It’s essential to look closely at the specifics involved during every life stage to determine how proper nutrition helps support a horse’s development.  

A Foal’s Immediate Needs

Feeding for the developing horse needs to start as soon as the mare becomes pregnant, but the nutritional demands accelerate significantly in the final trimester. At that point, the foal is growing rapidly, and the mare’s energy requirements rise sharply. 

“That final third of gestation is a critical point to make sure you’re providing adequate protein, vitamins, minerals and the calorie content to maintain that broodmare in at least a body condition score of five. For a lot of broodmares, you want to see a body condition score of six as they go into foaling,” said Dr. Randel Raub, Sentinel® director of research and nutrition. 

After foaling, the work begins to build a foundation for a healthy, well-developed adult horse. As a foal goes from relying entirely on the mare’s milk to consuming solid feed, consider the type of feed based on the type of hay or forage they also are eating. Typically, feeds for growing foals are higher in protein.  

“You want to target a diet that’s relatively lower in starches and sugars,” Dr. Raub said. “If you’re growing an equine athlete for a long, healthy, lameness-free, productive career, try to avoid any rapid changes in growth rate where you put the foal in a stress condition, usually around weaning.” 

Up through 8 weeks of age, foals will begin to nibble on hay and grain; at this point, you should gradually introduce the foal to high-quality feed to support digestive development.  

• Creep feeding: A specially formulated creep feed helps foals get essential nutrients without competition from the mare. 

• Protein: High-quality sources such as soybean meal or alfalfa support muscle and tissue growth. 

• Calcium and phosphorus: Proper ratios are essential for developing strong bones. 

• Digestive health: Prebiotics and probiotics can aid gut health and development. 

Feeding Goals Grow with the Horse

As a horse matures into adulthood, access to water and forage remains essential, but feed ingredients and specific nutritional needs will change. Start assessing his needs by considering the horse’s activity level.  

A horse that exercises a lot will need more protein, fat and fiber than other horses that have moderate levels of activity. Equine nutritionists such as Dr. Raub and Jeanne Van Der Veen, Sentinel equine and specialty nutritionist, recommend trying a higher-fat horse feed with an active horse. Higher-fat feed sources allow the horse to get extra calories needed for more intensive exercise without increasing grain intake. 

“A balanced diet isn’t just about feeding more or less,” Van Der Veen said. “It’s about ensuring the right nutrients are delivered at the right levels to support optimal growth, performance or recovery.” 

When planning a horse’s diet, no matter what his activity level, it is important to consider body condition score (BCS). Getting the right amounts and ratios of nutrients helps support a horse’s overall health and body condition.  

Some things to consider if a horse is being fed below the suggested rate or struggling to maintain a healthy body condition: 

• Start by getting the horse up to his suggested feeding rate 

• Consider a high-fat supplement or higher-fat feed. 

• Provide a protein, vitamin and mineral supplement 

• Additional protein can be especially helpful if a horse isn’t getting enough from forage to maintain a healthy body condition 

“The path to optimal health is a journey, not a quick fix,” Van Der Veen said. “Regular assessments and small adjustments can make a big difference over time.” 

Balancing the Needs of Breeding Horses

Prior to breeding, a balanced feed with moderate protein and fat levels, along with quality forage, helps support increased nutritional demands. For a mare, adequate vitamins and minerals are essential for reproduction. 

The mare’s nutritional requirements skyrocket during the final trimester because of the rapid growth rate of the foal. In addition to energy and protein, pregnant mares need calcium, phosphorus and other minerals to allow for proper bone and tissue development in the foal.  

“When that foal hits the ground, the energy demands of the lactating mare are as high as the absolute hardest-working horse you can imagine,” Dr. Raub said. “It’s just phenomenal. They mostly double their nutrient requirements during lactation compared to their maintenance requirements.” 

Once again, look to the body condition score for helpful guidance on how to approach feeding a mare. 

“We want to see a score of five or six in the gestating mare,” Dr. Raub said. “You don’t want them in an obese situation because that can hurt rebreeding efficiency, and you don’t want an obese mare going through the foaling process. You compromise that mare’s ability to deliver the tremendous nutrient content that lactation requires.” 

“They’re already in a negative nutrient balance if you have them at a condition score of four or less, and you put them in a compromised position during lactation—and especially if you’re looking at rebreeding opportunities,” Dr. Raub said. 

