These were key messages from a World Horse Welfare webinar on 11 December, featuring independent equine nutritionist Clare MacLeod, who aimed to bust feeding myths, or “nutribaloney”.

“I love this subject because it’s slightly amusing and entertaining, but it’s also really serious, because it’s about welfare,” Ms MacLeod said. “I’ve got four common nutrition myths to go through, and I’m going to remind everybody about how you can discern because that’s the big thing, isn’t it? When you read something or learn about something, it’s knowing whether it is the truth or not.”

Ms MacLeod said it is important people used trusted sources for nutrition advice.

“There are companies and individuals selling products, feeds or supplements, and they are trying to deceive,” she said. “We’ve got wonderful companies to buy our horse products from, but undoubtedly there are some that maybe aren’t so ethical, and they could be deceiving us in terms of the claims they make and what’s actually in their products.”

Ms MacLeod wanted to make this point before she went on to myth-busting; she said there are good profits to be made in equine supplements, and companies who make “outrageous, unfair and sometimes additional claims”.

“And these can compromise horse welfare,” she said. “We have to be very careful about which products we buy. We have to be careful we don’t feed a product that’s going to be harmful, but also, we don’t want to waste money on something that actually doesn’t do anything. This relates not just to products, but to generally how you feed your horse.”

Ms MacLeod said one myth gaining traction is that a hay-only diet is best for horses.

“I find it on social media in groups trying to keep horses more naturally,” she said. “There are many good factors associated with that, making sure horses have enough movement and social contact. It’s wonderful we’re more aware of that. But what about just feeding hay only?”

Ms MacLeod said such a diet “is actually really going to be very harmful to your horse or pony, long-term”, adding: “I do tend to bang my head on the desk a bit when I hear this one. It’s nonsense, it’s nutribaloney. It really is about basic nutrition fundamentals.”

She explained that hay’s nutritional value varies much less than some might think, and it will never give horses enough copper, selenium or zinc. This means, long-term, harmful deficiencies.

The second myth Ms MacLeod said has become fashionable is that “straight” feeds are better than compound mixes or balancers, for example. She pointed out that reputable feed companies specifically create their products to provide balanced diets, which straights may not do, and which is essential for optimal health.

And although knowledgeable people can provide a balanced diet using straights, many owners do not understand enough to realise the diet they think is superior is lacking in essential elements, such as giving a feed high in phosphorus without extra calcium.

“Straights are not better than compound feed,” she said. “They’re not balanced, and they need to be supplemented. Straights can be harmful if not balanced correctly. Yes, you can use them, but why not use the specialists who have come up with their products, which are balanced, and they’ve used straights in them.”

The ‘Marmite’ of horse feeds

Ms MacLeod also mentioned that alfalfa has become the “Marmite” of horse feeds in that many owners shun it, but that it is “very nutritious and it’s safe for most horses and ponies”.

The last myth she mentioned is that many owners think carrots are too high in sugar to feed, when they are 80% water and just 5% sugar.

“I have seen owners dump bags or buckets of carrots into their field or stable and obviously, that quantity of carrots might not be very good, but a controlled portion isn’t going to tip over the edge your [equine metabolic syndrome (EMS)] horse or pony, if it’s in good health, and their EMS is controlled,” she said.

In a question and answer session, Baileys Horse Feeds’ nutritionist Liz Bulbrook endorsed Clare’s opinion, and busted some myths herself.

Asked about horses who seem to become more excitable if fed a balancer, she said: “We know it is a myth that balancers directly cause excitability. And I think that it’s really important that we look at a horse’s natural temperament.”

Ms Bulbrook explained that the most likely reason is that a horse with an unbalanced diet could be feeling lethargic, as people do, but with the correct nutrients, will feel better and so be more likely to go forward.

“It’s not that you’re aggravating the natural temperament,” she said. “You’re actually seeing, ‘I feel better. I can do my work now.’ I think that’s where confusion comes when people say a balancer has given the horse more energy. It’s just made it a healthy, balanced diet, which means you’ve got good health.”

