Student Workbook
H1.5 Feeding
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H1.5Feeding
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H1.5Feeding
Contents
Feeding Introduction
Pg. 4
Rules of Feeding
Pg. 5
Types of Feed
Pg. 6 – 9
Preparing Feed
Pg. 10 - 11
Extension Lesson
Pg. 12
Recommended Reading
Pg. 13
References
Pg. 14
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H1.5Feeding
Feeding Introduction
Nutrition is an important part of feeding horses. Horses have one stomach and the cellulose
from plant material is broken down by fermentation in the caecum. Horses require clean,
quality feed provided at regular intervals to maintain digestive health. This workbook takes a
basic look at feeding horses and the considerations that need to be given.
Horses and ponies can and will eat the same feeds but ponies will require less quantities of
feed because they can be much smaller than a horse and tend to be prone to becoming
overweight and obese which leads to numerous health problems.
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H1.5Feeding
Rules of Feeding
Horses have a very sensitive and delicate digestive system, they are unable to regurgitate
food which means if the ingest something they are not suppose to it can have dire
consequences. Listed below are some common rules to guide the feeding routine and
maintain digestive health.
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Feed little and often
Make feed changes slowly
Feed good quality feed
Feed plenty of bulk. Maintain a higher ratio of roughage to concentrates
Maintain a routine and feed at regular times
Provide clean water
Measure feed by weight not volume
Feed amounts for the work that is being done rather than feeding in anticipation of
the work to be done
When feeding numerous horses in the same paddock, ensure there is more feed
locations than horses. Keep horses widely spaced apart
Monitor the horse or pony’s weight and condition. Restrict feed is it becomes too fat
Maintain a higher calcium to phosphorous ratio in the diet
Feed off the ground, in a container or feed bin. Horses may pick up sand and dirt
from eating off the ground which can lead to colic.
Never feed a horse lawn clippings, lawn clippings can become contaminated from oil or
grease from the cutting machine and clippings may begin to ferment which can cause illness
to the horse.
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H1.5Feeding
Types of Feed
Chaff
Chaff is hay which has been chopped up into small flakes. It is a source of roughage and the
nutritional value will depend upon the type used. Lucerne chaff is a good source of calcium.
Chaff can be added to feeds to encourage a horse to eat more slowly and therefore digest
better and reduce the chances of choking and colic.
Lucerne chaff:Lucerne chaff is chaffed lucerne crop. It is a good source of
roughage and has a higher calcium to phosphorous ratio.
Introduce prime green lucerne gradually into diets as it can
cause colic in some horses.
Wheaten chaff:Wheaten chaff is produced from the wheat stubble or hay
portion of a wheat crop.
It is a source of roughage in the diet.
Oaten chaff:Oaten chaff is the chaffed stubble or hay portion of an oat
crop. The energy value of this chaff will depend upon how
much grain remains in the chaff.
(Image shows oaten hay before it has been chaffed)
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H1.5Feeding
Types of Feed (cont.)
Common Types of Hay
Hay is also a source of roughage and is especially good for feed horses who have little
pasture or little access to pasture, such as stabled horses. The type of hay you use will
depend upon the nutritional requirements of the horse and to some degree the seasonal
patterns of crop growing.
Lucerne hay:Which is also known as alfalfa is a source of
roughage and the leaves are the highest source of
nutritional value, though they are easily lost during
the manufacturing process. The quantity of leaf can
be used as a guide for the quality of the hay.
Grass hay:Is grass which has been grown, harvested and
manufactured into hay essentially it is dried grass.
The nutritional value will depend upon the type of
grass.
Barley hay:This hay has a lower calcium to phosphorous ratio
than lucerne hay however it is safe to feed to horses
and the lack of calcium can be made up in a mixed
feed with lucerne chaff. It is usually produced during
the cooler months and is a cheaper option when
feeding horses in times of drought when lucerne hay
may be quite expensive.
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H1.5Feeding
Types of Feed (cont.)
Concentrates
Concentrates are grains, mixes, pellets or supplements which are fed to a horse to provide it
with nutrition which it may not be getting from the pasture or that may be reduced from
workloads.
Oats:Are a very popular feed. They are more suited to
the digestive system of the horse than some other
concentrates but also have a higher fibre rate and
lower energy rate than other grains. Oats are low in
calcium and high in phosphorous.
They are available as whole, crushed, rolled,
crimped and cracked varieties.
Corn:Has a higher energy and lower fibre rate than oats.
It too is available cracked, crushed or whole. Care
must be taken feeding it as mould corn is poisonous
to horses and it is easily over-fed.
Sunflower seeds:The black variety are better suited to horses. They
are a good coat conditioner and high in energy. The
seeds can be brought as whole or cracked.
Sunflower seeds may need to be soaked when
feeding them to older horses to soften them up.
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H1.5Feeding
Types of Feed (cont.)
Bran:Bran can be a product of wheat or rice.
Wheat bran is useful as a laxative and is usually
fed dampened as it can be dusty. Wheat bran does
have a high phosphorous content.