For example, if a gestating mare has a body condition score of four or lower, then that horse will have a negative nutrient balance. This can put the horse in a compromised position during lactation, Dr. Raub said, especially concerning rebreeding opportunities.  

Addressing a Horse’s Needs in His Later Years

Though there is no set definition, horses aged 15 or older are typically considered in their senior years. While forage is still the foundation of their diet, senior horses may require adjustments for dental and digestive needs. 

Some things to look for in an older horse: 

• Reduced digestive efficiency 

• Dental problems 
  • Trouble chewing 
  • Feed falling out while chewing 

• Weight loss 

• Joint stiffness 

• Weakened immune system 

• Changes in body condition 

If these changes are apparent, equine nutritionists recommend a highly digestible, easily chewed feed, such as extruded, which can help alleviate them. Extruded feed is pressure cooked and combines moisture, heat and pressure to produce a light and airy nugget. This consistency makes it easier for senior horses to chew and is more easily digestible than typical pelleted feed, allowing for better nutrient absorption. Additionally, they can be soaked for a much shorter time than pelleted feeds, which enables a horse to break them down readily. 

“We use extruded feed as a preventative measure, particularly for older horses that have poor dentition or a history of choke,” said Dr. Abby Geick, equine veterinarian at the New England Equine Medical & Surgical Center. “Extruded feed breaks down nicely in a mash, and it also contains adequate vitamins and nutrients, which really is key for older horses.” 

Helping Horses Through a Lifetime of Wellness

Finding the right nutritional balance is essential whether feeding during the intense, high-energy demands of a mare’s final trimester through lactation, preparing a horse for performance or helping a senior horse thrive in his later years. Thoughtful nutrition planning and knowing how to best serve a horse at every age will provide benefits, year after year.   

This article is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Make Feed Meet a Horse’s Needs at Every Life Stage appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

“It depends somewhat on the individual horse whether you can influence his temperament with diet, but there is evidence that for many horses, what they are eating can influence whether they are reactive, flighty or calmer,” says Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., an equine nutritionist who works with Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

She explains that calories are just a measure of the amount of energy in feed. Different feed sources can supply the same number of calories from different sources of energy.

“It all comes down to how the energy source is metabolized within the body as to what kind of energy it will supply,” says Crandell.

For example, fat and fiber are considered “cool” energy sources, while starch and sugar tend to be “hot” energy sources.

The Protein Myth

While you may have heard that high-protein feeds make horses more excitable or “hot,”  that’s simply not the case.

“The old belief was that protein dictated the amount of energy in a feed,” says Crandell. “Horse owners would look at only the protein percentage to determine if the feed had enough energy for the horse. We now know that is not the case, and protein percentage is merely an indicator of protein, not energy.”

She explains that the amount of starch and sugar is typically what contributes to the amount of energy the horse can get out of a feed, along with the digestible fiber and fat.

Crandell points out that energy sources in the equine diet are fiber, fat, and non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), which is the combination of starch and sugar.

“Horses get their energy from the feed by the digestion of carbohydrates, both structural carbohydrates (fiber) and non-structural carbohydrates, which are starches and sugars,” she explains.

If a horse needs more energy than he gets from fiber alone to maintain his weight or do his job, you can feed more concentrated energy sources, which are found in non-structural carbohydrates and fat.

This is why work horses in the past were traditionally fed significant amounts of oats or corn. They simply couldn’t eat enough fiber (hay or grass) to supply the caloric energy needed for their workload.

Starch and Sugar

Feed with a high percentage of starch and sugar can make some horses more excitable. That’s why changing feed may help “chill out” a high-energy horse.

Research studies and anecdotal evidence both show that the amount of starch and sugar in the diet influences excitability.

Crandell says the original research compared a high-starch diet to a high-fat diet. Horses were less excitable and reactive when fed the high-fat diet.

“More recently, there was a research study where horses were fed a high fat-and-fiber feed versus a high-starch feed,” she says. “The horses on the high fat-and-fiber feed were, once again, less reactive to stimuli.”

Corn tops the high-starch list at 70 percent, followed by barley at 54 percent. Oats are considered “moderate” starch at around 43 percent—plus they contain more fiber than corn or barley. All three are higher in starch than wheat middlings, soybean or oat hulls, and beet pulp.

In low-starch horse feeds, ingredients like wheat middlings, soybean or oat hulls, and beet pulp are commonly used to substitute fiber calories for the starch calories normally supplied by grains.

