Basic knowledge of horse feeding: Feeding horses healthily

Feeding horses properly - but how? In this compact guide, we have summarized all the important basics of species-appropriate horse feeding for you in an understandable and practical way. This will give you a sound overview of what really matters when it comes to feeding your horse.

Health through the right horse nutrition

Why is a balanced horse diet so important?

A horse's digestion is optimized for the original living conditions in the wild. If the feed deviates too much from this, it can lead to digestive problems, illnesses and long-term health problems. In addition, to ensure good health, it is essential to meet the energy and nutrient requirements of the feed. Incorrect feeding can, especially in horses with a preloaded metabolism, can have fatal consequences, e.g. in the form of a Laminitiswill result.

Natural horse feeding - What does that mean?

In order to feed a horse in the best possible way, the diet of wild horses should be taken into account. Horses are originally steppe animals that mainly find low-energy and high-fiber feed. In order to find enough food in the steppe, the original wild horses roamed large areas of land. The constant movement and slow feed intake are of great importance for the gastrointestinal tract.

A larger amount of feed is needed to cover the energy requirement with low-energy feed. Wild horses need a lot of time to do this in the barren steppe. This means that most horses in the wild spend 12-16 hours a day looking for and eating food. For this reason, horses are also referred to as permanent feeders, whose stomachs constantly produce gastric acid regardless of food intake. This leads to the conclusion that our horses' feed should be distributed as evenly as possible throughout the day and should be as rich in crude fiber as possible.

Horse feeding basics - How do I feed horses correctly?

What are horses allowed to eat?

How many times a day should you feed a horse?

A horse should be fed 2 to 3 times a day with high-quality hay and 1 to 3 times a day with concentrated feed. If possible, the horse should be fed hay ad libitum using a hay rack, i.e. have free access to the hay.

Feeding breaks and feeding posture

It is important to avoid eating breaks of more than four hours. Longer breaks from eating can lead to over-acidification of the stomach as, unlike the human stomach, it is constantly producing stomach acid. This can lead to unpleasant irritation of the stomach lining and even gastric ulcers if eating breaks are too long.

Sometimes there is also the problem that horses are provided with enough roughage, but eat too quickly and there is too long a break between feeding and the next ration. In this case, it makes sense to give the horse the horse feed in a net or a rack.

Here the horse needs more time to eat. It is important that the net is not hung too high or too low. This leads either to an unphysiological feeding posture with negative physical effects or to injuries caused by getting caught in the net, e.g. when rolling around. 

A hay net also makes sense for horses that adopt an unfavorable feeding posture, with one leg far forward and the other back. In this case, the horse can stand with its legs parallel when eating. 

Horses that make a kind of "lunge" to get to their roughage often end up with a flat and very steep hoof (buck hoof) in the long term, as they always choose the same position. Horses get used to this feeding position when they are foals and maintain it when eating from the ground. In addition, the unfavorable feeding posture can result in tension and uneven muscling of the shoulders.

Feeding times

Horses are creatures of habit. This means that horses get used to the times at which they are fed and then expect their food. The feeding times should therefore be adhered to in order to prevent unrest in the stable and to allow the horses to rest after eating.

Small stomach - small portions

The horse's stomach is relatively small in relation to its body size. On average, it holds 10 to 15 liters in a normal-sized warmblood. When empty, it is about the size of a watermelon. 

You can therefore clearly see why it makes sense to provide the horse with its feed over a longer period of time and to avoid "gobbling up" the feed quickly. Due to its small size, the stomach is designed to continuously digest small quantities. The following therefore also applies when giving concentrated feed: feed as small and multiple portions as possible.

10 important rules for feeding horses

1. Hay, in sufficient quantity and good quality, is the be-all and end-all.
2. Compliance with consistent feeding times.
3. Avoid longer feeding breaks (max. 4 hours).
4. No moldy or dusty food.
5. Do not ride the horse directly after feeding concentrates.
6. Sufficient fresh drinking water, available at all times.
7. Feed slowly when changing feed, especially with pasture grass.
8. Take individual energy requirements into account.
9. Several small meals instead of a few large ones.
10. Supplements such as minerals or concentrated feed only if necessary.
    

Water requirements of a horse

Importance of drinking water - checking the drinking trough

The horse's organism consists of two thirds water. In order to keep all metabolic functions, the gastrointestinal tract, the circulation and all vital organs intact, the constant availability of clean drinking water is essential. 

The water requirement of a large horse is up to 60 liters per day. It is extremely important to check water troughs daily and clean them if necessary. Often something is overlooked here and the horse consumes too little or no water for several hours or days.

Is my horse drinking enough?

