September 19, 2003, Newsletter Issue #143: Diet & Feeding Tips

Tip of the Week

A horse`s diet should be 2.5% of his total body weight for a horse under normal working/living conditions. Higher for increased work, pregnancy, stallions, yearlings and foals. Less for the aged, and those at no work, and easy keepers.

Grains are higher in energy and lower in fiber than roughages and hays. The most common grains fed to horses are the natural grains, such as Corn, Oats and Barley (the mixture being COB).

Oats are the most palatable and frequently fed. Oats are the highest of all the natural grains in fiber, 13% over Corn or Barley. This gives Oats far greater bulk to nutritional value, therefore a horse must consume much more to satisfy Nutritional requirements of Oats. This also ensures that a horse is less likely to Colic or Founder from Oats, as again due to the lower Nutritional levels.

Oats can be whole or processed. In processing, the kernels can be crimped, rolled or crushed.

Do not buy Oats that are musty or dirty or dusty, as they have not been properly cleaned and stored.

Barley is much higher in energy than Oats, and is therefore more likely to cause colic or founder if not fed properly. Barley as a grain diet is fine combined with Wheat Bran or Rice Bran and Beet Pulp.

Corn is THE most energy dense feed and contains a large amount of carbohydrates. Corn is low in protein and does not contain lysine; which is a necessary amino acid.

Corn should, as Barley and Oats, be clean, free from mold or musty odor, be insect free and be clean. Corn can be fed from the cob, which is great for increasing the fiber content of Corn in the diet.

Wheat, Rye and Milo are also grains that can be fed to horses.

Commonly fed are the "Processed Feeds" such as the many Pelleted varieties. These have been determined to be a balanced Grain diet for a horse with "normal" digestive and nutritional requirements. Each of the manufacturers will specify on the outside of the packaging, the ideal age and working or lactating levels to which the diet has been optimally formulated. It is up to the Horse Owner to know the conditions of his or her horse(s) and which of these diets will best be assimilated into the particular horse`s system.

Trial and error with each horse, and each product may be required to find the optimum feed for each animal that is in your care.

Next week, Vitamins and Supplements.

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