Why is forage so important? making use of the by-products.
When the diet
changes, these bacteria must adapt to the new stabled horse receives hay and cereals for example is very dry. Ideally, turn the horse out Forage must form the basis of any horses diet but why is it so important? regime. If they are not given sufficient time to do daily. If you cannot, then carrots, apples and ADVICE ON so, many of the helpful bacteria will die, which sugar beet all provide water and you can always Fibre takes time to eat and chew. A kilogram of amount of forage you feed. Instead, switch to a fibre will keep the horse busy for far longer than lower energy forage and keep the bulk up for may result in poor performance or colic, dampen the hay before feeding. Basic Feeding a kilogram of cereal. Horses naturally spend around 75 percent of their time eating and example, switch half of the ration of hay for oat endotoxaemia and laminitis. Always provide fresh, have a psychological need to chew. If we dont straw. The need to change the diet slowly applies to clean water meet these natural behavioural drives it can be distressing to the horse and may lead to Other rules of feeding forage as well as concentrated feeds. Remember that grass is forage, so changes in grazing Water is absolutely essential. If a horse cannot drink, he will rapidly stop eating. If he has been undesirable behaviours like weaving, Whilst providing plenty of forage is absolutely should be introduced gradually too. deprived of water, he is likely to dehydrate and crib-biting or damaging the stable. essential, it is not the only important rule when this will have a serious effect on his performance it comes to feeding horses. The most common reason for sudden changes in and health. It is normal for horses to drink small Chewing forage stimulates saliva production. A amounts during and immediately after eating lack of saliva is associated with choke. Feed little and often diet is running out of the relevant feed, so plan ahead and monitor supplies to avoid this. If you (although if the feed has a high water content this Horses have small stomachs (about a third of is less likely). If a horse is receiving cereal feeds, it is best to do have to change the diet, do so over a period of the size of a humans as a relative proportion of 10-14 days, gradually introducing the new feed Each day you should scrub out the water bucket allow the horse access to forage immediately beforehand. Chewing the forage will stimulate the whole digestive tract). An average 16hh while feeding slowly declining amounts of the thoroughly; refill with clean water; and make sure saliva production and this saliva will buffer the horse has a stomach the size of a rugby ball previous diet. it is secure so that horses cannot kick it over. Keep acidity in the stomach caused by the cereal and it is, of course, much smaller in ponies. If an eye on how much your horse normally drinks. feed. Otherwise, this acid may lead to the development of gastric ulcers, which are we feed too large cereal bucket feeds food is pushed through the stomach too fast and not Do not work fast after If you are using automatic drinkers then it is more difficult to monitor intake. Generally horses will painful and can cause losses in weight, digested properly. When it reaches the large feeding drink less water when it is cold so keep an eye on his droppings too to make sure they dont condition and even performance. intestine the starch in the cereal is fermented by Exercise causes blood to be diverted away from become too hard. the bacteria contained therein, which causes a the digestive system to the heart, lungs and legs. The fermentation of forage in the large intestine produces a lot of heat. This heat is important to change in the gut acidity. This will lead to the friendly bacteria dying and a proliferation of Unless the food has been absorbed before Feed only high quality help the horse maintain the correct body temperature, particularly in winter. unfriendly bacteria. This may have serious exercise starts, it might not be digested properly. A full stomach will also press on the lungs and feed consequences for the health and performance compromise performance. Remember though To ensure that your horse receives all the The equine digestive system has evolved to of the horse. that horses have evolved to run straight from nutrients he needs it is worth investing in high be constantly processing fibre rather than grass and therefore, if meals are small, you can quality forages and cereals. Going for the large cereal meals. If insufficient forage is If you are feeding cereal concentrates, there cheaper, lower quality option is often false work your horse after one hour. However, all economy as your horse may lose condition and provided, it can disrupt the health of the are a number of steps you can take to ensure work should start with a warm up and therefore performance. Low quality feeds are often dusty, system leading to conditions such as