Ms Bulbrook added: “My final thoughts would be, talk to people who have got relevant qualifications, experience. That might be the feed companies that have a team of nutritionists. Go to their websites, look for their articles that will have scientific support, but also independents like Clare. My biggest take-home is, don’t be frightened to ask questions.”

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Moving with the times

There’s something very nostalgic – romantic, even – about watching your horse eagerly tuck in to a warming bowl of “equine porridge” after a hard day’s work. But as horsemanship practices have moved on, with many owners opting for nutritionally balanced compound feeds or feed balancers rather than straights, is the occasional mash still an appropriate feed for the working horse of 2024?

For Karen Coumbe MRCVS, H&H’s veterinary consultant, bran is not a frequent find in modern feed rooms. “Anecdotally it is said to help by providing fibre and, with the added fluid, reduces the risk of colic,” she tells H&H. “However, it is counterproductive to suddenly change feed by giving a bran mash to your horse.”

Karen adds that bran mash is of somewhat questionable nutritional value.

“Bran has a poor calcium to phosphorus ratio and it’s deficient in key nutrients such a lysine. Furthermore, if you feed huge amounts of bran long-term, horses can develop a condition known as ‘big head’, which is actually secondary hyperparathyroidism. This condition is extremely rare with modern, balanced diets.

“Feeding bran has become increasingly unpopular as although it is perceived as a laxative, it may also irritate the intestinal tract. Ultimately, bran mashes are traditional feeds that are now considered old-fashioned. Most yards no longer seem to feed them and, in fact, rarely have bran in their feed room. When it comes to appropriate nutrition, there are other modern, more sophisticated diets to be tried.”

What is “big head” disease?

“Big head” disease or “bran disease”, is properly known as secondary hyperparathyroidism. It occurs in horses who become calcium deficient alongside consumption of excess phosphorus. This causes the horse to leach calcium from the bones to balance supplies elsewhere in the body. The bones form fibrous growths in place of the lost minerals, causing the head to take on an enlarged, deformed appearance. If caught early and the diet is changed, the damage can be reversed. If not, horses can be left with permanent skeletal damage.

Finding a balance

Independent equine nutritionist Clare MacLeod MSc RNutr tells us that while bran mashes should be fed with caution, wheat products similar to bran are still widely-used ingredients in compound feeds.

“The biggest problem with feeding bran mash to horses is that they are traditionally fed once a week,” she tells H&H. “In doing this, you disturb the horse’s healthy gut microbes. Traditionally, we change feeds gradually – it’s something we all know to do. As long as you feed it every day, and phase it in and out of the diet over the season, you avoid upsetting the microbiome. It’s lovely to treat our horses, but we need to respect their physiology, too.”

Clare, who pioneered her own Confident Horse Feeding Programme, also warned of the dangers of low-calcium-high-phosphorus intake. She adds: “Because bran is so high in phosphorus, you would need to add calcium to balance it out. You can used limestone flour to do this, I recommend a ratio of 42g per kilo of bran.

“Bran can be a useful feed. It’s moderately high in fibre and protein and low in sugar. It’s got a moderately high starch content, so it’s not suitable for low-starch diets, but it’s not a bad feed when fed appropriately and balanced correctly.”

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One of these is Kate Lefrancois who has been working with us as graduate assistant over the past year, a role designed to allow Hartpury Masters students work alongside their studies.

Kate has not only conquered the quite incredible feat of completing a two-year MSc course in a single year, but also worked to become a huge asset to our team since she moved over from Canada to join us. She will greatly missed by everyone.

We had a nice official end to Kate’s year here in the form of Hartpury’s Summer Fair (6 June), during which we had the most amazing haul of volunteers involved to make the day go as planned (pictured top).

Every year we seem to accumulate greater numbers of work experience students within our ranks, and in a wider society where young people often get a bad rap, our acolytes are definitely bucking the trend.

Our regular student volunteers were joined on the day by my boss’ two sons, Max and Eddie, who were on hand for all manner of things. They finished their shift by getting the chance to help Grace – one of our canine hydrotherapists – swim my dog. Essentially this meant a bit of instruction, and then them racing Damson up and down the pool! The children and the dog were all elated as each other, resulting in a whole load of laughing, splashing and basically two under 10s having had the best time ever.

