08-Feb-2021
'How to feed a horse for the best maintenance of their health?' is a question that keeps hovering over every horse owner's mind. When there are several supplements, feed, and hay choices in the market, people get confused at choosing the right food for horses to ensure their good health and nutrition. Also, various horse feeding stories, opinions, and myths make the matter more difficult for the new horse owners. On the other hand, the horse feed tag contains all the information about what the horse will be eating. However, many horse owners find it difficult to understand it, and many do not care to read it. That is why many choose to get equine nutrition services in the US to take the best care of their horse’s nutritional needs.
In this post, you will come to know your horse's nutritional requirements, and guidelines to follow when feeding the horse, also find out how your horse's nutritional needs are being met entirely.
The essential elements in the subject of feeding horses are identifying six basic nutrient categories. This category includes fat, vitamins, minerals, water, carbohydrate, and protein. A horse drinks 5-15 gallons of water every day based on the humidity, temperature, and activity level. Besides, clean water should be kept close to the horse all the time so that they can drink whenever they feel thirsty. It needs to be known that horses that do not get enough water to drink become more susceptible to intestinal impactions, dehydration, and other colic types.
The horse's diet should be based on its need for each of the rest five nutrients. However, the requirements generally differ because the needs are influenced by the mass, age, metabolic efficiency, and horse's workload. It is always advised to read the feed tag to ensure whether it will meet the horse's nutritional requirements.
Carbohydrates cover the biggest part of the horse's diet. It can be divided into structural (fibers) and non-structural (sugars and starches) carbohydrates. Hay and grass are the best sources of structural carbohydrates. The non-structural carbohydrates are found in grains like corn, oats, and barley that offer a more concentrated form of energy than the structural ones.
The most important component for the growth of the body and maintenance is protein. In the small intestine, the protein is broken down to form amino acids that help in muscle building, hair, and hoof of the horse. Forage is an excellent source of protein. Choose hay to meet the protein requirements of horses. Hays like legume hays, Bermuda grass hays are ideal for a horse's protein needs.
Horses can digest a high amount of fats in their diet. At the same time, it is an excellent digestible source of energy for this animal. Commercial feeds that contain fats should be provided to the horse. Also, the tags should be checked before giving them to the horses.
Another important organic compound in the diet of a horse is vitamins. They are divided into B-complex vitamins (e.g., B1, B2), and the fat-soluble group comprises vitamins A, E, D, and K.
These are essential organic materials that should be present in proper amounts to ensure the body's ideal functioning. Minerals can be sourced from supplements on feeds and tack store shelves.
Overall, proper care and calculation should be done when managing the nutritional needs of a horse. One should hire an expert help if they find any difficulty in dealing with the equine nutrition needs.
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