Dani GassnerEating well is one of the most important things you can do for your health. It could hurt your horse’s success in the future if you don’t feed them the healthy foods they need now. But if you’re having money problems, there are some small changes you can make to how you handle your horse to meet its current needs. Choosing feeds that are made to meet the special needs of each horse can help you keep your horse happy and healthy in a way that is both cost-effective and good for them.
Look After Your Forage
This is very important: most of your horse’s food comes from the nutrients in their fields and hay. Horses eat grass and have evolved to cover much ground in as little as 18 hours daily. Though horses ‘ looks have changed significantly, the gut still does what it’s supposed to. A horse kept as a pet should eat mostly high-quality long-stem fiber and Canada’s green, open summer pastures. Because good hay is full of nutrients, getting it can help you feed your horse what he needs. A good alfalfa mix has the right amount of minerals and proteins, and the fibrous stalks are good for your gut health.
Calorie Management
It’s important to know how many calories your horses need before you buy them food. We often feed more minerals than are required, which is an error. A racer that is being trained needs a lot more calories than a school pony that teaches kids for an hour a day. You should give your horses that don’t perform well more energy than they need if you look at their general needs, level of exercise, and physical condition. Most of the time, switching to a leisure feed is cheaper, and for some horses, it can save them money without lowering the quality of their nutrition.
Hay Extenders & Supplements
While checking how well your feeding plan works, you should also look at the vitamins you keep on hand and use on some or all of your horses. Do you notice any changes when your horse is with them? You can be sure your horse is getting a balanced diet every day because horse feeds are always improving. For example, bacteria packs and organic trace minerals have been added.
Don’t Overfeed
People often feed horses too much and give them more energy than they need daily, which can save money and cause problems like fat. Use our Feed Assist tool to find out if you are overfeeding your horse and find ways to improve things.
Fulfill Vitamin And Mineral Needs
If your horse weighs the same on grass alone, add Digestive VM at the recommended feeding rate to meet their vitamin and mineral needs. To protect their immune system, hoof health, bone and tissue health, skin and coat health, and other things, it’s important to feed your horse a healthy diet. If you have grass and hay available, you might not need to feed them a full meal. Instead, you could give them a vitamin and mineral supplement like Digestive VM to ensure their diet is balanced. Pay attention to the fact that not all mineral and vitamin supplements have the right mix. Make sure you check this.
