what do you feed a horse?

[akaJELLYBEANx]

Hey! I'm looking into getting a horse soon and doing a lot of research but I'm still confused about what you feed a horse? I get that they need a lot of grass and hay/haylage but what extra feed do they require for their vitamins and minerals and how do you know how much to give? Mine will be about 14-15hh, kept out grazing in summer but stabled in winter and used for light hacking? Thank you in advance!

 

[budley95]

Ask the old owner what they feed it or ring up a few advice lines or ask at your local feed store. they'll be able to give you a lot more information

 

[Orangehorse]

Lots of horses get overfed for the amount of work they do which leads them to being overweight and/or being naughty to ride. Ask the old owner what the horse is currently fed and how much work it is doing and then keep an eye on the horse's weight and how it performs. Start off with grass in the summer and added hay in the winter. Daily you can give a small feed of unmolassed chaff plus plus a general vitamin and mineral supplement , or a complete feed like Fast Fibre, best not to give any feeds that have any added molasses or sugar.

Any of the feed firms will have an advice line, but bear in mind that they want to sell you their feed.

 

[albertpetersson6]

I agree with both budley95 & Orangehorse. Old owner is the one who can give you the best solution for your problem. Any thing done without consulting the old owner can lead to overweight problems for sure.