Sources:
Feeding planning and practices | Horse Information Center
Calculating feeding | Horse info
Photo: Pixabay
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Benefits of a feeding plan
In our previous blog article, we talked about feed analyses and how to implement them. Feed analyses are also connected to feeding plans, which this article will discuss. In order to draw up a feeding plan, you need to know what kind of feed is good to use in feeding. Therefore, you want the analysis to tell you what the feed to be used contains and how much. If there is no analysis, you can use ready-made table values in the plan, but the plan will not fully reflect the real situation. Today, many hay producers offer ready-made analyses of their feed.
When making a feeding plan for a horse, it should primarily be based on the purpose of the horse. A trotting horse used for competition needs different feeding than, for example, a pony doing light lessons at a riding school. The planning should therefore be based on the age and size of the horse. Each horse and pony has its own feeding recommendations, which also depend on the above-mentioned factors. If the horse has not been weighed on a scale, the weight can be determined, for example, using a weight tape measure or calculation formulas. Feeding recommendations can be checked, for example, in the tables of the Natural Resources Institute of Finland .
High-quality hay as a base
As is always said, high-quality hay is the basis of a horse's diet. The most common type of food used in horse feeding is dry hay or long-pre-dried silage. Pasture grass, hay pellets and chips, and straw used in feeding are also considered roughage . When feeding is right, it has a great impact on the health and well-being of the horse. The market is full of different brands of feed, so it is sometimes difficult to know what to feed or whether it is worth considering a change. However, jumping between brands, for example, to follow trends, is not good for the horse's sensitive intestines. The horse must be accustomed to new feeds with sufficient transition time.
For the feeding plan, the daily amounts of feed received by the horse should be weighed. The feeding is supplemented based on the properties of the basic feed. The above feeding recommendations help to determine the correct feeding norm, as choosing the wrong norm easily leads to over- or under-dosing of nutrients. So first, roughage, i.e. hay, then concentrates, which are finally supplemented with additional feed if necessary.
Feeding too much concentrate can cause stomach ulcers, among other things. A horse fed a high concentrate diet may often reduce its roughage intake, as concentrates provide a large portion of its nutritional needs. As the amount of roughage consumed decreases, the time spent eating decreases, which also reduces the amount of saliva that neutralizes the stomach contents.
Large amounts of concentrates can also cause digestive problems, weight gain and muscle problems, as well as behavioral disorders. Horse people talk about what is called overheating. This is related to how much energy a horse gets from feed compared to its actual needs. Over-energy can be reduced by reducing the energy content of the feed. If a horse is on vacation or injured, the amount of feed can naturally not be left at the same level as it would be during normal active use.
Be careful with the egg white
If a horse has a protein deficiency, the most common reason is the low protein content of the roughage used in feeding. Especially broodmares, foals and horses that do hard work may experience protein deficiency. Protein deficiency is seen as muscle weakness. Other signs include decreased appetite and performance, and slow hoof growth.
If, on the contrary, after making a feeding plan, the horse loses weight for one reason or another, it is worth checking the amount of protein intake. Part of the daily hay ration can be replaced with roughage with a higher protein content, such as alfalfa pellets . If this does not help either, you can try feeding a concentrate with a higher protein content. However, you must be careful with protein. Too much protein increases the horse's drinking and sweating, digestive disorders and, in the long run, weight gain.
When making a feeding plan, it is a good idea to choose high-quality feeds for feeding. Learn about Biohansa's feed products via this link . Remember to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media to receive information about new products and current topics in your email. Also give feedback on which topics you would like to read about on Biohansa's blog!
Sources:
Feeding planning and practices | Horse Information Center
Calculating feeding | Horse info
Photo: Pixabay
Sources:
Feeding planning and practices | Horse Information Center
Calculating feeding | Horse info
Photo: Pixabay
