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Practical feeding of horses
Agfact
A6.5.3 (second edition) by Bruce Mackay
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Introduction
The horse
The feeds
How much to feed
Feeding management
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Warning
Chemicals and other pollutants can exist in
stockfeeds. Horse meat can be used for human
consumption. It is the responsibility of the
owner/carer to ensure that feeds fed to horses
do not contain residues which may be harmful
to humans. Refer to Agnote DAI/23 Drought increases
residue risks for details before purchasing
stockfeed or making feeding decisions.
Introduction
Horses must be fed adequately before they can
perform at their best. Correct feeding is both
a science and an art—the science is in
knowing what to feed to satisfy the requirements
of the horse, and the art is in knowing how
to feed to get the best results.
Some basic guidelines and principles should
be followed if top performance is to be achieved.
The horse
Horses have only one stomach. Because of this
they must eat small amounts often. Horses must
also chew their feed well before swallowing
and so will take longer over their feed than
will cattle and other ruminants. Also, horses
are unable to digest low quality feeds as efficiently
as ruminants, and should be given only good
quality feeds.
Horses vary greatly in their individual likes
and dislikes. Factors such as the horse’s
type, age and weight, and the work a horse does,
will influence feed requirements.
Most horses at rest can be maintained on good
quality pastures. However, pastures vary greatly
in type and value and may need supplementing,
particularly in late summer and winter. Horses
doing heavy work, growing foals and lactating
mares may also need a supplement.
The feeds
A well-balanced horse ration should provide
the nutrients required for body maintenance,
growth, gestation, lactation and work. Such
a ration will have balanced amounts of energy,
protein, minerals and vitamins. The ration must
also be palatable, economical and practical.
Rations need not be complicated mixtures, and
most rations can be made from locally available
ingredients. These ingredients usually comprise
roughages such as hays and crops, and concentrates
such as grains and meals.
The most commonly used roughages for horses
are pasture, legume and cereal chaffs, and hays.
No nutritional advantage is obtained from chaff,
but chaff mixed with grain will prevent horses
eating too rapidly.
Oats is the safest and best grain to feed because
of its palatability, digestibility and safety.
Other grains are best fed in mixtures containing
at least 50 per cent oats. However, replacement
must be made on an equivalent basis. As a guide:
5 kg oats = 4.2 kg barley or wheat
= 3.5 kg maize
= 4.4 kg sorghum
Whilst oats can be fed whole to horses (other
than foals or very old horses), all other grains
should be coarsely crushed or rolled. Boiling
is of no nutritional advantage other than improving
digestibility and palatability.
Linseed grain must be boiled for at least 2
hours to destroy the toxic prussic acid content.
High-protein concentrates can be added in small
amounts when protein is lacking, particularly
for growing horses. The order of preference,
based on palatability, is soybean meal, cottonseed
meal, sunflower meal, linseed meal and peanut
meal.
It is possible to calculate the best ration
scientifically, but adjustments must be made
for each horse’s taste and requirements.
The ration must also be complemented by good
husbandry, with careful attention being paid
to general health, teeth care, parasite control
and regular exercise.
How much to feed
Mature horses will generally eat 1.5 to 2.5
per cent dry matter of their bodyweight per
day, depending on the type of feed and variation
between individual horses. Growing foals may
eat up to 3 per cent of their bodyweight in
a day.
Table 1 can be used as a guide to the amounts
of roughage and concentrate required when fully
hand feeding various classes of horses. These
amounts must be adjusted to take into account
variations in feed quality and individual needs.
When you are feeding a supplement, the amounts
fed will depend on the amount and quality of
grazing available.
Table 1. Feed required by horses per 100 kg
liveweight
Roughage (kg) Concentrate (kg)
Idle 1.5
Light work (2 hours/day) 1.25–1.5 0.5–0.75
Medium work (2 hours/day) 1.25–1.75 1.0
Heavy work (4 hours/day) 1.0 1.0–1.5
Unweaned foals (145–160 kg) 0.5–0.75
0.5–0.75
Weanlings (160–200 kg) 1.5–2.0 1.0–1.5
Yearlings (200–320 kg) 1.25–1.75
0.75–1.25
Rising 2-year-olds (320–420 kg) 1.0–1.5
0.5–1.0
Pregnant/lactating mares (400–650 kg)
0.75–1.5 0.75–1.5
Stallions (400–650 kg) 0.75–1.25
0.75–1.25
Commercial mixes that contain grain, protein
meals, minerals and vitamins can be useful as
a supplement to available roughages and are
often cheaper and more convenient to feed than
grain and high-protein concentrates bought separately.
Feeding management
Feed little and often
The horse’s small digestive tract means
that it must eat often and in small amounts.
Working horses need to be fed at least three
times a day—morning, noon and night. When
fully hand feeding, give a quarter of the concentrate
at the morning and noon feeds and the remaining
half at night.
Feed regularly
Feeding should be at the same time and in the
same place every day. A horse is a creature
of habit and learns to expect food at set times.
Make ration changes gradually
Sudden food changes can lead to digestive upsets,
especially in grain diets. A slow replacement
over 7 to 10 days or longer is required, whether
you are changing from one grain to another or
just changing to grain from a new source.
Weigh amounts to feed
Always weigh the amounts of grain, hay, minerals
and so on, because measuring feeds by volume
can give poor results. Feeds from different
sources have different densities.
Mix daily and remove leftovers
Mix the ration in amounts sufficient for only
one day’s feeding to prevent it souring,
turning rancid or attracting flies, any of which
can cause digestive upsets. Clean any leftover
feed out of the trough before each feeding.
Use only the best quality feeds
Poor quality, unpalatable, dirty, mouldy or
contaminated feeds can cause more problems than
savings in cost. They must not be used.
Reduce grain when horses are not working
Working horses on high concentrate rations should
be fed 50 to 70 per cent less concentrate when
they are not being worked. Failure to do this
can cause a metabolic disease called ‘azaturia’
or ‘Monday morning disease’, which
can be fatal.
Give horses plenty of exercise
Avoid enclosing horses in restrictive yards
for long periods unless regular exercise is
given. Exercise periods should be planned to
coincide with times of minimal food intake.
Don’t work the horse until at least 2
hours after its last feed.
Always have clean fresh water available
Clean fresh water, free of organic matter and
sediment, should be available to horses at all
times. A horse can drink up to 70 litres a day.
After heavy work, water should be limited to
between 2 and 4 litres until the horse has fully
cooled.
Check teeth regularly
Regular inspection and rasping of teeth is often
necessary to prevent sore gums, and feeding
and digestive problems.
Control parasites
A regular drenching program is required to minimise
worm build-up.
Provide shelter
In cold windy weather, provision of some form
of shelter can reduce stress and the amount
of feed needed to maintain body temperature.
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