You can assume that sweet feed is fairly high in both sugar and starch because of the grain and molasses content.

But what about textured feed?

“Back in the late 1990s, a new generation of textured feed appeared in the horse industry,” says Crandell. “It was made basically with beet pulp, high-fiber ingredients like soy hulls, oil, and vitamin/mineral pellets, with a smaller amount of molasses. These are technically ‘textured feeds,’ but they are high in fiber and fat and low in starch and sugar. This type of feed has become more common than sweet feeds through the years because horse owners are looking for lower-starch options to feed their horses.”

“Cool” Energy

Think about the sugar overload kids get at a birthday party after eating lots of sweet snacks.

Crandell says the same concept applies to horses, as the digestion of both sugars and starches in feed may be responsible for excess energy. It is the digestion of soluble carbohydrates that causes rises in blood glucose and insulin, which are thought to have the effect on temperament.

Energy from fiber and fat is generally described as “cool” energy because during the digestion of those energy sources, there are no significant changes to blood glucose and insulin.

This is why if your horse tends to be anxious or easily excitable, it may help to feed him a diet low in starch and sugar, but high in fiber and fat. 

Crandell saw this firsthand in a research study at KER. Study horses were fed either a high-starch or high-fiber feed for 21 days. All horses eventually were on each of the diets over the course of the study.

“When one of the horses was on the high-starch diet, he became very nervous and hard to handle, yet when he was fed the high-fiber feed, he was as gentle as a lamb,” she says. “It is no guarantee that a horse may be calmer on a low-starch feed, but it’s certainly worth a try.”

Because fat is a concentrated source of calories, it supplies energy without adding bulk to the diet.

“If a horse is not maintaining weight or needs to gain weight, high-fat feeds are ideal for getting the maximum calories into him in the least amount of feed,” notes Crandell.

A high-fat feed or supplement can also help a horse in hard work that needs more calories. 

Adding Energy

While there’s a lot of focus on making horses calmer, some owners may wonder how to make a laid-back horse more energetic.

With the popularity of low-starch feeds today, Crandell says it’s not uncommon that a naturally calm horse eating a feed with less than 12 percent starch may be lacking in energy.

She notes that muscle glycogen is a major energy source when the horse is exercising and performing, but ultra-low starch feeds (less than 12 percent starch) may not provide enough glucose to build that muscle glycogen.

“The ultra-low starch feeds are ideal for horses with muscle diseases, such as PSSM [polysaccharide storage myopathy], because these horses have a problem that causes them to build up too much muscle glycogen,” says Crandell. “The ultra-low starch feeds work by not supplying the substrate [glucose] that encourages muscle glycogen deposition, so they can’t build up too much.”

While ideal for horses with glycogen disorders, ultra-low starch feeds may not supply enough NSCs (ultimately, glucose) for every performance horse.

Key Takeaway: Evaluate and Adjust

There’s no “one-size-fits-all” feeding program. Adjustments must be made based on each horse’s workload, stabling/turnout situation, body condition, and temperament.

Crandell says finding the right feed for each individual horse is often a matter of trial and error.

A healthy horse that lacks “get up and go” may simply need more starch in his diet, while a healthy horse that always seems to have excess energy may be getting fed more calories than needed.

Most horses today don’t work as hard as horses in the past, but they’re often fed as though they are working all day.

“It is important to match caloric intake to the caloric needs of every individual horse,” says Crandell.

A healthy horse in good weight doing little to no work may not even need grain/concentrate. Hay and a ration balancer will ensure he’s getting adequate protein, vitamins and minerals, and this may be all that is needed.

Take an honest look at your horse’s feed program, exercise routine, and temperament, and adjust accordingly. Ultimately, nutrition can play a role in a horse’s temperament, but as with anything in horse care, the “recipe” must be fit for the individual.

Further Reading
◆ Rules to Feed a Horse By
◆ 8 Horse Feeding Mistakes to Avoid
◆ Horse Feeding Dos and Don’ts

This article about horse nutrition for temperament appeared in the March 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Nutrition for Your Horse’s Temperament appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

“There’s a high caloric demand on the horse’s body to stay warm,” says Dr. Abby Geick, an equine veterinarian with New England Equine Medical & Surgical Center in New Hampshire. “Sometimes their previous feeding regime just can’t keep up, and that’s when you start to see some ribs or muscle loss, or they blow their winter coats.”

