One cut has a much finer stem than the other. Many horses are to thank for crafting who she is as a horsewoman today. Dr. Nerida Richards is FeedXL’s resident equine nutrition specialist. ), “I’m not fat…I’m fluffy!” Have you ever heard this saying? Learn the important Do's and Don'ts of horse water. No reproduction without permission. Whenever you make a change to your horse’s feed type or ration size, make the change incrementally. Hammer, Carrie. Message and data rates may apply. As grazers, the horse is designed to eat small Scenario 1: Feeding 100% lucerne hay. Geography and soil quality play a role That simply means that if a horse is eating and digesting hay, he is producing heat to warm his body from the inside out. But it's easy to make a mistake when planning your horse's dietary needs. With grain, less is always more, so start with a minimal amount and adjust as necessary. Once you figure out how much your horse’s typical ration weighs, measure that portion at feeding time using a scoop, coffee can, or whatever suits your needs. Have you ever heard this saying? Notice the difference in these two cuts of alfalfa hay. The golden rule is education first, feeding for weight gain second. The exact weight will depend on how dry the hay is, how long the bales are and how tightly packed the have been baled. the hay is stored and the more yellow it becomes, the more it looses its If hay isn’t enough, grain can be added, but the bulk of a horse’s calories should always come from roughage. https://www.nap.edu/read/11653/chapter/1. can i feed a horse with laminitis lucerne hay and lucerne chaff? about weight loss, be sure it is not due to parasites or the need for dental Most of us over-feed our horses which is why obesity is an issue even during winter months. Which ones are best for your horses and how much hay you should be feeding them. You'll now be able to calculate the approximate number of flakes you should feed your horse daily. During the winter, if pasture grass is limited, you need to supplement a whole lot more calories in the form of hay. Body fat, along with muscle mass, indicates, giving you a clearer picture of how healthy your horse is. It should weigh approximately 60 lbs or 23 kg. which offers comprehensive charts on exactly what your horse needs. Ensuring horses have enough hay to eat through the night is essential. nutrients can be made up for by adding grain rations. If you don’t know how much the bales of hay you are feeding weigh, you can use a bathroom scale to check, then feed that portion of a bale that your horse needs. Sudden differences in the amount or type of feed can lead to colic or founder. Persil, pictured here at 29 years, has a diet that includes some lucerne - at his age, lucerne is a better option than chaff as chaff can cause choke if their teeth are not capable of chewing it properly. Likewise if any other disease conditions are found work with your veterinarian to resolve them. Having small amounts of hay available fed frequently mimics the natural grazing instincts and is healthiest for your horse's mind and body. Sign up to receive our exclusive e-book full of training techniques, problem-solving and important information about caring for your pet. Textbooks, such as Equine Nutrition and Feeding by David Frape (available from Blackwell Publishing, 1-800-862-6657) can give you approximations of nutritional contents of various types of hay.