Feeding your horse supplements: Important rules and aspects

There are a number of important rules and aspects of horse sense and management that should be considered when preparing rations and feeding horses.

This should be incorporated on a daily basis to ensure that each horse maintains optimum health, condition, exercise or reproductive capacity.

Horses require an adequate and balanced diet with ad lib good quality hay to satisfy their hunger and occupy their time eating, as well as regular daily exercise. Of all the nutrients in a horse’s diet, water is consumed in the greatest quantity (by weight) and access to cool clean water must be within reach at all times.

All rations must contain an optimum balance between roughages, supplying the fibre base vital for digestive function and concentrates, which contribute extra energy, protein and fat to meet the elevated needs of exercise, growth and reproduction. All well balanced and adequate diets must be complimented by regular deworming, teeth care and careful considerate training methods to ensure optimal nutritional efficiency and overall general health.

The major nutrient requirements of a horse are influenced by the following factors:

• Age and maturity

• Intensity, duration and frequency of exercise.

• Stage and rate of growth

• Stage of pregnancy or lactation in mares

• Environmental conditions

• Management conditions.

  
  

Individually the needs of a horse are relative to:

• Body weight and size

• Individual digestive and metabolic efficiency

• Appetite

• Temperament

• General health.

  
  

Once all of the above is taken into consideration the addition of supplements is key to perfect health and a happy horse!