Common Feeding Questions
Helpful Hints, Watch-Outs, and Your Questions Answered
Whether you’re new to horses, have had horses for years, or are returning to horses after a break, the science of equine nutrition is constantly evolving and can be hard to keep up with. Coupled with social media's reach, it’s incredibly easy for myths and misconceptions to spread rapidly, often being mistaken for facts. As a horse lover trying to decide what and how to feed our special companions, it can be very challenging to sift through all the noise and separate fact from fiction. We’ve compiled some of our most frequently asked questions and provided answers here to serve as a resource for those with similar concerns.
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Q : What does “complete feed” mean? Are they a fit for performance horses?
A: The term “complete feed” is often misused in the equine nutrition field. Many owners, managers, and even some feed producers use this term to describe a feed that fulfills your horse's protein, vitamin, and mineral needs, but does not supply sufficient fiber to the diet to be the sole source of nutrition.
True complete feeds are intended to be the only source of nutrition in a horse's diet, replacing all forage (hay and pasture) and providing a truly “complete,” all-in-one option for all the nutrients and energy a horse needs. Complete feeds are usually recommended only for horses that can no longer properly chew hay or pasture and need a manufactured feed as a substitute. Most often, complete feeds can be soaked into a mash, making them easier for horses to consume and reducing choke risk for those with dental issues. Since they serve as forage replacements, complete feeds require very high feeding rates and, as a result, contain lower levels of vitamin and mineral fortification compared to feed concentrates or ration balancers.
In most cases, performance horses are best served by either a ration balancer or a complete feed due to their increased nutritional needs from training and competition. Certain medical or nutritional situations may require the use of a complete feed for performance horses, particularly during times of choke or colic recovery, or when hay is scarce. For performance horses that consume adequate forage daily, a feed concentrate or ration balancer offers more nutritional value for your money when compared to a complete feed.
Q: Can horses get too much vitamin A?
A: Yes, vitamin A toxicity can occur in horses. Since vitamin A is stored in the horse's liver, excessive intake can cause levels to accumulate in the body. Although research has not precisely defined the toxicity threshold, symptoms may include slowed growth, dull coat, poor muscle tone, and, in severe cases, incoordination or ataxia, bone deformities, and death.
Vitamin A toxicity in horses is quite rare. The primary risk factors include feeding commercial feed products outside their intended purpose and providing multiple sources of vitamin A within the diet. Fresh pasture naturally contains high levels of vitamin A, and most fortified commercial feeds also supplement this vitamin. When adding supplements that contain additional vitamin A, it’s important to consider the overall inclusion rate and how they contribute to the total diet. Additionally, the vitamin A content of a complete feed should be considered. To meet a horse’s fiber requirements, feeding between 15 and 20 pounds of a fortified complete feed daily is common. Due to this, these feeds should have a low level of vitamin A to avoid exceeding safe supplementation limits, especially when compared to feed concentrates and ration balancers. Ensuring vitamin A levels stay within recommended safe ranges helps prevent toxicity while maintaining proper nutrition.
Q: What happens if I don’t follow the feeding directions on the feed bag?
A: When commercial feeds are fed at rates less than recommended, there are likely to be nutritional deficiencies in the diet. Feeding at the manufacturer’s recommended rate for your horse's body weight and workload, as well as weighing your horse's feed, are the only ways to be sure their nutritional needs are being met!
Q: Can my supplement program be too complex — or even harmful?
A: Reading the labels on your supplement packages is very important. While providing additional vitamins and minerals through supplements can be beneficial, doing so in conjunction with a fortified feed fed at correct rates may cause imbalances in mineral ratios or lead to excessive vitamin intake. Some minerals need to be present in specific proportions to be absorbed effectively, and equine nutritionists carefully consider these ratios when designing feed products. Suppose your horses are consuming their recommended daily feed rate. In that case, there’s usually no need to add extra vitamins or minerals, because their feeds’ guidelines are designed to meet their nutritional needs. Adding unnecessary vitamin and mineral supplements can interfere with proper nutrient absorption and potentially have lasting effects.
Typically, supplements that do not contain vitamins and minerals will not offset the overall balance of the diet, but palatability also matters when discussing supplements. Horses may be more likely to reject feed when excessive supplements are added. Any necessary medications should be given based on your veterinarian's recommendation, and supplements should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis before adding them to your horse's diet. Simplicity is often best when feeding our horses.
