A Nutritional Guide to Educate New Horse Owners

Any new horse owner will tell you of the joys of being a newly minted horse owner. However it can be a very confusing time for new owners when it comes to trying to figure out what, when, and how much to feed your new equine friend. Hopefully, this article will help take some of the guesswork out of learning to care for and feed your new horse.

The first thing you need to do is evaluate your horse’s current condition. Here are some questions that you should ask yourself: Is the horse too fat?  Is he too thin?  Is he working? Do you ride the horse once a week, or does he get ridden or driven every day?  All of these questions must be asked in order to determine what kind of feeding schedule you should put your horse on.

Once you have determined the current state of your horse, it is time to come up with a good feeding schedule.  No matter what kind of feeding schedule you put your horse on, there is one thing that every horse needs, and that is salt. Make sure to provide your horse with a high quality trace mineral block and a white iodized block, allowing him free choice.  Salt provides horses with many important minerals.  Your horse will lick and chew on his salt and mineral blocks, as his body requires these.  

If you own a horse that is more content to stand and graze all day, provide him with a healthy mix of grass hay and a grass/alfalfa mixture. Some horse owners choose a timothy and clover mixture. The most important thing is to not overfeed alfalfa or clover to a less active horse.  However, if your horse is more active and demands more energy, feed him hay that contains a higher protein content, such as the alfalfa or clover.

If you want to give your horse a treat, give him hay and grain. However, make sure not to go overboard.  The last thing you want to do is kill your horse with kindness.  This will only lead to bigger health problems for you and your horse.  Too much grain is often associated with horse health problems including Founder and Colic.  Both of these are serious health problems that can cause your horse real pain.  

For horses that are thin or idle, feed them eight ounces of corn, oats, or commercial feed a day.  This amount of grain will help promote a coat that is nice and shiny. This will also help provide nutrients that your horse may not be getting in his hay or grass. 

Feed is often fed in pounds, especially when you’re dealing with bigger and more active horses. A1000lbs horse will require approximately 10lbs of feed of commercial feed hay per day.  Pay close attention to your horse’s behavior and activity level before setting a firm feeding schedule. 

Make use of nutritional guides for new horse owners in order to learn more about feeding your horse. Be willing and prepared to make any necessary adjustments to your horses diet base. Always be willing to make adjustments. One of the most important things to remember in relation to feeding your horse is that, if you decide to change, you must do so very gradually. If you are going to change your horse’s diet, make sure to do so over a slow period of 7-14 days to prevent any digestive system problems.  Remember that in the spring of each year you should only turn your horse out for an hour or two a day for the first few days of the season. This helps to reduce digestive problems by gradually increasing your horse’s time spent on grass.

An excellent way to increase a horse’s taste palate is by feeding him carrots and apples. There are many commercial products and supplements currently on the market. Make sure to help out your horse by getting to know his health and activity level before establishing a healthy feeding schedule.

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