Feeding matters

Feeding horses who are on a combination of box rest and controlled exercise is one of the greatest challenges we face on a day-to-day basis.

Our in-patients generally come in one of two forms: they are either slightly on the portly side having done quite well during field or stable rest prior to starting work, or they are atrophic and need to build muscle and gain condition.

We have a weighbridge to help monitor the horses; sometimes they appear to be dropping weight by eye but actually they’ve lost it on their tummies and put it on as muscle on elsewhere.

If you can’t get access to a weighbridge, a really useful way of monitoring at home is to take pictures of the horse every couple of weeks, as well as measurements of the thickest point of the neck and around the barrel. You can of course use a weightape, which are pretty accurate for well-proportioned horses but your long-backed tubular varieties can deceive the tape!

I think the most important thing is just that you give yourself something measurable to go by, whichever of these means you chose.

If we do have a good-doer on our hands we follow really simple principles. We weigh their hay and trickle feed it to them throughout the day, and often use treat balls to keep them amused.

Those who are allowed out in the field can go in our bare grass pens, but for horses who are on box rest this is obviously not an option.

The trouble with overweight horses who are carrying an injury is that it can put more strain than desired on the affected structures. Horses with back pain can also be adversely affected by being too hefty — the abdominal muscles need to be tight and strong to allow a horse’s back to remain supple and fully supported.

I very firmly do not believe in starving horses however; it’s not how they are designed to eat and so I’d rather soak the life out of hay just to give them something to chew on than succumb to risk factors such as gastric ulcers.

A horse will always look its best when it’s living a normal life in work and going in the field, but while injured, you just have to manage them the best you can.

In some ways horses who need to gain weight are easier to feed, provided they like to eat of course! If they don’t, as anyone who has a fussy horse knows, it can be even more stressful. It can also be difficult to resist the temptation of feeding these types of horses too much too quickly.

We do get horses coming into us who look poor despite their owner’s best efforts because they are out of work and not doing well on it. This type of situation takes time and patience, but you cannot build muscle by feed alone. Our job is to make sure we give the horse enough fuel to build as they progress in their work, but not overcook them. Supplements such as Equitop Myoplast can be really useful in these types of cases, which is for all intents and purposes an equine protein-shake.

Baileys supply our feed and we must consume literally tons of Topline Cubes every year, while Lo-Cal Balancer is really useful for those who need a lower calorie intake but all to still meet all of their daily nutrient requirements. In terms of chaff we range from using alfalfa to a light chaff, and dried grass too. I also feed a lot of unmolassed sugarbeet and soya oil up to amounts of around 60ml per day.

I am fascinated by the whole business of feeding horses and long has rumbled the debate of science vs art when it comes to this subject.

I personally think it is a combination of the two. In the past I’ve worked in places where we only fed straights, with the horses receiving a combination of oats, rolled or naked, broad bran and barley boiled with linseed.

In New Zealand I worked on a stud where it was a case of “one coarse mix fits all”, which was formulated specifically to address the nutrient deficiencies of their land.

Feeding is essentially largely down to preference, economics and situation. On our yard all the horses will have their rations decided on by discussion with their owners and possibly the vet in charge of the case, the latter of which is essential in post-operative cases. The art comes in knowing when to alter things in light of the horse’s daily work or in response to a change in its development or demeanour.

Fizz

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Truth: Yes, but don’t let that put you off feeding them

Nutritionist Katie Lugsden says: “There is no hard and fast rule about this — it depends on the individual horse. The energy in oats is readily released into the bloodstream, and some equines, mainly ponies, can react badly to it. Naked, huskless oats are not as high in fibre as traditional oats and the energy in these is particularly concentrated.

“In fact, maize, wheat and barley are all higher in energy than traditional oats — oats are higher in fibre but lower in energy than these other cereals, so traditionally they were a popular and useful foodstuff — but oats are more popular, so they also get more bad press. Oats are a useful foodstuff, but should be fed in moderation and only when needed. These days, most horses don’t need them at all.”

