A horse cannot live on hay alone, or can it?
A wild horse, like Mustangs and the Mongolian roaming vast spaces, finding a multitude of grasses, herbs and shrubs to choose from can. A domestic horse doesn’t have this opportunity. That’s where our grains and feed mixes peppered with vitamins & minerals jump in. Should we therefore blindly trust the feed bag? The answer is, no. Feeding directly out of the bag, is a mixed bag, literally. Some are balanced and use high quality raw materials, others don’t. And just because the mineral & vitamin content, of the feed itself may well be balanced, the manufacturer doesn’t know what else you are feeding your horse. It is up to us to choose the correct one for our equine friends.
The PROs of Mixed Commercial Feeds
- Adding commercial mixes to our equines´ diet is a convenient way to balance the diet and add the extra calories required.
- Feed companies offer formulas for pretty much any situation, horses at rest, leisure, sport, senior, breeding, weanlings, as well as addressing health issues, such as low sugar diets.
- A reputable manufacturer will use quality ingredients and the correct mix of vitamin and minerals.
- Grains in commercial feeds are usually treated, such as crushed or micronised for easier digestion.
- Not to forget our horses love to tuck into a tasty meal.
The CONs of Commercial Feeds
- Nutritional balance isn not guaranteed, depending on how much you were planning to feed, it could be too much of the good, or too little.
- If your equine partner breaks out in hives, it can be quite hard to get to the bottom of which of the many ingredients is causing it.
- GMOs a controversial subject, but you will find them in most feeds.
The PROs of Pure Grains
- Buying pure grains is cheaper, they can be found whole, although it is preferable to buy them crushed to increase digestibility. We have all found whole oats in our horses manure, right? Barley and corn is even harder to digest, go for the crushed and rolled options.
- We can then add a ready, or, our own mix of vitamin & minerals, oils, and other goodies, to create our own balanced meal.
- Allergies are easier to pinpoint.
The CONs of Pure Grains
- Cooking up our own balanced meal for our horses is more time consuming and ingredients aren’t always readily available.
TIPS:
Go for quality hard feed, buying a reputable brand pays off. Buying cheap may be enticing but here is the catch. Most feed bags will carry an indication of the minimum amount to feed. Why is that? Because the vitamin & mineral content is low, so you have to feed double, or even triple, to meet minimum requirements, reducing the saving from the start. And you won’t save your horses’ gut health either. Fats used in cheaper brands may well include less healthy animal fats, horses are herbivores. Stay away from brands, which do not specify the ingredients clearly
How much to feed
- That entirely depends on the individual situation, age, activity and condition of your horse, warranting an overall analysis to come up with the correct amount.
- Never mind the daily quantity required, never feed more than two kilos in one setting. Your equine friend can simply not handle more than that, you would be risking digestive upsets. Breakfast, lunch and dinner usually does the trick.
Less is more!
Whether feeding grains, or commercial mixes, just always keep in mind they are an extra to forage, which should always form the bulk of your equine friend’s diet. Try not to exceed 40% in hard feed (concentrates) of the overall diet. Keep in mind the colic and ulcer risks related to a horse´ s digestive system trying to cope with too many kilos of concentrates it is simply not built to handle.