Things to consider
Aside from introducing the good products above, we also mention some considerations when you are contemplating feeding your horses.
There are 4 main points including:
- Your horses’ life stage
- Your horses’ activity level
- Any health problems they might have
- Your budget
Let’s bring out the meaning so that you can understand better!
Most horse feeds are made to satisfy the particular nutrient requirements of life stages and activity levels of equines. And they often specify on the packaging.
When examining your horses’ activity level, you need to feed reasonably. It’s because overfeeding energy might make them “hot” and gain undesired weight.
In case this happens, avoid reducing the amount under the recommended feeding rate. Or your horse won’t get enough nutrients he needs.
It’s best to change another lower energy feed and check the result.
If your four-legged friend has a particular health issue that can be affected by his feed, you need to examine the info from the bag or your veterinarian carefully.
For instance, using the Cool Calories 100 for horses with a history of feed-related laminitis is ideal.
Last but not least, you should consider your budget. Since the features and benefits of feed might increase the cost, you have to ask whether you can buy this product at the suggested feeding levels.
Remember that the feeding rates change between the products and it might influence the cost to feed the horse every day.
3 golden rules to feed your horses
Rule 1 – Satisfy basic demands
The basic nutritional requirements such as vitamin, minerals, protein, energy, and water are a vital part of any feeding plan.
Vitamins and minerals are one of the easiest to control. They are often met with good-quality hay. Or a pure vitamin supplement together with a mineral block in your horse’s pasture is enough.
The intake of protein should be 10 to 12% of his total diet. Make sure to check the protein levels in the horse feed because he isn’t getting enough if being fed less than 10% protein.
Energy is the number of calories the horses take in, whether it’s from hay, pasture or supplements. Giving enough energy helps them to perform their job and maintain a good weight.
The last thing is the water. Just ensure that they drink enough water and it must be clean.
Rule 2 – Make it small
Keep in mind that your horse’s stomach is designed to contain 2 to 4 gallons of material at any given time.
And in the natural environment, he needs 16 hours each day of grazing. So, it’s best to feed him small and frequent meals in case he’s not grazing all day in the pasture.
Ideally, if your horse is kept on or live inside a dry all day, you should feed small amounts about 4 times per day. In case it’s not possible, you can offer hay in slow-feed nests to make feeding time longer.
Rule 3 – Trust experts
The truth is that feed companies have done an excellent job in recent years of introducing safe and well-formulated rations. And there is no reason why you don’t take advantage of their expertise.
All the products that we’ve mentioned above are guaranteed to give the best results for your equines.
FAQs
Q1: When should I feed the horses?
For horses with ulcers, you need to feed them right up to the time of competition. It’s because hay will buffer their stomach from excess acid. It’s best to use alfalfa hay instead of grass hay.
Horse feeds, or grain that is high in starch should be given at least 4 hours before competition or exercise.
Avoid feeding over 6 lbs of grain or horse feed in one time or your horse will get much strain on their hindgut. This causes fermentation and a rise of intestinal acidity. Moreover, it enhances the risk of colic and digestive ailments.
Q2: How much should I feed a mare that is feeding a foal?
Mares need about 44% energy requirements when they are feeding a foal.
During their first three months of lactation, they might give up nearly 3% of their body weight per day in total milk production. That means a 1,100-pound mare will give up almost 24 pounds of milk every day.
Therefore, you need to feed them about 30 lbs of hay and 20 lbs horse feed daily.
Q3: How much should I feed the horses with particular demands?
If your four-legged friends are sensitive to dietary starch, you should feed them a diet that is high in fat rather than starch.
For horses with common respiratory issues, they need to eat quality wood shavings instead of straw.
It’s because straw tends to mold with ease. Even if you cannot smell or see it, straw often includes mold spores that might irritate your horses and make them cough.
Q4: Does feeding more grain (or protein) make your horse “hot”?
Protein is necessary to repair tissue tear and wear and offer energy. If your horses obtain less protein, healing wounds and recovering from exercising is tough.
But whether or not feeding more grain makes them “hot,” you need to base on the amount of non-structural carbohydrates that he needs.
Note that different grains come with varying amounts of NSC. Among, corns (60%) and oats (52%) have the highest one.
Q5: How to concentrate on feeding for my horses?
You have to base on your horses’ breed and discipline to find the right horse feed regiment.
For example, endurance horses require a diet that includes a 75-25 ratio of 75% fat and 25% glucose. Hunters need 50-50 while three-day eventers ask for 67% fat and 33% glucose.
Your final choice is…
Among top 5 picks above, our best horse feed for equines of all life stages will be the Manna Pro Calf-Manna Supplement.
Not only does it offer a reasonable price but also give spectacular results thanks to the appearance of yeast culture, amino acids, proteins, etc. It’s a double performance feed that is good for weight gain as well as performance horses.
Generally, you’re guaranteed to get a good deal if ORDERING this product.
Of course, don’t mind asking any question in case you want to know more about this topic.
Or you can consult other posts to find more good feed for your horses such as best horse calming supplement or best horse vitamin & mineral supplements
Once again, thanks for reading, guys!