Ruth Bishop adds: “Oats are also high in starch, although not so much so as other cereals. Feeding too much starch may cause digestive discomfort, as the starch bypasses the small intestine and goes straight into the large intestine — it may well be discomfort, rather than excitability, that the horse is showing.”

This formed part of a feature in Horse & Hound’s feeding special (13 October, ’05)

Truth: Not entirely, but it doesn’t have many plus points

Nutritionist Ruth Bishop says: “Bran used to be made differently in the past. Due to changes in the milling process the particles are smaller now. The fibre (12%) and energy supply is what has made bran so popular as a feed for days off and after hunting. In feeding it, you up the fibre supply, cut the starch and maintain a similar amount of energy in the diet. It is also tasty and great for tempting a tired or fussy horse.

“But bran, like other cereals, contains a high level of phosphorus and almost no calcium, which is not good. A horse needs about twice as much calcium as phosphorus. Feeding just bran on a day off also means a drastic cut in vitamins and minerals, just when a horse needs them for repair after exertion.

“If it’s a double handful in a fully nutritious feed, bran won’t do any harm. But a bran mash once a week is not recommended because there is a risk of colic associated with any sudden dietary change.”

Teresa Hollands adds: “I would not generally recommend bran. It has little nutritional value and is not easily digested, so it can absorb minerals, reducing their availability to the horse.

“Bran can be useful for older horses that suffer from impaction problems, as it has a laxative effect. But because of its inverse calcium to phosphorus ratio, the horse might need its calcium levels boosted, by feeding alfalfa, for example, which is rich in calcium.”

• This formed part of a feature in Horse & Hound’s feeding special (13 October, ’05)

In human foods, the inclusion of molasses (or treacle) is synonymous with the homeliness of unrefined sugar, as opposed to highly refined white granules. However, while some people draw this kind of parallel between our diets and those of our horses, others strongly associate molasses for horses with the “sugar is bad for you” message.

Sources from either UK-grown sugar beet (which is just being harvested now) or tropically grown sugar cane, molasses is the syrup residue formed from sugar extraction from these plants.

The sugar beet or cane is crushed and soaked in warm water into which the sugars dissolve and are then crystallised out. But not all the sugar is removed by this process – what remains is a thick, brown, sweet liquid that is molasses.

Molasses is typically 65% sugar. Given that most of us, and our horses, have a sweet tooth (remember polos and sugar lumps are 100% sugar and grass can be 20% sugar), it has great usefulness as an aid to palatability.

Like most things, sugar is good in moderation, for horses and humans. In fact, the central nervous system can only use glucose, the purest sugar, as an energy source. Horses are used to eating sugar, and are efficient at processing it as long as their capacity to digest sugar in the small intestine is not overloaded.

In a nutshell, this is why molasses is often given the thumbs down. A rapid increase in sugar is bad news, especially in a pony susceptible to laminitis.

Also, as early as the 1930s, an incidence of tying up could be created by over-feeding molasses. Any rapid change of diet that increases the sugar content unexpectedly breaks the rule of good feeding that says make all changes gradually.

• Also found in molassed sugar beet pulp, it is added back by the sugar refiners during the production processes. Both the pulp and molasses are by-products. Molassed sugar beet can contain more than 20% sugar.
• Molasses isn’t the only sweet addition used in animal feeds – wheat and corn syrups, virtually clear in colour, are also used. These are more highly refined sugar products and are sweeter in taste.
• Molasses is added to mixes and cubes, but not at high levels: generally lower than in grass and sugar beet pulp, typically in commercially prepared feeds at well below 10%
• Molasses contains other nutrients as well as sugar. It is rich in electrolytes, potassium and salt, as well as B vitamins. Folklore has it that the nutrients can darken a horse’s coat and put hair on balding patches!
• This feeding feature first appeared in H&H

Fortunately, horses eat grass, which is a substitute for the majority of these portions, but stabled horses do appreciate succulent extras.