acidosis proper digestion and avoid overloading the and colic (see the BHS leaflet Advice on Colic). you would not be working your horse fast just which can have serious implications for your stomach: after he has eaten. horses respiratory health. Feed hay before concentrates to slow down Quite apart from the health benefits of feeding the passage of food Remember, the key to a healthy horse is to forage to a horse, it is worth remembering that Feed three to four small meals a day rather Feed something treat him as an individual. Feed according to forage is usually cheaper than cereal feeds bodyweight, workload and temperament so it benefits the owners wallet too! than one or two larger ones Dilute concentrate cereal feeds with plenty succulent whilst always ensuring there is plenty of forage The best succulent to feed a horse is grass. Grass in the diet. This leaflet really is only a basic of chaff guide, so remember there are plenty of Ideally, all horses should have access to ad lib contains 80-90 percent water and is the natural feed for a horse. In comparison, the food a sources of further advice if you feel you need it. forage that is to say that they have access to forage at all times. This is easy to achieve when Do not make sudden a horse is at grass, but it is worth monitoring a stabled horses appetite to ensure you provide changes to the diet Welfare Department The British Horse Society him with enough hay (or other forage) without Your horses gut is full of friendly bacteria that Abbey Park, Stareton, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2XZ Tel: 02476 840570 Fax: 02476 840501 over-doing it and causing waste. If your horse break down the fibre in forage with the horse www.bhs.org.uk email: welfare@bhs.org.uk needs to lose weight, do not cut down on the
The British Horse Society Welfare Department 2010.
Basic Feeding Advice on Basic Feeding diet therefore has no need of vitamin B supplementation. In a 16hh horse, the large huge capacity of 70+ litres, which gives it its name. Food will spend upwards of 36 hours in A good diet and correct nutrition are as intestine is around eight metres long, but it has a the large intestine before it is voided as faeces. fundamentally important to the horse as they are to us. However, many people dont seriously consider their horses diet until something goes wrong. The correct diet can What to feed and how much? ensure your horse stays healthy and performs All horses are individuals and should be fed as need to seek expert advice if you are unsure of at his best, both now and in the future. such. Consequently, if you are unsure about what to do. Every system in the horses body is either feeding, you should get expert advice from a directly or indirectly affected by his diet. BHS Registered Instructor, a feed company As a general rule, most horses will need to Therefore, feeding your horse and choosing a helpline, or our BHS Welfare Department. consume 2.5 percent of their bodyweight in food diet should be based on an understanding of per day. Anything less than this is likely to However, in all cases, forage should form the compromise their digestive health and will fail to the science of nutrition, not simply upon the basis of any horses diet. A diet should also meet the horses behavioural and psychological latest advertisement or fashion. always aim to maintain a horse at its correct needs. The majority of this (an absolute minimum Feeding horses can be a complicated business weight. For this reason it is very important to of 1.5 percent bodyweight) must be composed of and this leaflet is not intended to be a assess and regularly monitor your horses forage-based feeds for example, hay, grass or comprehensive guide. There are many weight and condition (see the BHS leaflet Fat haylage. excellent books available on the subject and Scoring and Weight Estimation). Almost anyone any reputable feed manufacturer will have a would recognise that a horse being too thin is a Horses that do not have a heavy workload and customer helpline. BHS Registered Instructors The mouth - the horse is different to us in the stomach has implications for the size of the welfare issue, but being overweight is just as are in good condition do not normally need to can offer advice and our BHS Welfare Cereals or concentrates are starch rich, energy that we produce saliva almost constantly, while meals we give our horses it simply cannot significant a problem. receive cereal feed as they can obtain all of the Department are always happy to talk through dense grains like oats, barley and maize. horses produce it only as a consequence of cope with large non-forage feeds. Overweight horses energy they need from forage. However, it may issues related to feeding and nutrition. Again, many feed companies produce cereal chewing. Saliva is an essential lubricant and the be necessary to provide them with a low calorie more the horse chews, the more it will produce. The small intestine - this is the site of are at increased