How to Feed the Easy Keeper
- Hay then Grain. Forage should almost always make up the bulk of a horse’s daily consumption. Long stem forage is the...
- Balancing Nutrient Requirements with Concentrate. Now we can talk ‘grain’. Although most of us feed a pelleted or...
- Easy Keepers Yet Nutrient Needers. For many horses, this system works well! Our 2-3 scoop (6-9 lbs) a day...
What are the worst things to feed a horse?
Things a Horse Shouldn't Eat
- Fruit in Large Quantities. Many of us like to feed our horses apples as treats. ...
- Lawn and Garden Clippings. Lawn and garden clippings can contain several hazards. ...
- Meat. ...
- Cruciferous Vegetables. ...
- Moldy or Dusty Hay. ...
- Bran Mashes. ...
- Alsike Clover. ...
- Cattle Feed. ...
- Silage and Haylage. ...
What are some good feeds to fatten up a horse?
- Scores of 1 to 4 are considered thin, and will need more feed to boost weight.
- An extremely underweight horse will need a feed that is high in protein and fats (such as rice bran) to promote weight gain.
- Keep in mind that a score of 9 would mean that a horse is very obese and this is also unhealthy.
How to calculate how much hay to feed your horse?
Horse Feeding Calculator
- Select a lifestyle and weight of horse. (Note: Weights will change based on the lifestyle selected).
- If little or no quality hay/pasture is available, choose from one of the complete feeds in the upper row.
- When feeding hay, refer to daily hay requirement in the gray window, and choose from the concentrate feeds in the lower row.
What grain should you feed your horse?
- Corn is popular because of its low cost and high energy value. ...
- This natural horse grain is fed alot in the midwest. ...
- Corn has about 71% starch, 8-10% protein, and 2-2.5% fiber.
- Because most of the starch from whole corn is not processed in the foregut and ends up in the hindgut, there is concern for colic and founder. ...
What should I feed my easy keeper horse?
Salt blocks and water should still be offered free choice. If the horse is only on dry grass hay, a balanced vitamin/trace mineral supplement should be offered in recommended amounts. If grain must be fed for the horse to consume the supplement, offer it in less than ½ lb of oats or beet pulp-based sweet feed mix.
What should you feed a horse in light work?
Most horses doing light or medium work, like hacking and schooling, just need good pasture or hay, made up of a variety of different grasses. Only horses in really hard and fast work, breeding stock or very underweight horses will need high energy concentrate feeds.
What should I feed my horse everyday?
Provide plenty of roughage A horse should eat one to two percent of their body weight in roughage every day. Horses who spend much of their time in stalls aren't doing much grazing, but their natural feeding patterns can be replicated by keeping hay in front of them for most of the day.
What is the best thing to feed a horse?
Roughage/Forage Roughage, found in hay or grass, is the bulk of the horse's food. Grass or alfalfa hay, or a combination of the two, are good sources of roughage. Grass hay is generally higher in fiber and dry matter than alfalfa, but alfalfa may be higher in protein, energy, vitamins and calcium.
Can horses live on grass alone?
In short, yes, all horses can live on grass alone. Healthy grass for grazing needs to be rich in nutrients to keep a horse healthy. Optimal levels of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) need to be present in the grass. Some areas don't have enough protein available.
Do horses prefer grass or hay?
While most horses do well and thrive on a grass hay diet, other horses with different needs and medical conditions are better suited to being fed a diet of grass/alfalfa mix, or an exclusively all alfalfa.
Do horses need grain every day?
For the average horse, this means 15 pounds of hay and five pounds of grain spread throughout the day; double that for the high performance horse. Pasture horses have very little need for extra calories from grain. The pasture horse needs 20 pounds of hay only when grass isn't available.
Can horses be fed once a day?
Feeding a horse grain once a day is fine, but horses need a steady supply of forage throughout the day to maintain their health. If your horse is kept in a stall, it's best to feed it hay twice a day in a slow feeder.
How many hay flakes a day for a horse?
horse five flakes every day. Remember to feed in as many small portions as possible.
What do horses love the most?
Apples and carrots are traditional favorites. You can safely offer your horse raisins, grapes, bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe or other melons, celery, pumpkin, and snow peas. Most horses will chew these treats before swallowing, but horses that gulp large pieces of a fruit or vegetable have a risk of choking.
What horses should not eat?
Here are some “people” foods you should avoid feeding your horse:Caffeine: Coffee, tea and cola contain the stimulant caffeine (trimethylxanthine) which can cause an irregular heart rhythm.Chocolate: ... Garlic and onions: ... Tomatoes: ... Fruit seeds and pits: ... Dog and cat kibble: ... Potatoes: ... House plants:
How many times a day should you feed a horse?