Carrots and apples are the most commonly fed, but bananas are also popular worldwide, as are soft fruits such as berries, grapes, pears, plums and apricots, as well as vegetables like swedes and turnips. Vast quantities of succulents were shipped to the equestrian park at Athens and British Olympic dressage horse Active Walero is known to have a particular penchant for unblemished bananas.

Fruits and vegetables are essentially a wet and nutritious sweet, full of water and sugar.

Freshly served, they are about 90% water, with any nutrition coming from the 10% dry matter that, while predominately sugar, also contains vitamins and natural plant antioxidants, albeit in relatively tiny amounts.

These days, their value lies mostly in their succulence, but in earlier times, carrots in particular were a staple part of heavy horse diets. Rates of 12-13kg per day were not uncommon, and can still be fed today by some heavy horse keepers.

So are they worth inclusion in your horse’s diets? Almost certainly the answer is yes, if only to make sure the horse enjoys his food by adding some tasty variety. This is especially true if the horse is a fussy eater or has gone off his food for some reason, such as the stress of competition.

Unless you are feeding kilos of them, though, don’t rely on significant nutrient additions to the diet.

Eat your veg

• Remember to cut carrots down their length to avoid the risk of choke
• Make sure that there is no soil contamination on fruit or veg soil harbours, potentially harmful microbes, including species of the bacteria clostridia and listeria, which can cause disease.
• A few pieces of fruit or veg a day really won’t make much nutritional difference. A carrot weighs 75-100g, but you need to feed 100 carrots or apples (8kg) per day to get the equivalent of a scoop (1kg) of oats.
• Bananas are energy rich (but again do not provide much benefit if you feed only one or two per day) and contain high levels of potassium.
• Potatoes were popular after World War II, when other feed were in short supply for working horses, or for putting weight on horses once cooked. Up to 10lb per day were fed. Potatoes are really like wet barley – full of water and starch, and there are now much easier ways of increasing a horse’s weight.
• This article first appeared in Horse & Hound (19 August 2004)

Compound feeds are complete rations, normally available in either a cube or mix form, which are fed alongside good quality forage. Almost 200,000 tonnes of compound feed are sold each year in the UK and an extremely wide range is available including specialist feeds, which have been developed for horses that cannot eat large quantities of cereals, and diets for veteran and convalescing horses.

Oats, barley, maize, bran and wheat are all straights. They are a non-complete feed when fed with forage: this means they will not give your horse all the important vitamins and minerals. Hence, a vitamin, mineral and protein balancer should be added to the ration. Specifically designed oat balancers are available and it is recommended that if you are feeding barley you use an extruded product, which will contain added vitamins and minerals.

Getting the balance right

Providing sufficient forage is available, compound feeds will give your horse a balanced diet, when fed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. The cereals included in compound feeds are analysed for their nutritional quality before undergoing a number of processes, which help improve their shelf life and improve their digestibility.

Feeding a balance diet with straights is much more difficult. Straights are commonly low in essential minerals such as calcium, vitamins and the essential amino acid lysine. The horse cannot make lysine and therefore it must be provided in the diet. Insufficient lysine will mean the horse cannot process protein correctly and will result in loss of condition, poor hoof growth and coat condition.

Feeding cereals such as oats will also result in imbalances in the calcium:phosphorus ratio. This can cause bone problems, particularly on young animals. Any straights diet will need supplementation to ensure the horse gets all the vitamins and minerals it requires for good health.

Compound feeds can appear expensive, particularly specialist diets such as those designed for breeding horses. In comparison straights appear much cheaper. However, you need to take into account the cost of a cereal balancer or a vitamin and mineral supplement needed to ensure the diet is nutritionally balanced.

Furthermore, mixing and preparing straights can be very time consuming. Usually you will find that feeding compound feeds is both easier and more economical than feeding straights and you can be sure your horse is getting all the nutrients he requires.

Straights: Pros

• Appear cheaper
• Palatable
• Offer owner more control

Straights: Cons

• Quality can vary
• Difficult to ensure a balance diet
• Imbalances can lead to laminitis, colic and tying-up

Compound feeds: Pros

• Easy to feed
• Give a balance diet
• Consistent quality
• Researched
• Flexible

Compound feeds: Cons

• Can be expensive
• Can look boring, especially nuts

Advanced event rider Vanessa Lloyd Davies uses Dodson & Horrell’s Performance Concentrate with oats for her horse Gino.

