What to feed?  What not to feed?  The answers to these questions are as varied as there are types of feed.  What hay, what grain, what vitamins, what minerals, what type of salt…?  And of course, when to feed, how often to feed, how much to feed? 

Let’s start with where to feed and how often.  And then we’ll discuss the basics: hay, water, and salt. 

First we must understand that the horse is a grazing animal and, as such, was designed to move while they eat.  And since they’re traveling while they eat, they consume many different types of plants in the wild.  This allows them to obtain specific nutrients from the various plants.  As we’ve domesticated the horse, we often have to keep them in stalls or on a simple pasture of grass.  This limits movement on the one hand and on the other limits the variety of plants to which they have access.  To minimize the impacts on their bodies of this change from their original state, we need to feed our horses in a manner that will help them as best as we can.  

When to feed? 

If your horse is stalled, try to have them fed at least three or even four meals a day.  I know this is sometimes out of your control because of the established schedule at the barn where you stable your horses, but most good barns will feed at least three times a day.  Your horse was not designed to eat two large meals spaced twelve hours apart.  Not only are these meals larger than is healthy when spaced this way, but also, given the dry/cured hay we have to feed, the horse requires large amounts of water to make his digestive process function properly.   

In the wild a fair amount of water is absorbed from the plants the horse eats and so it is with a horse that lives in pasture.  But when living in a stall, water consumption is the only way the horse can obtain enough liquid for proper digestion.  Have you ever seen a horse that was referred to as a “dunker”?  These horses often “dunk” their hay in water as they eat.  Horses that eat large amounts of dry forage without adequate water or adequate space to move around are more prone to colic.  Barn horses colic more frequently than outdoor horses.  Feeding smaller amounts more times will help this, as will ensuring that an adequate supply of water is always available. 

Where to feed? 

As far as I am concerned, the hay belongs on the ground, on the mat, or in a ground feeder.  Remember, a horse was designed to do things a certain way, and eating from the ground instead of a wall rack is how they were meant to eat.   

Wall racks create two problems; first they put the hay up high where the horse has to reach up for it – this is an unnatural position for the beginning of the digestive process. Second, when they have to reach for the hay some of the fine particles will fall into their nostrils and they will breathe it in because they have no choice. Gravity assists this since their head is up in the air. Just take a look at the nasal residue in a horse that eats from a wall rack and one that eats off the ground.  This particle dust from the hay can cause its own set of issues. If your horse has a cough and you use a wall rack to feed, the first thing I would do is remove the wall rack.  While this may not be the cause, it can certainly be an exacerbating irritant.   

If your horse is stalled, make sure he gets some form of daily turnout so that he can move around and assist his digestion.  And remember that there are other benefits associated with movement: flexibility, better circulation, better hoof health…  Take your horse for a walk if you have some time.  Often I see people come to a barn and because they don’t have time to ride, they lunge their horse for a short time or free lunge him by making him gallop around the arena.  While those things work to get basic movement and exercise, you will also find it beneficial to take your horse for a walk.  The exercise is good for both you and the horse, and in the process you refine the horse’s ground manners.    

Depending on the time you get to the barn and when the horse has eaten or when they are about to eat may determine what you want to do.  Right after feeding or right before feeding, it’s better to take them for a walk. And while turning them out to buck and play is fun for both of you, you don’t have to do it every time.  Vary your horses routine – it’s good for both of you. 

What to feed? 

I prefer to stay away from straight alfalfa diets for horses, as the excess protein can cause a variety of problems.  Good quality grass (timothy, orchard grass) or a small amount of alfalfa and grass all work well.  

Just a few of the problems associated with feeding too much alfalfa include*:

                                                      ·         Colic

                                                      ·         Arthritis and Degenerative Joint Disease

                                                      ·         Developmental Bone Disease

                                                      ·         Increased Incidence of Disease

                                                      ·         Kidney Problems

                                                      ·         Tying Up

                                                      ·         Bad Attitude

                                                      ·         Diminished Performance

You should contact your local county extension agent to find out what types of hay are in your area and what they recommend.  You can also have your hay tested by the agriculture agency in your area. 

*For more information on this subject, read the article from Judy Sinner titled “Reasons not to feed straight alfalfa to your horse” – located on the HorseThink website under “Articles” 

I’m not a big fan of salt blocks.  Salt blocks were meant for cattle with rough tongues.  In the past, this was about the only choice we had for our horses, and sometimes it still is if the horse is in pasture with no available cover.  Horses often bite salt blocks because it’s so difficult for them to get as much as they need from it.  If you’re seeing bite marks or teeth marks in your salt block, you might want to consider a better way.  In a stall or where you have a covered feeding area or feeder, a better choice is salt crystals – loose salt.  This should be fed “free choice” (like a salt block) from a small feeder that can hang on the wall or placed in an outdoor covered feeder.  The wall mounted feeder for salt is not a problem as the horse will lick the salt and there is no dust to worry about.  And of course they’re only consuming a small amount at a time.   

One of the best salts of this type is from Dynamite* -- NTM Salt* (Natural Trace Mineral Salt) is free from bleaches and additives and provides added nutritional benefits over basic salts.   This will allow the horse to get what he needs when he needs it, without having to resort to scraping a salt block with his teeth and potentially causing mandibular issues.  Dynamite products are available through local distributors.  For more information, contact us at ScotHansen@DynamiteOnline.com.  

*Dynamite, and NTM Salt are registered trademarks of Dynamite Marketing, Inc.