risk of laminitis (see the Horse feeds are broadly divided into two based, high energy mixes. These are only really feed balancer to ensure they receive adequate digestion for protein, carbohydrates and fat from BHS leaflet Advice on Laminitis) categories (with some exceptions). The first and needed by horses in significant work, or who protein, vitamins and minerals. Also unlike people, a horses teeth grow cereal feeds. Food normally stays in the small are at increased risk of developing equine most important is forage, these are bulky high need to gain weight/have trouble maintaining continuously throughout its life. This means that intestine for only around an hour. In an average metabolic syndrome fibre and low starch feeds such as hay, condition. It is important to note that most horses have only the teeth need regular check-ups in order to 16hh horse, the small intestine is around 27m have less effective immune systems than haylage, grass, chaffs and haylage. Sugarbeet Many feed supplements are available, but it is keep them in peak condition. If a horse has poor long with a volume of 40-50 litres. It provides a those at the correct weight a light workload and therefore may not need to is also a type of forage and many feed prudent to seek advice (from a vet or nutritionist) teeth it will not be able to chew and break down home for many bacteria and is the site that are more likely to suffer from problems with receive cereal feeds. Native ponies in particular companies produce fibre-based mixes or as to whether your horse really needs an its food properly. If the food is insufficiently probiotics target. Because food spends such a their joints are very unlikely to need anything other than pellets. Forages are the essential part of every expensive supplement. broken up it can lead to blockages within the short time here, if you are feeding cereals it is have problems with their lungs and heart forage. Hacking, schooling and unaffiliated equine diet. digestive system and will mean that many important to feed cooked (by the manufacturer) competitions are normally classed as a light nutrients are not digested, causing the horse cereal as it is more easily digested. The two main things that you need to consider workload, although each case will, of course, to lose weight and condition. Your horses teeth when calculating a horses ration are its vary. The important thing is to monitor your should be checked annually by a British The large intestine - this is the most bodyweight and its workload. However, many horses condition. If he is losing or gaining weight The Horses Digestive System Association of Equine Dental Technician member, or by a vet who is registered important part of the digestive system and is the site of fibre fermentation. Horses have adapted other factors also can affect its dietary needs. (and he doesnt need to) then you will need to review his diet. This may involve introducing or These include: with the BAEDT. Older horses are more likely to become efficient users of fibre, something that removing concentrated cereal feed from the The digestive system of a horse has evolved to be very different from our own and this has cannot be said of humans. This is because of the the horses temperament ration while maintaining the forage portion. to have problems and should be checked the weather and time of year implications for the type of diet they need. One of the most important things to be aware of is that millions of friendly bacteria that reside within the There are a vast range of feeds available for more regularly. whether or not the horse is clipped the horse evolved to spend the majority of the day eating usually around 75 percent of the time. large intestine. They use the fibre to grow and horses and trying to choose which one to feed is Horses are trickle feeders, meaning that their digestive systems have adapted to be continuously feed quality The stomach - the equine stomach forms survive and the horse uses the by-products of age often bewildering. The key thing to remember is digesting forage rather than individual large meals with periods of starvation in between. a proportionally much smaller part of the entire their fermentation. These by-products provide to maintain the forage component of the diet and digestive tract than in people. The stomach does the horse with vital protein and energy, as well health monitor your horses weight and condition. Take Although it is beyond the scope of this leaflet to explain the equine digestive system in any detail, not need to be larger as the horse has evolved as the bacteria producing B vitamins and All of these factors contribute to making feeding expert advice as to which feed in particular is there are some facts that are helpful to know in order to feed our horses in the best possible way. to be a trickle feeder. The relatively small size of vitamin K. A healthy horse on a forage-based as much an art as it is a science and highlight the likely to suit your horse.