Vanessa says: “Gino is so laid back, he’s horizontal, so it’s great to be able to use oats in his diet but still know I’m providing all the minerals and vitamins he needs. Provided I feed a minimum of 1-1.5kg Performance Concentrate per day, I can vary the amount of oats he gets depending on how he is performing.”

Dressage rider Damien Hallam feeds Dodson & Horrell’s compound feeds to his horses.

Damien says: “With a large busy yard it is not practical to spent ages preparing and mixing straights. Using a compound is cheaper, takes up less storage in the feed room and I know my horses are getting all the vital nutrients they require, to perform at their best each time.”

Equine nutritionist, Christine Smy replies: The nutritionist was correct. There will be many deficiencies in a cereal and hay diet. Obviously the amount of cereals you are feeding will have to be taken into account but, generally speaking, your diet will be low in calcium, vitamins and minerals, and protein.

Calcium

Horses require twice as much calcium as phosphorus in the diet or, in other words, a 2:1 calcium (ca) to phosphorus (p) ratio.

This ratio can be lower, but should not be below a 1:1 calcium:phosphorus ratio as this will reduce calcium absorption. Most hays have a ca:p ratio of 2:1, however cereals tend to have an inverted ratio, that is they contain more phosphorus than calcium, usually a ratio of about 1:4.

High calcium products such as alfalfa (which has a ca:p ratio of 5:1) or limestone flour can balance your horse’s diet.

You would need to feed around the same weight of alfalfa as cereals, but bear in mind that alfalfa has a relatively good energy level. Limestone flour contains higher levels of calcium and you would need to add somewhere between 30-50g a day.

If you have your horse’s diet analysed by a nutritionist you will probably find the calcium level is well above recommendations when a supplement has been added.

This is because the phosphorus levels are high and as you need twice as much calcium to phosphorus, the calcium levels are elevated.

Minerals and vitamins

Other minerals and vitamins apart from calcium and phosphorus will be lacking in a hay and cereal diet. These include sodium, chloride, copper, zinc, vitamin D and E.

The first two can be easily rectified by adding a tablespoon (around 30g) of salt to the diet. To replace the others, it would be advisable to provide a good, broad spectrum supplement rather than adding individual minerals, as it is difficult to gauge the actual requirements and you may be affecting the absorption of other related minerals.

The minerals and vitamins in a broad spectrum supplement have been added at correct levels, which takes away the worry of whether or not you are under- or over-feeding specific nutrients. Choose a supplement from a reputable company and preferably one for a working, rather than a resting horse.

Good quality protein

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Some can be manufactured by the horse and some can’t. The latter are essential amino acids and should be provided in the feed. Most hay contains adequate amino acids but cereals are low, particularly in the amino acid lysine.

Many feed companies produce cereal or oat balancers to balance up a horse’s diet. These tend to be available as 50% (50% of the concentrate ration as cereals and 50% as balancer) or as 30% (70% cereals and 30% balancer) ratios.

Oats were the staple feed for equines because they were readily available, cheap and, most importantly, best suited to their digestive systems. They have the highest fibre content and lowest energy of all the grains, making them the safest to feed. The grain size also meant that horses could chew them effectively, maximising their goodness.

However, as the horse’s role began to shift from work to leisure, its energy requirements changed. Days off and less intensive work schedules led to problems with horses tying up.

Following the development of compound feeds, oats were blamed for excessive excitability as well as physical problems such as azoturia, colic and laminitis.

A balanced view

Today, very few owners use straight oats, but have oats had their day? Their lack of use may stem from concerns about providing horses with an overall balanced diet – often, it is simply easier to use a ready-produced mix.

Independent equine nutritionist Christine Smy explains: “Alone, oats are an unbalanced feed as they are very low in calcium, but relatively high in phosphorous. The latter effectively prevents what calcium there is from being absorbed.

