Assessing the Horse's Diet

 Assessing your horse's diet

Folks often create an initial feed program with a new horse. Years later, they tend to still be feeding the same thing, without really assessing if it is appropriate for the horse's current health, work regime, health, seasonal changes, etc.

So many horses I meet nowadays are insulin-resistant, obese, have ulcers, or are candidates for long-term ailments influenced by feed.

As enthusiasts are starting to expand their education with horses the recognition of nutrition, farrier care, dental practices, bodywork, and many other factors affecting the horse's health have now become part of the responsibility of equine ownership. All of these aspects contribute to the animal's behaviors, physical health- short and long-term, ability to learn, mental focus, and the quality of interactions with the human.

I find many people overfeed processed feeds with high sugar levels. Horses are sensitive to this and it can cause a full spectrum of issues ranging from behavioral problems to digestive issues, sleep deprivation, to dramatic declines in the animal's health.

Many "bad horse behaviors" often have health issues as a top contributor.

Keep a journal of when you make changes in your horse's diet, for future reference in case you're "suddenly" seeing dramatic shifts in behaviors or sleeping patterns.

Learn to recognize the behavioral signs if there are possible gut imbalances or side effects from short or long-term daily medications administered to the horse.

Take time and understand the ingredients in the grain or supplements you are feeding, why you are feeding them, and if they are appropriate for your individual horse.

Assess when you started feeding supplements, and if you are seeing changes in the horse's health, or if any adaptations need to be made. (Sometimes seasonally.)

Not all hay is the same quality. For those truly committed you can send out samples and have a nutritional analysis done.

Spend time watching your horse eat both hay and any supplements. How does he physically chew? Does hay fall out of his mouth? Many folks invest a lot financially in feed that unfortunately a horse with unaddressed dental issues is unable to chew and digest properly, limiting their nutritional benefit.

Inspect your horse's manure. It is a great way to literally see what has been processed or just passed through his digestive system.

Grazing can offer the horse a mental and physical outlet, but often chemicals applied to pastures, the type or quantity of grass they consume, the season, and the time of day, can all affect how the horse's body responds and is affected.

Be sure to feed what works for your INDIVIDUAL horse and not just what "everyone else" is feeding out of convenience at the barn.

Depending on the horse's age, physical demands, and health, changes in the feed may need to be adjusted seasonally.

It is up to you to prioritize taking time, experimenting, and observing to offer balance in your horse's health.

If you decide to make adjustments to a feed program, change one thing at a time, and give the horse at least two to three weeks before re-evaluating and/or making other changes. Keep notes in your journal of your observations for future reference.