Q: How does poor-quality hay affect my horse’s diet?
A: Forage quality is a crucial factor in our horses' diets, but can be difficult to manage or control for those who don’t grow their hay or have limited pasture space. When discussing forage quality, several factors can classify a forage as low-quality, including hays harvested at a later stage of maturity, those with high moisture content, overly dusty hay, and hay containing foreign materials such as sticks, string, twine, or weeds. Foreign materials are generally seen as problematic; it’s not ideal for our horses to consume wood, string, or large amounts of weeds. High moisture content and dusty hay can cause respiratory health issues, as high moisture increases the risk of mold, which can lead to mold spores entering the horse's airways when they eat. Dust can cause similar issues, and both dust and mold can also affect palatability. Hays harvested at a more advanced maturity are often less appealing to horses, leading them to eat less forage. Additionally, late-maturity hays typically contain fewer calories or less energy than early-maturity hays. Visual indicators of forage quality can be deceiving, and testing forage to determine quality is recommended.
Horses eating lower-quality hay often need extra calories to maintain weight, especially those performing at high levels. It's important to note that quality isn’t the only factor in forage; intake rate is equally critical. Forage should be the foundation of the equine diet, with horses consuming at least 1.5% of their body weight in forage daily. For an average 1,000-pound horse, this equals 15 pounds of hay daily. Feeding less than this amount can lead to gastrointestinal issues in our horses and increase the risk of stomach ulcers. Feeding quality forage at adequate daily rates may decrease our horses' need for high volumes of feed, potentially reducing the risk of gut health problems.
Q: My horse is overweight — is it okay to feed less grain?
A: To determine if feeding less is a suitable option for your horse, review the feeding instructions on your product and compare them with the minimum feed rate recommended for your horse's bodyweight and workload, as well as their current daily feed intake by weight. If you're feeding more than your horse's recommended minimum, you can cut back on your horse's feed. If you're at or below the minimum, it might be worth considering a lower-energy feed. Ration balancers or feed concentrates with less fat or lower NSC content (non-structural carbohydrates [starch + sugar]) could be good options!
Q: When should I switch my horse to a ration balancer?
A: If your horse is an easy keeper on forage alone or is consuming less than 3lbs daily of a feed concentrate currently, ration balancers may be a suitable nutritional option. These products are designed to deliver concentrated amino acids, vitamins, and minerals in a small daily serving, without adding significant calories to the diet.
Even horses that are in excellent weight or condition and solely consume forage, without any added supplements or feed, can still gain benefits from a ration balancer. Hay begins to lose nutritional value the minute it is harvested from the field, and ration balancers are designed to fill in those dietary gaps that our forage cannot. Ration balancers are best understood when viewed as a daily multivitamin for our horses; they provide minimal calories and high-quality nutrition in a small package.
Q: Does protein make horses hot?
A: A rather widely accepted myth in the equine industry is that feeds and forages high in protein make horses “hot”, or more excitable. While anecdotally, people may experience this phenomenon after switching to a feedstuff with more protein, protein is not the primary driver of this reaction. Horses rely on sugars, fiber, and fats for energy well before they convert protein into fuel. Usually, the true cause of excitable behavior is excess starch, sugar, or calories in the diet. When horses are on a nutritionally deficient diet, they might become more excitable as they begin having their nutritional requirements met. During these periods, they are likely to feel particularly good as they start to receive adequate levels of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Though the timing may coincide with a feed change, an increase in energy is not tied to the protein value of feed or forage. These changes in energy levels may not last forever either, as they may return to normal after the initial excitement of feeling exceptionally well fades.
Q: Do I really need to weigh my horse’s feed?
A: The quick answer: YES! No matter what type of feed product you choose for your horse, the manufacturer is legally required to include feeding instructions. These instructions will be printed on the back of the bag or on the feed tag and should provide recommendations based on your horse's body weight and workload. These recommendations will be given per feed weight, not per scoop size. Using the number of “scoops” to estimate feed volume isn’t ideal, as scoop sizes often vary from barn to barn; some horse owners use an old coffee can, others use a standard kitchen measuring cup, while still calling both a “scoop”. Additionally, feed density varies widely between pellets, textured, and extruded feeds, making it essential to weigh each feed type separately. A basic kitchen scale can offer accurate measurements and peace of mind. Weighing your horses' feed (and forage) is the only way to ensure their nutritional needs are being met.