“In addition, they are very low in macronutrients, in particular zinc and copper. All of these deficiencies will limit good bone formation – as a result, straight oats should never be fed to youngstock or brood mares. Finally, oats do not have a good amino acid profile, which means they are not a sufficient source of protein for horses in hard work or breeding.”

However, oats are rarely fed in isolation and when used alongside good quality hay, grass, alfalfa, and a broad-spectrum supplement, many of the potential problems will be off-set. Additionally, specially formulated oat balancers are now available.

There are practical considerations, too. “Oats are cost-effective, especially if you buy feed as a yard,” explains Katie Lugsden, nutritionist for Baileys Horse Feeds. “Because they need no cooking, the production costs are low, making them much cheaper to buy than other cereals.”

Are oats heating?

It’s a commonly held belief that oats send all horses sky-high. In fact, as with any concentrates, if they are fed in proportion to the level of work actually being done, rather than anticipated, oats rarely cause a problem.

“The main myth is that oats create fizzy horses,” says Christine Smy. “In many ways this is unfair, as they actually have the lowest digestible energy of the cereals.”

“Many horses can be pumped full of oats without any problems, while only a few who are sensitive will react in the ways we typically imagine,” agrees Katie Lugsden.

“In the USA, oats are fed to both horses and ponies and are viewed in much the same way as barley is in the UK. Their big hang-up is with maize, and this is perhaps more justified, as it has the highest level of digestible energy and the least digestible form of starch.”

It is starch that causes the “heating” effect, as it is broken down rapidly into glycogen and then glucose. These sugars are absorbed very quickly, giving the horse a rush of energy.

While most horses are not affected, a few react by becoming excitable. This is as likely, if not more so, to occur with maize and barley (which are both higher in energy) as it is with oats.

Types of oat to feed to horses

• Whole oats: These are as they come from the field, complete with the husks (or outer casing). This means they have the highest fibre level of all oats and grains. However, very young horses or veterans with teeth problems may have difficulty chewing these, so will not get the full nutritional benefit.
• Bruised oats: The husk of the oat is broken to allow access to the nutrients. Bear in mind that this process will shorten the shelf life of the oats to a few weeks.
• Rolled oats: Rolling has a similar effect to bruising. Traditionally, horsemen would buy whole oats and roll them on an ad hoc basis to maximise storage time.
• Crimped oats: This process damages the husk and increases the surface area, so the digestive juices can get to work more effectively.
• Clipped oats: Oats are often clipped alongside bruising. The ends of the grain are trimmed to give a neater final product.
• Crushed oats: This is a rougher process, which involves breaking both the husk and the kernel of the oat. This makes them slightly more digestible, but they suffer from an even shorter shelf life.
• Naked oats: These are not processed, but are grown to have loose husks that are shed when harvested. This lowers the fibre content and increases digestibility. In addition, they have a third more digestible energy and protein than a standard oat, plus they are high in oil. These elements are the ‘rocket fuel’ in oats.

Q: My three-year-old 15hh part-bred Thoroughbred gelding is currently fed flaked barley and rolled oats in a ratio of 3:1. With this he’s fed bran, as well as ad-lib hay. He works well on this and looks good. Should I be adding anything extra in his feed for nutritional purposes?

Nutritionist Christine Smy replies: A cereal-based diet is the most traditional ration and many horses perform well on thisfeed.

Nevertheless, although most horses seem to work well on them, cereal-based diets tend to contain deficiencies,although these can be rectified relatively easily.

The main deficiency with feeding cereals is the mineral and vitamin content, in particular calcium levels.

Calcium is an important macro mineral, essential for bone growth, maintenance and development, particularly in young horses. Deficiency in calcium has also been associated with tying-up in performance horses, as well as DOD (Developmental Orthopaedic Disease), seen in some young, fast-growing horses.

Calcium and phosphorus worktogether and horses require around twice as much calcium in the diet as phosphorus (a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio).

Cereals typically contain four times as much phosphorus to calcium (a 1:4 calcium to phosphorus ratio), whichis not ideal for calcium deposition in the body.

The phosphorus is therefore present in a source which greatly reduces the calcium availability. Out of interest, bran has a ratio of around 1:11 calcium to phosphorus, which is not good, in particular, for young stock.

