Horses have unique digestive systems that are designed to process good-quality forages. In order to feed our horses properly to meet their maintenance, work, growth and reproduction requirements, we must have an understanding of the equine digestive tract and horse feeds.

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.

Cubes/Pellets – FORAGE FIRST Alfalfa and Timothy/Alfalfa Hay Cubes or FORAGE FIRST Hay Replacer (pellets) are consistent, good-quality partial or complete forage sources for horses. The cubes provide a higher leaf-to-stem ratio, more concentrated nutrients, and less waste compared to most long-stemmed hays. Cubed products are ideal for traveling and can be soaked for senior horses with dental problems. Hay Replacer can be used to extend, supplement, or replace forages.

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.

The Equine Digestive Tract    No matter what your horse looks like on the outside, and no matter what job you ask him to do, he has one thing in common with all horses - and, that is his digestive tract. Everything he eats must be processed through that tract in order to be used by his body for energy, growth, reproduction and maintenance of health..........

Understanding the Equine Digestive System
by Pat Cassady Equine Specialist ADM Alliance Nutrition....
Digestion is the process by which feedstuffs are broken down to their simplest forms. The resulting nutrients can then be absorbed into the bloodstream and provide fats, carbohydrates, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals for maintenance and/or growth, or they can be stored for future needs.

Are You Feeding Your Horse Like a Horse? by Judy Reynolds, PhD., P.A.S.
In the past, before added-fat horse rations became universally accepted, horse-feed concentrates were selected for low fiber content in order to provide the highest possible amount of digestible energy (DE) in the total ration....

Applying Horse Sense to Horse Nutrition
By nature, a horse is a grazer. Its digestive system is geared for utilizing forages—pasture and hay. Attempts to turn horses into grain guzzlers usually backfire. ........

Are you Feeding a Low-Starch Horse Feed? -
By Judith A. Reynolds, Ph.D., P.A.S., Divisional Equine Technical Specialist, ADM Alliance Nutrition....Many FORAGE FIRST rations contain minimal starch, so they are less likely to cause metabolic disorders like colic, founder, tying-up, developmental orthopedic disorders, ulcers and increased blood glucose and hyperactivity following meals. 

Equine Grain-Associated Disorders by Judith A. Reynolds, Ph.D., P.A.S.
Humans and horses have different digestive tracts and eat different foods (feeds), but there are similar food-related medical problems in both species. In humans, similar clusters of metabolic symptoms called Syndrome X, The Metabolic Syndrome, The Dyslipidemic Syndrome and The Insulin-Resistance Syndrome are being studied........

Equine Nutrition in the 21st Century, Part One....by Judy Reynolds, PhD., P.A.S.
Equine Digestion - As we learn more about how horses digest and utilize nutrients from feeds, and as more feeds become available, our feed choices broaden and change. We have recently learned that digestibility of a feed is almost as important as its nutrient content.......  

Equine Nutrition in the 21st Century, Part Two .....by Judy Reynolds, PhD., P.A.S.
All Horse Feeds are not Created Equal - You love that smell and look of fresh, plump oats, bright yellow corn and sweet smelling molasses in your feed, and so does your horse. But, what is in your feed? How will your horse react to what you feed him every day? What’s best to feed your horse-oats, pellets, sweet feed? ..........

Equine Nutrition in the 21st Century, Part Three......by Judy Reynolds, PhD., P.A.S.
Providing Energy in Horse Rations - Traditional horse feeding programs are based on some misconceptions about horse feeds. For instance, horses need a certain amount of energy-producing nutrients from their rations, but hays and pasture can and should provide most of that energy......

Equine Nutrition in the 21st Century, Part Four ......by Judy Reynolds, PhD., P.A.S.
A New Look at Fiber in Horse Feeds; The Fiber-To-Energy Relationship - In the past, horse-feed concentrates were selected for high digestible energy (DE) and low fiber content, because grains were the only feeds available which provided more energy per pound than hays. And, grains with the least fiber provided the most energy..........

Equine Nutrition in the 21st Century, Part Five .....by Judy Reynolds, PhD., P.A.S.
Forages for Horses - Like all animals, horses need the basic nutrients; proteins, energy-producing compounds (carbohydrates and fats), vitamins, minerals and water. Because of their unique digestive systems, horses also need fiber, or bulk in their rations. Fiber consists of indigestible components in the ration, which keep the digesta flowing properly, and components digested in the hindgut, which provide about 70% of the horse’s energy requirement when horses are fed high-forage rations......

Supplementing Horse Diets with Yeast Increases Fiber Digestion and Improves Feed Efficiency ..... by Ed Piwonka, Ph.D., Nutritionist, ADM Alliance Nutrition, Inc.
Many research studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy and mechanism of action of yeast. A common finding in these research studies is an improvement in fiber digestion, which indicates that feeding yeast results in a change in rumen microbial activity (ruminants) or gastrointestinal tract.

Prosponse® is a unique yeast supplement for feeding to all classes of beef and dairy cattle, poultry, turkeys, equines, sheep, goats and to starter, grower, gestating and lactating swine. It is made by an exclusive process that ensures superior quality brewers yeast with outstanding palatability and a rich source of naturally occurring B-complex vitamins. Prosponse also contains an elevated  level of highly digestible protein.