Horse diets vary significantly based on the individual horse and its regular activities. The nutritional needs of a racehorse, for instance, are markedly different from those of a weekend leisure pony. The following is provided as a basic guideline and will need to be varied according to your horse’s breed, workload, and nutritional needs.
Horses are grazing animals and naturally cover extensive distances in the wild (averaging 30+ km daily) to find food and water. Wild horses spend around 18-20 hours daily grazing on native grasses with relatively low nutritional content. This differs from the lifestyle of most domestic horses, which cover an average of 3 km to 8 km daily. When combined with grazing on lush pastures and supplemented with nutrient-rich processed feeds, these practices can contribute to common health issues.
Horses have a small stomach and large hind gut which is perfectly suited to receiving a constant stream of low nutrient dense forage. If their stomach is left empty for prolonged periods (such as with stabled horses or those locked up in small yards overnight) the stomach lining can become damaged causing ulcers.
Companionship and regular movement are crucial for maintaining the health and happiness of horses, helping to mitigate stress. Stress, in turn, can negatively impact gut health and the immune system, potentially leading to nutritional imbalances and diseases.
Optimal feeding for horses involves grazing on native grass species and providing grass hay as needed.
Unfortunately, contemporary farming practices aimed at enhancing pasture grass’s nutritional value have rendered many pastures too rich for safe horse grazing.
For additional information, refer to the article at https://www.greenpet.com.au/could-it-be-the-grass/
Select from some of the options below:
Oaten or wheaten Chaff is ideal as the basis for your feed mix. Avoid or limit chaff for EMS horses due to the sugar content.
Lucerne Chaff (alfalfa) is high in protein and if fed in high amounts can exceed your horse’s protein requirements & excess protein isn’t good! Most horses love the taste so it may be used in small doses for fussy horses or for horses that require a little extra protein. It is best avoided for insulin resistant horses, even though it is low in sugar, it’s too high in protein.
Soaked unsweetened beet pulp is a good source of roughage and can help to provide a good source of bulk without ‘heating’ your horse. Combines well with Copra, oats, bran or barley to balance calcium/phosphorus ratio. Rinse well before soaking to reduce iron content.
Coconut (coconut meal or oil) Copra meal is a cool energy feed and is highly palatable for picky eaters or to hide the taste of supplements.
Coconut oil may be added to feed in small amounts. Coconut oil has a high content of medium chain fatty acids, which provide a ready source of energy for exercise. Coconut oil is also rich in the fatty acid ‘lauric acid’ which possess antibacterial, antifungal and antiprotozoal properties.
Rice Bran is a good source of nutrition, but again, it should be used minimally. Can cause fizziness in some horses but is good for helping with weight gain if needed.
Wheat Bran is a good source of fibre and nutrients when added to feed in small quantities as a supplement rather than as the bulk of the diet. ¼ to 1 cup daily.
Wheatgerm is a good source of nutrients and can be added to feed as a supplement. 1 to 2 Tablespoons daily. Store in a cool place.
Flaxseed (also known as linseed) is a rich source of essential fatty acids and can be fed freshly ground or as ground linseed meal (pulp left over after they extract the oil) or as pure flaxseed oil. Feed in moderation, as it may have a laxative effect on some horses. Flax should be stored in a cool place (fridge) to retain freshness.
Grind whole flax with a coffee grinder or blender before adding to feed or boil with millet to make a mash.
Cold-pressed flaxseed oil may be added to feed at the rate of one to two tablespoons daily.
Ground linseed meal (pulp left after they extract the oil) Add ¼ to ½ cup once or twice daily.
Sea salt may be added to feed, especially when horses are eating potassium-rich diets such as during spring (green lush grass) or when sweating heavily in hot weather. Approximate dosage is up to 10g/100kg bodyweight daily (consider any salt already added to feeds or supplements you are feeding and reduce accordingly).
Black Sunflower Seeds are a good natural source of protein and good fats and vitamin E. Feed 30g / 100kg bodyweight daily. May ‘heat’ up some horses so start slowly & combine with flaxseed to balance Omega 3/6 ratio. Flax is high in Omega 3 and Sunflower is high in Omega 6.
What about Grains?
Grains are not easily digested by horses and are not something they would have access to in large amounts in the wild. But if you do want to feed grains for additional energy then select from the below:
Oats are a suitable grain to provide energy for horses in regular work. They can be fed whole or crushed.
Barley is not as heating as oats and provides good nutrition, it can be fed boiled or rolled.
Millet is an extremely nutritious feed high in silica and is alkaline forming and can be fed boiled, soaked or crushed. 1/2 to 1 cup daily.
Millet & Linseed porridge – this makes a great feed for helping with weight gain. Combine ¼ cup linseed and ½ cup millet with about 800ml water and bring to the boil in a large pot. (Watch carefully as it can boil over) and simmer for 1 hour. Add this daily to your horse’s feed. Reduce quantity for ponies.
What to AVOID
High fat diets or highly processed oils in large amounts.
Processed pelleted feeds that contain preservatives and heated oils due to rancidity.
Never feed sugar lumps to horses. Give small amount of fresh carrot or apple as a treat instead.
High protein diets or excess grain-based diets.
*IMPORTANT* Discard any grains, chaff or hay that is dusty, damp or mouldy, as these can be harmful. All feed should be as fresh as possible from a reputable source.
We recommend adding a good quality natural organic supplements such as Supreme MVA to feed along with XtraCal if grazing oxalate pasture for optimum health.
Feeding Grass Affected horses – click here
How much to feed
If your horse is in good condition, then feed just enough of a hard feed with their salt and minerals added. (If on long pasture or with free access to hay you don’t necessarily need to add beet pulp as they will be getting enough roughage).
If your horse needs to put condition on, then increase their hard feed to twice daily and provide meadow hay ad-lib and add ShipShape.
We recommend adding a natural organic supplement such as Supreme MVA to cover vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
If your horse is grazing oxalate pasture, then add XtraCal along with Supreme MVA daily.
Hay and long stem roughage should be the main ingredient in a healthy horse’s diet.
The hard feed is given as a supplement to add nutrients that may be missing due to the fact domestic horses are unable to graze the variety of grass species, trees, shrubs, weeds, etc they would in their natural environment. However, if a horse is not able to obtain enough nutrients from their hay/grass due to poor teeth, or if they are grazing unsuitable pasture, then their hard feed becomes more necessary.
Select ingredients based on your horse’s requirements and adjust the amounts fed as needed.
Some horses can appear healthy on processed feed diets so if your horse is looking and feeling great, then that’s wonderful, but this is not the case for many horses and ponies. Sometimes it is just the subtle things that you may think are normal, when in fact they are due to toxicity, nutritional imbalances and weakened immunity due to an unbalanced diet.
For more advice, complete our complimentary Horse Questionnaire.