One of Geick’s go-to solutions is Sentinel Extruded Horse Feed. She says it’s a great option for many horses because of the fat and fiber content, and the extruded nuggets can easily be soaked and made into a mash, if needed. Horses tend to like it, and it takes them longer to eat, which provides additional digestive benefits, she explains.

The Importance of Forage

The foundation of any horse’s diet should always be good-quality forage, which provides the necessary fiber to keep your horse’s digestive system working properly. A typical 1,000-pound horse usually consumes about 20 pounds of hay per day, but in colder weather that amount may rise to 25-30 pounds.

“Fiber digestion is key to keeping a horse warm,” says Dr. Randel Raub, Director of Research and Nutrition for Sentinel Horse Nutrition. “When horses digest fiber, they produce body heat.”

Bran Mash: A Warm Winter Treat

Bran mashes are a good option if you’re trying to increase water intake, especially during the winter. Another great way to increase water intake is to make a mash out of your horse’s regular meal. Sentinel’s extruded formulas can be very easily turned into a mash to ensure a horse gets adequate water without mineral imbalances.

Water and Salt Prevent Dehydration

As temperatures drop, water consumption can decrease, so it’s vital that horses always have access to fresh water that’s not too cold. Offering a trace mineral salt block or supplementing your horse’s feed can encourage water consumption, lowering the risk of health concerns like colic.

“Horses need to drink plenty of water to keep their digestive system running smoothly,” Raub notes. “You should check your horse’s water sources at least twice per day to ensure they’re not frozen, and using an insulated trough and tank heater is a great option to keep water accessible.”

Winter Riding Care

While proper nutrition is the cornerstone of winter horse care, paying attention to other factors, like exercise, shelter, ice and mud management, are also important.

If you ride or work your horse in winter, plan for more care time both before and after rides. Bits should be warmed before you put them in your horse’s mouth. Wait until it’s no longer cold to the touch before asking your horse to accept it.

Horses that sweat during winter rides need to be dried out completely. A thick winter coat can hold moisture for a long time, and drying can take a while. Horses can be dried by rubbing with a towel, feeding hay or keeping the horse under cover and applying a water-wicking cooler. Once the horse is dry, fluff up their hair before turning out, which will aid the insulating effectiveness of their coat.

Shelter Is Integral

Horses also need shelter from the elements. Trees and low places act as a natural wind barrier and can provide some protection from precipitation. A three-sided shelter provides the best protection from winter weather. It’s also important to ensure the shelter offers adequate space for your animals, allowing for their natural behavior and accommodating their hierarchy so that even the lowest horse in the pecking order has access to shelter.

“Mud is inevitable around feeders, waterers and gates, but with enough space, your horse can usually move to drier areas,” Raub says. “To manage this, I recommend using durable rocks that can handle heavy traffic and improve drainage. It’s a simple way to reduce mud and prevent erosion in high-use areas.”

Horses and other livestock can become mired in especially muddy areas. Check your horse’s legs regularly for mud or ice buildup and monitor hooves to ensure they’re free of ice that could cause slipping.

Many horse owners choose to blanket their horses during the winter months. A horse living outside that doesn’t grow a thick winter coat could benefit from this, especially during cold snaps. Also, horses that don’t have access to shelter will appreciate a proper turnout blanket during inclement weather.

Be sure to take your horse’s blankets off regularly during the colder months to monitor body condition. It’s important to physically assess how they’re maintaining their weight.

“Winter care is all about setting your horse up for success,” Geick says. “By adjusting their diet and care to match the season, you’re taking a great first step.”

If you’re unsure if your current feed is meeting your horse’s winter nutritional needs, ask your veterinarian if a Sentinel extruded formula could be right for them.

Further Reading:
◆ Winter Horse Care FAQs
◆ Feeding the Senior Horse in the Winter

This article about feeding horses in the winter is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Expert Tips for Feeding Healthy Horses All Winter Long appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Photo by Shelley Paulson

1. Lack of Forage

“Horses are grazing animals with a digestive track designed for small, frequent feedings,” says Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., an equine nutritionist who works with Kentucky Equine Research. “When forage [grass or hay] is not available, this predisposes horses to gastric ulcers and can affect the microbial balance of the gut.”