A calcium supplement will, therefore, need to be added to your horse’s feed. The cheapest and most popular type is calcium carbonate – known as limestone flour .

A second source could be calcium gluconate which tends to be a little more digestible.

A good broad spectrum supplement will also be required as cereals tend to be low in micro minerals such as zinc, copper and selenium. These are, again, vital for growing young stock and performance horses.

If your horse is competing regularly, start using a performance supplement to ensure the correct levels of minerals and vitamins are provided.

Protein quality is not particularly good in cereals, dueto the relative deficiency in the essential amino acids lysine and methionine. This is not a problem in horses who are used for leisure riding but young horses, performance horses and breeding stock will require a protein supplement .

This is commonly provided by feeding alfalfa containing 15 per cent protein, compared to between 9 and 10 per cent protein found in oats and barley.

I am glad to hear that you are feeding as much hay as your horse needs as this will add fibre to his diet. Oats have a higher fibre content than barley due to the husk being intact.

However, compared to hay and other forages, cereals have a low fibre content. They also contain high levels of starch which is not goodfor horses who have a tendency to suffer from azoturia.

• Find out more about the importance of feeding quality foodstuff
• Get more feeding advice from HHO’s Feed and Nutrition area.

Linseed can help improve your horse’s coat and condition. Whole linseed and the oil-extracted cake, are both available for feeding horses. The cake is sometimes used in coarse mixes.

This traditional feedstuff fulfils a similar function to soya, sunflower, barley, vegetable oils and milk pellets, and is often found in showing and conditioning feeds.

Beware cyanide

Linseed must be carefully prepared as the raw seeds are poisonous. It must be cooked before feeding because it contains a chemical that, if fed uncooked, liberates the deadly poison cyanide.

Preparing linseed

Soak the raw seeds overnight and then boil vigorously for a few minutes to kill off the poison. Leave to simmer until a jelly forms and then leave to cool. Once cooled, feed immediately or it will turn rancid.

Ingredients

3lbs bran

1 generous handful salt

Boiling water

Molasses to taste

Put the bran into a bucket and add the salt.

Pour in the boiling water – as much as the bran absorbs. Don’t overdo it – a mash should be crumbly, not sloppy.

Add some molasses to make the mash extra tasty. (Some people prefer to add a level scoop of oats to the mixture.)

Stir well and cover.

When cooled slightly, but still warm (usually after 15-20mins), serve up.

People either love or hate bran. Mothers and daughters have fallen out over whether to use bran. Who’s right? Well, both.

Bran is a by-product of the flour milling process, and consists of the outer fibrous layer of wheat.

Old boys bemoan the passing of the “broad bran” of 20 years ago, which is almost impossible to get today because of changes in the flour milling process. Modern bran sometimes goes under the derogatory description of sawdust.

But, one thing is sure, bran consists of a lot more than sawdust.

Fibre content

At 12% fibre, bran contains less roughage than hay or grass, but more than hard feed. It has an energy content similar to working or competition feeds and a protein content of 14%, although the quality of this protein is somewhat lacking.

Energy supplyThis fibre and energy supply is what has made bran so popular as a feed for days off and after hunting – in feeding it, youup the fibre supply, cut the starch and maintain a similar amount of energy in the diet. In fact, it could be said that bran is the original superfibre feed.

Lightweight,it’s light in weight – a full scoop only weighs about half a pound – soyou can add it at low levels to bulk out a diet without compromising the nutrient supply.

TemptingIT is also tasty – great for tempting tired or fussy eaters – and, if you’re struggling to administer medicines, hide them in bran mash.

But there’s a downside. . .

Before rushing off to buy bran, there are downsides. Like other cereals, it contains a high level of phosphorus and almost no calcium.

This is not good: horses need a ratio of twice as much calcium to phosphorus in their rations, otherwise the absorption of calcium within the body is affected.

It is not advisable to feed a great weight of bran to any horse, particularly those in work or growing, as calcium is vital for bone growth and muscle function. Always feed a calcium supplement if you are feeding more than 3lb of bran.