DIET, like movement and good hoof care, is also a critical element for healthy hooves.
It’s been really encouraging over the years to see how the awareness of the importance of nutrition and what everybody is actually putting into their horses, has exploded amongst horse owners.
Feeding is a massive subject with lots of complexities, however, like many aspects of horse care, there are some basic rules, which are always worth keeping in mind:
• Sugars and Starch: most horses do better with low levels of these in their diets. Horses struggle to digest starch and can’t cope with too much sugar. Many commercial feeds include lots of cereals and that means high levels of starch and sugar. Check feed labels for high content of wheat, barley, maize and soya and for sugars like molasses and syrup. If you don't want to feed these to your horse, then avoid most commercial feeds.
• Forage: horses need forage as the basis of their diets, whether that’s hay, haylage or grass. Hay soaked for more than half an hour sits in sugar water.
• Grazing: Fructan (sugar) levels in grass fluctuate very rapidly at different times of the day, especially in spring and summer, but also in cold weather with frosty grass. It’s not the amount of grass that’s the problem, it’s the sugar level and just because your horse is in a bare paddock does not necessarily make it better than a lush one, short, stressed over grazed grass can often have higher sugar levels. If your horse suddenly becomes footy, you may need to switch to night turnout or restrict grazing in some other way.
• Minerals: there are a few good equine mineral supplements, which supply the correct levels, commonly lacking in UK forage. I can recommend Equimins, they have the right contents and levels in them. I believe they now have one especially for horses with Cushings and it contains Chasteberry, helps pituitary and hormonal health (this has been widely researched in Germany). A diet too high in iron can cause laminitis, cushings, abscesses, cracks etc, if your horse has ongoing problems, it’s worth testing your soil. Trinity herbs are a good company.
• Linseed: is a safe feed to supplement and will help many horses. Micronised linseed is widely available, extremely palatable and does not need additional cooking, as in the old days. I used to feed to my old boy linseed and un-molassed sugarbeet.
• Chops and Chaffs: though popular can often be a source of problems, either because they include molasses or because of preservatives.
Even "low sugar" versions can include problematic levels of sugar and in most cases feeding hay or haylage is a better and cheaper option.
Check your chaff labels, you might be amazed at the sugar content, especially if you’re feeding something with the laminitis label attached to it.
ALWAYS CHECK YOUR FEED LABELS
I do not feed my horses any hard feed, they do fine on grass, hedgerows, fruit trees and good quality ad-lib hay. I have never had any problems in the past feeding un-molassed sugarbeet, especially when I needed to top up my old boy with mild Cushings and had to feed all my horses to avoid a rumpus. I also discovered my appy is actually allergic to hard mixed feed. I fed un-molassed, GMO free, organic sugarbeet with equimins advance complete and micronised linseed. I have also fed tiger oats in the past, they are very low in starch and sugar and I have never had a problem.
Feeding is a HUGE subject and there will always be an exception to the rule.
It’s been really encouraging over the years to see how the awareness of the importance of nutrition and what everybody is actually putting into their horses, has exploded amongst horse owners.
Feeding is a massive subject with lots of complexities, however, like many aspects of horse care, there are some basic rules, which are always worth keeping in mind:
• Sugars and Starch: most horses do better with low levels of these in their diets. Horses struggle to digest starch and can’t cope with too much sugar. Many commercial feeds include lots of cereals and that means high levels of starch and sugar. Check feed labels for high content of wheat, barley, maize and soya and for sugars like molasses and syrup. If you don't want to feed these to your horse, then avoid most commercial feeds.
• Forage: horses need forage as the basis of their diets, whether that’s hay, haylage or grass. Hay soaked for more than half an hour sits in sugar water.
• Grazing: Fructan (sugar) levels in grass fluctuate very rapidly at different times of the day, especially in spring and summer, but also in cold weather with frosty grass. It’s not the amount of grass that’s the problem, it’s the sugar level and just because your horse is in a bare paddock does not necessarily make it better than a lush one, short, stressed over grazed grass can often have higher sugar levels. If your horse suddenly becomes footy, you may need to switch to night turnout or restrict grazing in some other way.
• Minerals: there are a few good equine mineral supplements, which supply the correct levels, commonly lacking in UK forage. I can recommend Equimins, they have the right contents and levels in them. I believe they now have one especially for horses with Cushings and it contains Chasteberry, helps pituitary and hormonal health (this has been widely researched in Germany). A diet too high in iron can cause laminitis, cushings, abscesses, cracks etc, if your horse has ongoing problems, it’s worth testing your soil. Trinity herbs are a good company.
• Linseed: is a safe feed to supplement and will help many horses. Micronised linseed is widely available, extremely palatable and does not need additional cooking, as in the old days. I used to feed to my old boy linseed and un-molassed sugarbeet.
• Chops and Chaffs: though popular can often be a source of problems, either because they include molasses or because of preservatives.
Even "low sugar" versions can include problematic levels of sugar and in most cases feeding hay or haylage is a better and cheaper option.
Check your chaff labels, you might be amazed at the sugar content, especially if you’re feeding something with the laminitis label attached to it.
ALWAYS CHECK YOUR FEED LABELS
I do not feed my horses any hard feed, they do fine on grass, hedgerows, fruit trees and good quality ad-lib hay. I have never had any problems in the past feeding un-molassed sugarbeet, especially when I needed to top up my old boy with mild Cushings and had to feed all my horses to avoid a rumpus. I also discovered my appy is actually allergic to hard mixed feed. I fed un-molassed, GMO free, organic sugarbeet with equimins advance complete and micronised linseed. I have also fed tiger oats in the past, they are very low in starch and sugar and I have never had a problem.
Feeding is a HUGE subject and there will always be an exception to the rule.
