Mother Nature’s Design For Feeding Horses

*Left Click Photo for enlargement

As you can see, a horse’s stomach makes up only a small portion of the entire digestive tract. This small stomach is designed to continuously process small amounts of forage and feed. When horses are fed large meals, many digestive disorders--such as colic, founder, ulcers, and tying-up--can result.

Different Forage Types, Different Advantages

Pasture
Good pasture is the ideal forage for many horses. Horses on pasture move around and eat small amounts of grass continuously, the way nature intended for proper functioning of the digestive tract. However, pasture is not always available and doesn’t supply enough nutrients for some horses. Pasture can be used to meet some or all of each horse’s forage needs.

Grass Hay
Good-quality grass hay is the single feed with the best balance of protein, energy, and fiber for horses. Choose grass hays that are bright green in color, free of dust and mold, and cut in early stages of development. Allow horses between 1.5 and 3% of body weight (about 15 to 30 pounds) of good-quality grass hay per day.

Legume Hay
Alfalfa and clover are examples of legumes. They contain more protein, energy, calcium and vitamin A than grasses. The inclusion of some legumes (20-50%) in rations for growing and working horses and broodmares takes advantage of these additional nutrients. Legume hays should be clean and bright colored and cut at early to mid-bloom stage.

Hay Cubes
GROSTRONG Alfalfa and Timothy/Alfalfa Hay Cubes are a consistent, good-quality partial or complete forage source for horses. They are dehydrated, which produces a higher leaf-to-stem ratio, more concentrated nutrients, and less waste than most long-stemmed hays. They are ideal for traveling and can be soaked for senior horses with dental problems.

Forage, a horse’s natural feed, should be chosen to meet as much of a horse’s protein, energy and fiber needs as possible. Forage types can be combined to provide the best program for each individual horse. Be sure to provide between 15 and 30 pounds of forage to each horse daily.