Feeding Horses

Question 1

What feeding behaviours do horses exhibit?

Answer 1

• grazing sp
• should be fed at least 2 meals per day (ideally free choice feeding)
• allow horses to eat w/ their heads lowered (natural grazing position that helps physiological drainage of airways)

Question 2

What are the basic food needs of horses?

Answer 2

• forage, water, salt

Question 2

How many hours per day do horses in the wild spend eating/foraging?

Answer 2

• at least 12 hours per day

Question 3

What are the health issues of feeding free choice in Eq?

Answer 3

• can get fat
• can lead to equine metabolic syndrome (similar to human diabetes)

Question 4

How much forage do horses need?

Answer 4

• good quality forage needs to be the basis of the Eq diet
• average mature horse needs ~2% of its BW in dry feed per day (majority should be forage)

Question 5

what kinds of forage do horses eat?

Answer 5

• hay
• pasture
• processed feeds

Question 6

What kinds of hay do horses eat?

Answer 6

• grass (timothy, brome, rye, fescue, orchard)
• legume (alfalfa)
• mix
• nutrient levels vary

Question 7

What is hay quality dependent on?

Answer 7

stage of growth, leaf:stem ratio, degree of cure at time of cutting & bailing

Question 8

What should hay be inspected for?

Answer 8

dust, mold, soil, weeds, & toxic plants

Question 8

Why is it important to have your hay analyzed?

Answer 8

to know nutritional values

Question 8

what is important in regards to pasture for feeding horses?

Answer 8

• native or seeded
• minimum 2 acres/ horse
• practice good pasture management to prevent over-grazing

Question 9

What processed feeds are fed to horses?

Answer 9

• hay based (alfalfa or timothy) cubes or pellets

Question 10

What is the most important nutrient for horses?

Answer 10

WATER
- must always be available

Question 11

What is the minimum daily water requirement for horses?

Answer 11

5L/100 kg of BW (in thermo-neutral temps)

Question 12

What will horse water intake vary w/?

Answer 12

size of horse, temp/season, feed intake (amount), type of feed (forage vs concentrate), physiological state (pregnant, lactating)

Question 13

What should horse water contain?

Answer 13

• < 5000 ppm total dissolved solids
• < 500 ppm sulfates
• < 100 ppm nitrates

Question 14

Does water = snow?

Answer 14

NO!
- snow along cannot meet a horse’s water requirements
- 6-10x volume of snow must be eaten to meet water requirements
- takes energy to heat snow (may affect body warmth, condition, & overall health)
- source of clean, potable water must be provided

Question 15

Feeding horses salt?

Answer 15

• necessary!
• free choice or in ration
• provides electrolytes to maintain homeostasis

Question 16

When should we feed horses more?

Answer 16

• maintenance is 2% of BW in dry feed
• increased metabolic demand or nutritional deficits

Question 17

What do horses have increased metabolic demand?

Answer 17

• growing, pregnant/lactating, cold weather, exercise, breeding stallions

Question 18

What kinds of concentrates do we feed horses?

Answer 18

• grains, extruded feeds, protein supplements

Question 19

Why do we feed grains to horses?

Answer 19

• adds energy +/- protein
• not a necessity (useful w/ high metabolic demand, ex: race horses)

Question 20

what kinds of grains do we feed horses?

Answer 20

• oats, sweet feed, barley, corn

Question 21

Why and how do we process grains for horses?

Answer 21

• may increase digestibility
• cracked, rolled, crushed

Question 22

What are extruded feeds?

Answer 22

- complete feed: used when forage quantity or quality is low or when forage cannot be fed - supplemental feeds: high fat, starch, or protein feeds to add calories

Question 23

What kind of protein supplements do we feed horses and why?

Answer 23

- soybean or milk based - as part of or in addn to a concentrate ration

Question 24

Who do we generally feed protein supplements to in horses?

Answer 24

- lactating mares, geriatrics, debilitated horses, elite performance horses, orphan foals (milk replacers)

Question 25

What minerals do we feed horses?

Answer 25

- blocks (salt, salt & iodine, mixed mineral) - powders (used as top dress on concentrate ration)

Question 26

What vitamins do we feed horses?

Answer 26

- powders, liquids, & pastes - B complex, C, & E most commonly supplemented

Question 27

What kind of ration balancers do we feed to horses?

Answer 27

- extruded pellets or powders - contain concentrated vitamins & minerals - intended to be added to a pasture or hay diet

Question 28

What kind of body system specific supplements do we feed to horses?

Answer 28

- joint health, hoof health, GI heath

Question 29

When do we feed fibre to horses?

Answer 29

- may be used when traditional forages are scarce or as a base for feeding powdered supplements

Question 30

What kinds of fibre do we feed horses?

Answer 30

- beet pulp, bran, grain hulls, extruded fibre supplements

Question 31

What should feeding programs for horses be based on?

Answer 31

- age, weight & BCS, activity level, management, available feeds (season, geography) - all programs should be forage based - feed changes should be made gradually

Question 32

How do we feed horses in cold weather?

Answer 32

- below 5 C horses need more forage to maintain body temp & weight - usually achieved by increasing amount of hay fed - concentrated feed may help horses w/ poor dentition

Question 33

How do we feed mares & foals?

Answer 33

- add 0.5-0.75% body weight concentrates to a mare's diet in last trimester of gestation & during early lactation - dam's milk is sufficient for the foal during its 1st 6-8 wks of life - creep feed offered at 0.5-1% of the foal's BW/day (max 5 lbs)

Question 34

How do we feed growing horses?

Answer 34

- usually consume 3% of BW/day - free choice hay is best - weanlings can be fed creep feed at 1% BW/day - feed horses under 2 yrs old separate from rest of the herd

Question 35

How do we feed horses in work?

Answer 35

- increased concentrates to add energy & protein - offer free choice feeding or multiple meals to reduce risk of gastric ulcers

Question 36

What are common issues in feeding geriatric horses?

Answer 36

- poor dentition (slow intake, risk of choke) - poor appetite (iatrogenic: pergolide (treatment for Cushings); pain: arthritis, loose teeth, EOTRH (Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis)) - increased nutrient requirements

Question 37

How do we feed geriatric horses?

Answer 37

- good quality soft feed

Question 38

How do we feed horses to help them lose weight?

Answer 38

- avoid all concentrates, treats - weigh meals (no free choice hay) - gradual reduction in feed offered - start at 2% BW/day, reduce gradually to 1.5% BW/ day, reductions should occur over 2-3 wks, stop reducing feed once weight loss is noticed

Question 39

How do we feed following starvation?

Answer 39

- gradual refeeding - initially restrict nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) to < 20% - diet should be primarily hay & a supplement - aggressive refeeding may result in refeeding syndrome (potentially fatal shift in fluids & electrolytes)

Question 40

Which equine diseases respond to diet changes?

Answer 40

- Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) - Recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER) - Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) - equine asthma - equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), obesity - vit E related diseases

Question 41

How do we BCS horses?

Answer 41

- monitor sub q fat deposits to determine changes in health & feeding