If you are not sure whether the horse is drinking enough from its trough, there is a simple trick: draw a fold of skin on its neck. If the fold of skin remains in place for a short or longer period of time and only slowly lowers again, the horse has not drunk enough. If the fold of skin smoothes out immediately, the horse is well hydrated.

Energy requirements when feeding horses

How much energy does a horse need every day?

The energy requirement of a horse is made up of the maintenance requirement (energy requirement of a horse to maintain all bodily functions) on the one hand and energy-requiring factors on the other. These factors are, for example

• Age (a very old horse or a young horse in growth need more energy)
• Diseases
• Use of the horse (riding or carrying and rearing a foal increase the energy requirement)
• Physical condition of the horse (a horse that is too thin has an increased energy requirement while an overweight horse has a reduced energy requirement)

The training requirements are divided into light, medium and heavy work. This allows the energy requirement to be determined from the maintenance requirement and work as well as other factors.

Energy supply via hay, concentrated feed and supplements

As explained above, feeding hay is essential for the digestive tract and comes closest to the original diet of wild horses. Although hay has a lower energy content compared to other feedstuffs, this can be compensated for by the requirement for continuous feed intake and the resulting large quantities per day of 1.5-2 kg of hay per 100 kg of body weight. 

The maintenance requirement and the requirement for light work can be completely or largely covered with hay. Concentrated feed, on the other hand, should be used selectively and sparingly, only to cover the requirements that cannot be met with hay. Concentrated feed differs greatly from the diet of wild horses and can cause digestive problems such as stomach ulcers if consumed in large quantities.

Different types of horses and suitable feeding methods

Horse feeding for leisure and sport horses

In horse feeding, it is essential that it is adapted to the individual needs of the horse. The requirement is made up of maintenance and work. In addition to training (light, medium, heavy work), growth, pregnancy, age, illness or lactation can also be stress factors with an increased energy requirement.

Seniors, young horses and special cases

Age is a decisive factor in determining a horse's energy requirements, as a lot of additional energy is needed during growth. It is also important to always provide all the nutrients required in sufficient quantities to ensure the correct development of the body. 

The energy requirement of an old horse can increase by up to 20 %, as the metabolism decreases significantly with age. In addition, old horses can also have dental problems and osteoarthritis of the jaw joint, which make feed intake much more difficult. With old horses, it is therefore important to consider not only their energy requirements, but also their ability to buy and the form in which the feed is presented.

In the case of metabolic diseases such as EMS or Cushing's, it is particularly important to avoid starch and sugar as much as possible and to feed low-energy, high-fiber feed. In addition to an adjusted amount of roughage, attention should be paid to the supply of proteins, vitamins, trace elements and minerals when feeding such horses.

Feeding horses in winter - Important differences to summer feeding

The biggest difference in feeding from summer to winter is the pasture grass, which makes up a large part of the diet in summer and is not available in winter. In winter, the pasture grass is balanced out by a larger amount of hay, which, however, has a significantly lower water content and contains fewer nutrients and vitamins. 

If temperatures fall below 5 degrees in winter, we are outside the thermoneutral zone of a healthy horse, which means that the horse needs additional energy for thermoregulation. The horse obtains this additional energy from hay, so the amount of hay should definitely be adjusted to the conditions in winter. 

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about horse feeding

What should you not feed horses?

In addition to poisonous plants such as ragwort, yew, St. John's wort and autumn crocus, horses should not eat bread, potatoes, grapes, stone fruit, pineapples, avocados or citrus fruits.

Why should horses eat from the ground?

Feeding from the ground ensures that the horse is in a natural feeding position. This means in a position for which the horse's body is naturally designed and which is not associated with fatigue or tension in the long term.

Can I feed my horse oatmeal?

Horses can also be fed oat flakes. Oats are highly digestible and are therefore particularly suitable for weakened horses, horses in convalescence, horses in training and horses with dental problems.

Is a hay net good for horses?

Hay nets offer both advantages and disadvantages, so an individual decision must always be made here. The advantages of hay nets are that they extend the feeding time, prevent snares and can be attached almost anywhere. The disadvantages of hay nets are that they can cause tension and joint problems due to an unnatural feeding position and that there is a risk of injury from legs or hooves getting caught.

From when can I ride a horse after feeding?

After a horse has eaten hay, it is not necessary to take a break before riding. After the concentrated feed, the horse should have at least 1-2 hours to digest before riding to avoid stomach problems.

How many meals does a horse need?

A horse needs as many small meals as possible, as concentrated feed in larger portions causes digestive problems. Horses are continuous feeders, which means that in the wild they spend 12-16 hours looking for and eating food. This can best be imitated with many small meals.