Feeding Horses....why!?

[Kadastorm]

This is probably going to be really ranty...

im constantly seeing posts on facebook asking what else people can feed their horses, not because they are looking poor but because they want to 'give them something more'. WHY?!

For example, todays one: 'my ponies get speedy beet, chaff and pony nuts but I want to give them something more'. 'What can I give them?'

My response included the fact that horses are a prey species and a flight animal and their stomachs should not be more than 3/4's full. They are hind gut fermenters and have evolved to have a fibre based diet. Concentrate feeds may be cheaper and provide that extra energy for higher workloads but have large amounts of non-structural carbohydrates in, not only does this place a higher risk of laminitis but also gastric disorders...a balancer and mixer would be more beneficial.

Why do people feel the need to pump their horses full of concentrate feed and supplements? Your horses do not need every mulitvit and supplement under the sun, especially if you are also giving them bundles of fruit and veg a day - it can cause more harm than good!! Don't get me wrong, some horses require extra energy, especially those in hard work and competition but many horses are being fed things they do not need (especially natives) which leads to laminitis, insulin resistance, ulcers, colic etc....

Again, as I said, SOME horses do require some help, but I see so many horses being over fed with concentrates, not enough fibre and then people wonder why they end up with other issues. We had this debate at uni, animal nutrition is part of my course, it isn't just horses but all domestic animals. Do people just look at a pretty packet and think 'yep, that will do?' or 'if I give them loads of food, I am a good owner and my animals are happy and content?'

anyway, rant over...

thoughts? or do I need a tin hat?

 

[AngieandBen]

Yep, you're right it is ranty

I think as long as horse/pony is not overweight/underweight/in pain/hard to handle etc etc, I don't think its anyone else's concern, people will always do what they want with their horses ie feeding, over/under rugging etc.

Who cares? life's too short to worry about it!

 

[Cortez]

Absolutely agree with you OP; unless the horse has a problem and is looking poor, NOTHING needs to be added - in fact judging by an awful lot of horses LESS would be beneficial....

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I do agree with you

These are often the same people who ask about rugging, or are compiling combinations of 700g for their trad cob (yes, honestly) so 'he can be snug in his stable, I dont like the thought of him being cold while I am at home indoors' mentality.

Too many are putting human feelings to the front & forgetting the equine is actually a different species to mankind, thus having vastly different needs...........

Yes, I accept some horses & ponies DO need rugging more than others, some also require more feed than others, but usually this goes with type & working pattern, not just so owner A can 'keep up' with owner B :rolleyes3:

 

[Cortez]

Who cares? life's too short to worry about it![/QUOTE]

Who cares? Those of us who have concern for the health of horses, that's who.

 

[thatsmygirl]

No tin hat needed
Totally agree, I work within equine retail and its scary what people feed and have no idea about feeding. When I suggest to people to up their hay intake its never enough and they buy bags of feed as well. People are to use to seeing fat horses as well and its so hard giving feeding advice without asking so many questions about that horse plus people quite often show u a pic, and 9 out of 10 times the horse is over weight but in the owners eyes as they have lost some weight they must feed them up but don't like it when u say that they really need to loose quite a bit more.
I get asked why I don't feed my horses more but they don't need it, others are feeding twice a day and all those are obese but still get 2 big ish feeds a day, why?? It's all beyond me.

 

[Kadastorm]

I care because im an animal behaviour and welfare student and many horses would be in better health physically and mentally if owners were to feed and manage their horses correctly. So yeah, I care, otherwise there would be no point in me studying my course!

Don't get me wrong, most people on this forum consider all this but the constant posts on facebook are ridiculous.

EDIT:: thankyou for the support from the rest of you! Phew! thought I was going to get a rollicking!

 

[thatsmygirl]

I care because im an animal behaviour and welfare student and many horses would be in better health physically and mentally if owners were to feed and manage their horses correctly. So yeah, I care, otherwise there would be no point in me studying my course!

Don't get me wrong, most people on this forum consider all this but the constant posts on facebook are ridiculous.

EDIT:: thankyou for the support from the rest of you! Phew! thought I was going to get a rollicking!

Good on you more people need to care I think and try to show owners the right way. I'm fed up of seeing obese horses who can hardly walk but are riden at weekends and all and I mean all that I know have joint problems funny enough. 1 owner has 4 horses all obese and all of hers have joint issues as well, all Arabs and so so fat it's disgusting and yep on 2 feeds a day. She's quite a large lady herself so do u think people may feed according to how they eat?? Just a thought put out there,

 

[AngieandBen]

Who cares? life's too short to worry about it!

Who cares? Those of us who have concern for the health of horses, that's who.[/QUOTE]

BUT if they are happy and healthy, what's it got to do with you? Just because a horse is fed, does that mean the owners are not concerned about them?

