Golden rules of feeding

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You are here: Home / Articles / Horse care

Christine Smy - equine nutritionist

20 December, 2000

In order to keep your horse in peak condition, it is important to know and understand the "golden rules of feeding".

Provide access to fresh clean water at all times. The container of the water, be it a trough or bucket should also be kept clean.

In a cool climate, an average horse will drink around 18 litres a day (just under five gallons). This can increase to more than double this amount if the horse is working hard in a hot environment.

Feed by weight not volume of feed. To ensure you are feeding the correct quantities you need to weigh one scoop of each different type of feed you use.

Concentrates must be fed "little and often". Chaff can be added to the feed to encourage the horse to chew, which will result in easier and more efficient digestion.

In practise, feed between two to four feeds a day, depending on work levels. No more than 2kg of concentrates should be fed in one feed. Large intermittent feeds put stress on the horse's system.

Always use high quality feeds. Never be tempted to feed dusty, mouldy or old feed.

Feed according to body weight and temperament. Every horse is an individual and adjustments must be made according to how he responds to feed.

Make any changes to the diet gradually to reduce the risk of digestive upsets. This applies to both concentrates and roughage.

Don't exercising directly after feeding. Allow one to two hours after feeding before working your horse and, if you have worked your horse hard, do not feed him until one hour after exercising. This allows the digestive system to process the feed effectively.

Feed your horse at the same time each day. Horses are creatures of habit and thrive on a settled routine.

Increase feed quantity and energy content according to the level of work your horse is doing. Increase his levels of work gradually, too.

You may be providing your horse with grazing during the winter, but just how good is grass quality in January? Once the temperature drops to five degrees celcius, grass quality is very poor and will need to be supplemented with hay and concentrates.

Feed plenty of good long fibre. Horses have evolved to live on high fibre diets and good fibre levels will help to stimulate a healthy gut function and reduce the risk of digestive upsets. A minimum of 50% of your horse's diet should be roughage.