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Volunteer Team Talks
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Feeds and Feeding
What do horses eat?
- Grass (Horses are herbivores and foragers. They eat grasses and other plants as their primary source of nutrition. Horses are most content when they can graze 24 hours a day)
- Pasture—2 or 3 acres per horse, rotate horses on grazing areas, remove droppings, and keep free of hazards, control weeds.
- Kinds of grasses: timothy, brome, orchard bluegrass, ryegrass, fescue. Legumes: alfalfa, clover
- Hay (show sample)
- Hay is dried grasses or legumes or a mixture. It has been dried and pressed into a bale for storage. Can be kept for about 18 months.
- Evaluate hay for type of hay (grass, legume, or mix), plant maturity, should contain leaves not just stems, nice green color, free of mold, dust, and weeds
- Grains and other feed(show labeled sample buckets of grain)
- Oats
- High level of energy at 100 calories per lb. and 8-10% protein. High in fiber and low digestibility (60-65%)
- Corn
- More calories that oats, 85-90% digestible. Low in fiber and can become doughy in the stomach if fed alone. High in carbohydrates.
- Beet pulp
- Higher in fiber and lower in carbohydrates than corn. Often soaked in water before fed to horses.
- Other grains such as barley, wheat, milo (sorghum), sweet feed (grain mixed with molasses), bran (bran mash) can be used
- Pellets
- Manufactured feeds. Senior brand used for older horses, Strategy for competitive horses for examples
- Salt and other minerals
- Treats like carrots, apples.
- Remember that Danada has a Do Not Hand Feed Rule. Because horses can come to expect a human hand to contain a treat, it can cause biting and aggressive behavior from horses. Treats can be given but only in a feed bucket.
More information about feeds and feeding:
- The horse's teeth are made for grazing. The front ones for biting off the grass and he back molars for chewing and grinding. The teeth need to be checked regularly for sharp edges that will hinder the chewing process.
- Horses have small stomachs, so they should be fed small amounts 3 or 4 times per day and at the same time each day.
- The esophagus is a 50-60 inch muscular tube leading from the mouth to the stomach. The muscles near the stomach are so strong they prohibit the horse from vomiting. Other animals that cannot vomit: Rats!!
- Feeds are calculated according to the horse's weight, size, age, temperament and amount of work being done.
- Changes in feed should be gradual.
- Feed grain at least one hour before work and never when the horse is hot after work or running in a pasture.
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