I feed all three of mine; 24, 22 and 17 years old, they get a unmolassed beet and linseed, they are on a huge 5 acre field with plenty of rough grazing and only the 17 year old gets ridden..........they are all healthy and look amazing.

So, like I said before if there are no problems, no concern of anyone else

 

[AngieandBen]

IF you read my post I did say unless there were other issues ie overweight etc etc

 

[Kadastorm]

Good on you more people need to care I think and try to show owners the right way. I'm fed up of seeing obese horses who can hardly walk but are riden at weekends and all and I mean all that I know have joint problems funny enough. 1 owner has 4 horses all obese and all of hers have joint issues as well, all Arabs and so so fat it's disgusting and yep on 2 feeds a day. She's quite a large lady herself so do u think people may feed according to how they eat?? Just a thought put out there,

haha! that's quite a good point!

My little pony was obese when I got him, so horrendously obese that I was pulled over in a showing class when I took him out for his first in hand show (the humiliation!), I explained I had only just purchased him and he was on a strict diet and being backed so I couldn't work it off of him. I have had him three years this year and he is a different pony, a healthy weight, fed a fibre based diet but still has plenty of attitude to show off in the dressage and jumping ring and a beautiful shiny coat. He barely moved when I first got him, probably because of the fat! haha

 

[Shantara]

I don't understand it either. I only feed Ned because he drops off weight around this time. He get absolutely zilch starting from about march!

 

[Equi]

There seems to be a trend at the moment for ridiculously complex feed management. I feed local chaff and a high protein mix, i don't look into it too much. I fed my TB sugarbeet and conditioning nuts in winter. Easy.

 

[Shantara]

There seems to be a trend at the moment for ridiculously complex feed management. I feed local chaff and a high protein mix, i don't look into it too much. I fed my TB sugarbeet and conditioning nuts in winter. Easy.

Also agree with this! It's the complexity. When I used to make feeds, it baffled me. It took me weeks to learn what each horse had.

Ned has a handful of Alfa A and 3 cups of veteran mix.

 

[Merrymoles]

I think some owners do think they need to feed more than is necessary. Mine exists on a handful of chaff and a mugful of balancer but he doesn't really need it as he has ad lib hay and a decent amount of grazing so why do I feed him at all? He is fit and well and certainly up to the amount of work he's doing at the moment and, although he's dropped a little weight lately, I would expect that at this time of year.

I don't really know the answer, except that he likes it and I like to know he's not missing out on minerals and vits.

I think there is a tendency to hugely over-complicate feeding which is completely unnecessary in the majority of cases.

 

[Shavings]

Levi lives of ad lib hay with a hand full of pony nuts and chaff just to get his hoof hardner in to him (also stops him kicking door when others are fed) a bag of chaff and abag of nuts lasts me well over a month!
i like to keep it plain and simple, then in the summer he will go to just a tiny amount of pony nuts to get hoof hardener in as he will be out 24/7 he will not need the hay of the chaff !

 

[Cortez]

I think most people feed because it makes THEM feel good, without really thinking about or understanding what the horse actually needs. I would say that a large number of the behavioural and riding problems talked about on here could be addressed by cutting out feed and upping exercise. Feed companies advertising has a lot to do with it, but it's still the owner's responsibility to be at least sensible.

 

[AngieandBen]

Also agree with this! It's the complexity. When I used to make feeds, it baffled me. It took me weeks to learn what each horse had.

Ned has a handful of Alfa A and 3 cups of veteran mix.

But then you will now get the "oh there's too much starch and sugar in that" gang who will tell you that that's not the right feed.

Hence why I said, people will do as they please with their own horses as long as they are not overweight/in pain/welfare case! etc

 

[Kadastorm]

Ok, question: Do you think that if there was somewhere or someone accessible and affordable to go to for a nutritional programme for your horse (not a feed company as they are biased in that they want to sell their product) that people may actually use it? The nutritional advice I have seen available are usually calling a feed company, who of course are going to want to sell their product, much like a veterinary surgery who is asked to promote food such as the science plan.

Maybe a service that not only takes into consideration everything about the horse, its weight, workload, life stage etc but the cost - some feeds are extortionate! I don't mean just anyone either, I mean a service that has performed feed analysis to check that the information on the feed label is correct. Just because a feed bag says it is a 'complete and nutritionally balanced feed', it doesn't mean it is. (I witnessed this after performing some feed analysis on dog food - the results were interesting!!

 

[AngieandBen]

Yes of course we feed generally to make us feel good..........and it does, I do it, and I also sometimes eat junk food myself because I like it.

 

[WindyStacks]

And there are those who'd say the "cereals" are junk food.

I'm feeling very old, so would someone be so kind as to help me out here. What do people mean by balancer? Is it just what we used to call a mix?

 

[AngieandBen]

Ok, question: Do you think that if there was somewhere or someone accessible and affordable to go to for a nutritional programme for your horse (not a feed company as they are biased in that they want to sell their product) that people may actually use it? The nutritional advice I have seen available are usually calling a feed company, who of course are going to want to sell their product, much like a veterinary surgery who is asked to promote food such as the science plan.

