Calculating Feeding Rations

[hel_81]

Hi – wonder if anyone can help me. I need a quick and simple way of working out feed rations in my head. In the past I have used llbs but would prefer to work in kgs. A friend said there is a simple formula whereby for example if the horse weights 500kg you take a 0 off then half the figure and then half if again then work out 2.5% of the last figure for the correct amount of feed (roughly) you should provide. Not really sure if I got this correct from her. I cannot seem to find it on the internet.

Or any other method people find useful and when you have not got a calculator to hand?

Thanks

 

[ihatework]

Honestly ... go by eye and feel, a much safer bet than calculating hard food that your horse may or may not need, feed companies tend to suggest quite large amounts.

 

[PucciNPoni]

The only figures I'm aware of:

For overweight horses feed 1.5% to 1.75% of bodyweight
For good-doers or those on light-med work about 2%
Hard work, mares that are nursing foalies or those that don't keep weight on well 2.5%

At moment, I'm dieting my mare a bit - she's getting 1.75% - so she's getting just over 9 kg of hay/bucket feeds total combined.

Most horses in light/med work require 70-100% of that to be forage.

At the moment I'm weighing everything as my girl is on box rest and needs to watch her waistline!

However, for her size she's getting 1/2 hay net in the am, 1/2 in the pm (actually, she's getting two nets, doubled up so they're harder to get the hay from them, and split the portions in to two). Each net is about 2 kg each. And her chaff is 1kg in the am, 1kg in the pm, with her balancer and speedy beet.

 

[milliepops]

I'd agree that it's better to go on judgement and how the horse feels in itself, there is an easy way to 'calculate' ( if you are that way inclined) - I was taught in my BHS stages to do it this way quickly in an exam!

Say horse is 16.3hh - knock off the extra inches to give 16

Multipy by 2 = 32

Take off 6

= 26 lbs feed in total

For light work (1-2 hrs a day, not stressed - school horses, hacks), you would want maybe 80% bulk to 20% concentrate. This would work out at 5lb (ish) concentrate to 21lb bulk (hay in my example) each day. This is for horses only- would be too much for ponies. We were told to only apply this above 14hh.

Worked in my exams, but I don't feed like that! My mare is a good doer so I could never feed that much concentrate

 

[PucciNPoni]

Milliepops - I just did the sums your way and it works roughly to be the same answer as the way I outlined it. Very cool

 

[milliepops]

That's good news!

I had a brill tutor when I was doing my Stage 2, and that's the way she told me to do it