and a healthy relationship between horse and owner.
Despite being one of the largest land animals in the UK, the horse has a fairly small stomach and it is not physically designed to cope with large feeds.
As horses in the wild would spend most of the day grazing in the fields, taking in small amounts of food at regular intervals in between exercise, it is important that horse lovers try to follow this natural feeding pattern as closely as possible.
How much should I feed my horse?
Calculating a suitable feed ration depends on the following factors:
* The horse's size
* The horse's age
* The horse's breed
* The nature of work the horse is doing
* The horse's age
* The horse's breed
* The nature of work the horse is doing
Below is an approximation of the total food requirement for your horse based solely on height. This is a very rough guide and it is important that you bear in mind the factors listed above when deciding how much horse feed is appropriate:
Horse's height Daily feed requirement
Under 12hh 14 - 16 lb (6.3 - 7.2 kg)
12 - 13hh 16 - 18 lb (7.2 - 8 kg)
13 - 14hh 20 - 22 lb (9 - 10 kg)
14 - 15hh 22 - 24 lb (10 - 11 kg)
15 - 16hh 24 - 26 lb (11 - 12 kg)
Over 16hh 26 - 28 lb (12 - 12.5 kg)
Horse feed tips
Obviously, each horse is different and it may take you some time to become accustomed to your horse's feeding habits. You may find it useful to observe the habits of horses of the same breed or a similar age and size at your riding stables. But, here are some general tips on horse feed and nutrition:
* Make sure clean, fresh water is available at all times.
* Feed your horse little and often.
* Don't leave your horse without feed for longer than eight hours.
* Feed a good balance of concentrates or compound feeds (oats, barley, maize, bran, linseed, sugar beet, molasses) and roughage (seed hay, meadow hay, haylage, chaff).
* Never give more than 4 lb of concentrates in one feed but feed plenty of roughage to aid digestion.
* Feed at approximately the same times each day.
* Feed around two hours before exercising your horse to allow time for digestion.
* Allow an hour for your horse to recover after work before feeding.
* Introduce any changes to your horse's diet gradually over a period of a week.
* Don't leave any feed that your horse fails to eat in the manger. This may be an indication that you are overfeeding or there is something wrong with the horse or the feed.
* Add supplements such as apples and carrots, sliced length ways to prevent choking, for a bit of variety or as encouragement if your horse is a shy feeder.
* Feed your horse little and often.
* Don't leave your horse without feed for longer than eight hours.
* Feed a good balance of concentrates or compound feeds (oats, barley, maize, bran, linseed, sugar beet, molasses) and roughage (seed hay, meadow hay, haylage, chaff).
* Never give more than 4 lb of concentrates in one feed but feed plenty of roughage to aid digestion.
* Feed at approximately the same times each day.
* Feed around two hours before exercising your horse to allow time for digestion.
* Allow an hour for your horse to recover after work before feeding.
* Introduce any changes to your horse's diet gradually over a period of a week.
* Don't leave any feed that your horse fails to eat in the manger. This may be an indication that you are overfeeding or there is something wrong with the horse or the feed.
* Add supplements such as apples and carrots, sliced length ways to prevent choking, for a bit of variety or as encouragement if your horse is a shy feeder.
For more helpful advice on Horse Care, go to http://www.dogwoodlondon.co.uk/archive*∞*
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