When feeding the horse, there are three general guidelines one should follow. Feeds should be fed at least twice a day. Feeds should be fed in equally divided amounts. Feeds should be fed near to or at the same time each day and at even intervals throughout the day.
Do horses need hay in the summer?
Your horse's feed needs change during the summer. Feed like alfalfa, oats, and corn produce more heat than grass hay or pasture; so cut back or cut out these foods in favor of grass hay and pasture grazing. Letting your horse roam the pasture will also help it get more water.
Should a horse be fed once or twice a day?
When feeding the horse, there are three general guidelines one should follow. Feeds should be fed at least twice a day. Feeds should be fed in equally divided amounts. Feeds should be fed near to or at the same time each day and at even intervals throughout the day.
How much hay should a horse eat in 24 hours?
According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, a full-grown horse should eat about 12 to 15 pounds (5.4 to 6.8 kg) of hay a day. 1 That is 1.5% to 3% of its body weight, if it weighs about 1,000 pounds (450 kg).
How much grain should a horse eat a day?
The 2% Rule Experts generally agree that all horses, regardless of activity level, should consume about 2% of their body weight per day in a combination of forage and concentrates (grains). Horses who are doing little to no work should eat closer to 2% of their body weight in forage, with little to no concentrates.
How to keep a horse healthy?
Exercise can be in the form of riding, lunging, hand walking, obstacles, ground-driving, pole work, etc…. Any movement and consistent physical activity will provide your horse with the tools it needs to stay healthy. Although people often think of rescue horses as underweight and malnourished, we deal with quite a few overweight horses in our ...
Why is it important to not feed hay to horses?
However it is important not to restrict hay too much because that can lead to other stress related issues, like ulcers. A great way to provide almost constant access to forage for an easy keeper is a slow feed hay net.
How to provide fast access to forage for easy keepers?
A great way to provide almost constant access to forage for an easy keeper is a slow feed hay net. Another great management technique for easy keepers is soaking hay. Soaking hay for 15-30 mins draws out the excess sugars in the hay, making the hay much safer for insulin resistant horses, and cutting out a lot of excess calories.
What is an easy keeper?
Feeding the Easy Keeper. An easy keeper is the type of horse that many people say “lives off air.”. These horses have a slower metabolism than others, and struggle to maintain a proper weight. We have included some general guidelines that can help as you work to feed your easy keeper, but we always recommend contacting your veterinarian ...
Is a rescue horse overweight?
Although people often think of rescue horses as underweight and malnourished, we deal with quite a few overweight horses in our program as well. A healthy weight is important for every horse, whether they are too heavy or too thin.
Is pasture grass healthy?
However, for an easy keeper fresh pasture grass is not always a healthy option, especially for those who are insulin resistant, or are dealing with Equine Metabolic Syndrome in some form.
How to keep horses easy keepers?
Maintain your easy keepers on a mature forage diet with no grain, adding ration-balancing supplements as needed. Feed hay in slow feeders to extend eating time.
How to keep an easy keeper healthy?
To help keep your easy keeper healthy and still happy without regular pasture access, turn him out in a drylot or corral with plenty of mature, low-calorie hay to nibble on, Siciliano suggests. A drylot is just what it sounds like; the horse does not have access to grass. It’s not mowing a pasture to keep it short.
What happens if you don't feed your horse enough?
If you don’t feed enough to meet his minimal needs, this slows everything down ; weight loss will actually be less than if the metabolism rate is more normal. ”. In other words, it’s better to feed the horse more forage and exercise him to help burn calories than to restrict his diet.
Can horses eat celery?
Celery makes a great treat for obese horses because celery is just water and fiber.”. If you feed treats, avoid grain-based molasses-laden products, and steer toward apples, carrots, and celery in moderation. “ Chop one up, and make them eat it in small pieces,” Ralston suggests.
Can horses have laminitis?
A horse that is at risk for laminitis should not be allowed out at pasture. “Our studies suggest morning turnout is best for the easy keeper because this is when some of the nonstructural carbohydrates (e.g., sugars and starches) are minimal in the plant,” he continues. “Sugar content gradually rises through the day.
Can easy keepers be rotated?
If your easy keeper can tolerate regular turnout, and you own multiple horses, you might consider using pasture rotation to your advantage—turning out hard and easy keepers in pastures that meet their dietary needs.
Do horses have metabolic diseases?
A few horses have serious metabolic disease—it might seem like they simply look at grass and founder. Often, these horses are overweight, have foundered in the past, or are insulin resistant, in which cells fail to respond normally to the hormone insulin that allows the body to use sugars as energy.