Maybe a service that not only takes into consideration everything about the horse, its weight, workload, life stage etc but the cost - some feeds are extortionate! I don't mean just anyone either, I mean a service that has performed feed analysis to check that the information on the feed label is correct. Just because a feed bag says it is a 'complete and nutritionally balanced feed', it doesn't mean it is. (I witnessed this after performing some feed analysis on dog food - the results were interesting!!

I think there are only a handful of them already, so I guess there would be room for some one else! A lot of people are now feeding according to grazing ie mineral balancing, so an analysis of grass/hay/haledge would have to be done if you want to go down that route.

Tbh I've fed the same, beet and linseed to mine for years and years added magnesium in the summer, without any issue's ridden or otherwise. As the saying go's if it aint broken.........

 

[Cortez]

There are many good books available on horse nutrition, ("The Truth About Feeding Horses" by Claire McLeod is a good one - based on actual research and not funded/promoted by a feed company).

The majority of horses which are not in a heavy competition program (this would be racehorses, endurance competitors, high-level showjumpers, eventers, dressage horses) that are leisure horses - i.e. MOST horses - probably don't need anything other than forage. The instance of vitamin/mineral deficiency is very low in horses, so most don't need supplements either. In fact feeding a supplement "just in case" can be counter-productive (to anything other than the feed companies bank balance, that is....), and at best is producing very expensive urine!

WindyStacks, balancer is a vit/min supplement

 

[Illusion100]

I don't give any hard feed to my TB/WB youngster, he got some hard feed 2 winters ago when he was a bit poor condition wise but nothing since then. He just doesn't need any, he's a good weight, good coat, good feet. When he starts his ridden career this year will he get fed? Don't know yet, only if he needs it. Can't see him being in any sort of demanding work in the near future that would require hard feed but he did lose a small amount of condition when he was backed in Nov, so will just have to wait and see.

A lot of horses on the yard get token feeds which they absolutely don't need, I think it makes the owners feel better. Others really need a good bit more condition on them, these ones get feed but obviously not the right feeds/amount for that individual. One poor horse needed feeding up but hard feed was cut out as he was getting difficult to handle. Luckily he was on loan and the owners took him back.

Really feel a lot of people don't know much about feeding, they feed what someone else does or what the feedstore said. Personally I think feeding needs to be personally tailored to each individual horse but rarely see it happen. I'd say most people on the yard probably feed exactly the same brand/mix/supplements as everyone else. No real thought process going into feeding whatsoever.

 

[AngieandBen]

And there are those who'd say the "cereals" are junk food.

I'm feeling very old, so would someone be so kind as to help me out here. What do people mean by balancer? Is it just what we used to call a mix?

Its a pelleted form of multi vitamins and minerals

 

[thatsmygirl]

I would say some feed companies are better then others and don't push their feeds but a lot do.

Vets in my area have no idea about feeding and its v hard when people come in to get a bag of mollichaff as their pony has laminitis and the vet has told them to come get some. Who do they believe? Vet or trained feed advisor? No contest

Think it could be a handy service

 

[AngieandBen]

I would say some feed companies are better then others and don't push their feeds but a lot do.

Vets in my area have no idea about feeding and its v hard when people come in to get a bag of mollichaff as their pony has laminitis and the vet has told them to come get some. Who do they believe? Vet or trained feed advisor? No contest

Think it could be a handy service

This is where people should get clued up on feed themselves and not rely on anyone else!

 

[Cortez]

I have competition/display horses (Baroque dressage); all are good doers. None has had a hard feed in over 8 years, they get hay in the winter (and like to nibble at their straw beds if peckish). If any of them started to look or feel anything other than well, they would of course get fed accordingly. Obviously not all horses can be fed this way, but I bet a large number are being fed expensive stuff they absolutely DO NOT NEED, and which may be making them fat, foolish and difficult for their owners to handle. Doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[littleshetland]

The Feed companies have a lot to answer for. It's in their best interests if everyone feeds their horses, wether they need it or not. The marketing machine chips away us, and eventually leaves you feeling inadequate or a bad horse owner if we're not stuffing some product or another down our horses necks. Different rules may possibly apply if you have a horse doing seriously hard work, but for most people, they would do well to remember that horses are basically grass processing units, and thrive very well on a diet of grass in one form or another.

Having run a livery yard for the past few decades, I've lost count of the amount of people who have passed through who have had endless problems with their horses unruly and difficult behaviour, mostly due to their horse being massively overfed and woefully underused, things have improved when their diets have been cut right back to very basics.

 

[Equi]

I had a nutritionist out ONCE and never again. The amount of food they were telling me my overweight shetland needed was ridiculous. I don't think they had a bloody clue what they were talking about.