Rice bran can be used to put weight on a horse.
Bran is a by-product of the milling production of
grains.
Pollard and Millrun are very simular to this feed but
vary in nutritional value.
Barley:Is highly digestible when it has been cracked,
crushed or flaked.
Pre-Mixed Feeds:The feeds are ones you can buy already mixed
and ready to go. Pre-mixed feeds are usually
produced with a specific purpose in mind i.e. for a
breeding mare or growing yearling or a horse in
work. These feeds will be labelled with the
nutritional details as well as the recommended
feeding rates.
These feeds are typically designed to be fed in
conjunction with chaff and roughage rather than a
‘complete’ meal.
They will often contain other vitamin and mineral
supplements.
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H1.5Feeding
Preparing Feed
When preparing feed for a horse you need to consider the horse as an individual (i.e. fussy
eater, aged horses), the current condition and feed being consumed by the horse, the
workload it is currently performing and any health issues the horse may have (i.e. a horse
with respiratory problems may required hay to be fed dampened).
Always measure feed by weight rather than volume. This is because feeds that are
measured to the same weight will have different volumes i.e. 500grams of corn will have a
different volume to 500grams of oats.
A horse’s digestive system in designed to take in small amounts of simular types of food all
day long so it is important to take this into consideration when designing a feeding regime. 23 small feeds each day will be better suited to the digestive system than 1 large feed. That is
also why it is important to introduce new feed or feed quantity changes slowly.
Feed needs to stored in a manner where it will be away from moisture. Wet feed will quickly
become mouldy and then be unsuitable to feed. It should also be stored so to keep it from
rodents and their faeces. Mould and rodent faeces that are ingested by the horse can have
serious health consequences.
Using wooden crates are a good way to keep hay bales off the ground, away from moisture.
Hay should also be stored under cover to keep it from getting wet and drying out. Chaff and
concentrates can be stored in drums (old, rusted drums are unsuitable) with a lid to keep
rodents out. Old, empty and clean garbage bins are also useful for this purpose. Try to keep
feed in a place where horses will not be able to get to it for example in a shed or room with a
door.
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H1.5Feeding
Preparing Feed (cont.)
Poor quality feed can be indicated by dust, heat and mould. Dusty feed, such as hay, may
still be able to be used if it is soaked in water. However feed which is mouldy or feels hot
should be disposed of in a manner which will not be assessable by horses.
Mouldy corn
Good, clean corn
Horses should always have access to clean, fresh water. Poor quality drinking water can
lead to health problems. A horse can consume approximately 20-25 litres of water a day and
in hotter conditions and climates this can be from 30-60 litres a day. However a horse’s
consumption of water should be limited initially when it finishes work. Allowing a horse to
drink large quantities of cold water after a heavy workload can lead to colic. If the horse is at
a risk of dehydration then small amounts of water can be offered sparingly.
Hay nets are useful for keeping hay up off the ground. There are a couple of different sorts
available including poly hay nets which are just that- a net and a hay bag which is usually
made from canvas and has a hole where the horse can access the hay inside. The hay bag
tends to reduce waste as the hay is enclosed inside but both items encourage slower
digestion as the horse will have to pick the hay out of the bag or net. When tying up a hay
net it should be secured at about wither height- too high and the hay will fall into the horse’s
eyes, too long and the horse’s legs can become entangled in it once it is empty.
In this image you can seen how the hay net
string has been threaded through the bottom
of the net and tied up again. This means that
once the net is empty it won’t hang in a long
position where the horse can become
entangled in it
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A hay bag. The bag is filled from the top and
the horse eats from the round opening.
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H1.5Feeding
Extension Lesson
Using a set of scales (kitchen or bathroom scales will do the job) measure the feeds you
feed your horse. Use the same scoop to measure the feed, then weight it and record the
differences in weight to volume. How many scoops of each feed do you need to make a kilo?
Feed Type/Name
Weight of 1 scoop
No. of scoops required to
make 1kg
Talk to other horse people and ask if they have any other rules they follow in regards to
feeding.
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H1.5Feeding
Recommended Reading
Publication:-
Author:-
Foot Steps
Sally Hinton & Joan Eccleshare
Webpages:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_nutrition
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H1.5Feeding
References
Publication:-
Author:-
Foot Steps
Sally Hinton & Joan Eccleshare
Storey’s Guide to Feeding Horses
Melyni Worth
Feeding and Nutrition of Horses
John Kohnke
Webpages:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_nutrition
http://www.rsf.com.au/website/index.html?pagetoshow=WheatenChaff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bran
Images:http://www.thebullsrun.com/contentUploadedByEWeb/General/OatenHayraking.jpg
http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/5274046/alfalfa-hay-close_Full.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hay
http://www.barleybottom.com/lib/images/image.php?ID=135&type=picture
http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/4456362/endresult-main_Full.jpg
http://www.moonrakerqh.com/tack/gfx/hay-bag-35-1384.jpg
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