Tips

• Whether your horse is turned out on pasture or you use a hay net or slow feeder, forage should be available most of the day and night.
• Horse owners should plan for the upcoming winter feed supply during the summer months to keep costs manageable.

2. Feeding Your Horse Too Much Concentrate

“When you feed more concentrate [grain] than hay, you disrupt the microbial balance because this causes a drop in pH in the hind gut,” says Crandell.

“Hay has a buffering effect on the hind gut. That’s why you want to be sure [to feed] a minimum of 1 percent” of the horse’s body weight in forage. For example, a 1,000-pound horse must eat a minimum of 10 pounds of hay per day.

“Ideally, we want them to get 1.5 percent of their body weight in forage,” she adds. This would be 15 pounds of hay for a 1,000-pound horse.

Tips

• Use a weight tape to keep track of your horse’s weight and feed them a ration of forage vs. concentrate accordingly.

3. Feeding Your Horse Too Much Grain at Once

Don’t feed your horse more than 0.5 pounds of grain per 100 pounds of body weight at once. This means 5 pounds of concentrate is the most that can be given in one feeding to a 1,000-pound horse.

This applies to any type of concentrate, including pellets, grain and beet pulp.

“The horse’s stomach is relatively small and limited in capacity, so when you feed too much, it overloads the system,” says Crandell.

Too much feed won’t get exposed properly to the digestive juices, so it doesn’t get broken down as well.

4. Unevenly Spaced Feedings

Many barns feed early in the morning and again in the afternoon, leaving only six or seven hours between day meals, but a long time overnight without food.

“Physiologically, it’s easier on the digestive tract to evenly space out feedings so the horse won’t have as much time with an empty stomach,” says Crandell. “If you have to feed larger amounts of grain, you want to break it into three meals a day, not just increase the amount given at two meals.”

Tips

• If you have the means, add a third meal time for your horse to break up feedings.

5. Not Following Label Directions

“Every bag has a recommended feeding amount,” says Crandell. “These amounts are suggested because of the way the product was formulated. These recommendations are in pounds or kilos, never ‘scoops.’ The best thing to do is weigh the feed to know how much you’re actually feeding. Many people feed less than the recommended amount and wonder why their horse isn’t maintaining weight, then they try adding a supplement, when they just need to feed according to label directions.”

6. Feeding Your Horse Only a Complete Feed

Complete feeds are popular, and even though senior feeds are designed to be a sole ration, the equine digestive tract still requires some long-stem forage to function properly.

Ask your vet if you’re concerned your horse can’t safely chew hay. For these horses, Crandell recommends soaking hay cubes or hay pellets in water. Bagged forage may also be an alternative.

7. Abrupt Feed Changes

Any changes in concentrate or hay should be made gradually.

“Instead of just ‘cold turkey’ switching from one to another, do this over a week,” Crandell advises. “You can never be too careful when switching feed and hay. Changing hay is a risk factor that increases the chance of gastric upset. It’s really important if you’re changing to a totally different forage, such as from grass hay to legume hay or [to grass hay] mixed with alfalfa or clover, to make the transition slowly. This allows the gut microbes to gradually adjust to the new source.”

Make changes gradually by adding one-quarter of the new feed or hay to three-quarters of the old. Slowly increase the proportion of new feed over a week’s time until you’ve switched over entirely.

8. Too Much Sand/Dirt Consumption

Horses can get a build-up of sand in the gut if hay is fed on the ground or they eat spilled feed.

“When horses eat hay—especially alfalfa with its tiny leaves—off the ground, they tend to ingest dirt, sand and debris, all of which can create inflammation and impaction in the digestive tract,” warns Crandell. Use bigger feeders with rubber mats underneath so spilled hay and feed don’t fall on the ground.

Non-Feed Risk Factors

Several other factors can increase risk of colic, and all are within a horse owner’s control.

1. Limited Exercise:

“Movement outside aids movement within,” says equine nutritionist Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D. “Moving around increases peristalsis [the involuntary constriction and relaxation of the muscles of the intestine, creating wave-like movements that push the contents of the canal forward], causing food to move through the digestive tract. When you don’t have peristalsis, food gets stagnant in the system, and that’s when horses colic.”

2. Reduced Water Consumption:

“Dehydration is one of the reasons for colic,” says Crandell, noting that horses need constant access to cool, fresh water year-round. Warm, algae-tainted water is common during hot weather, but makes horses less likely to drink adequate amounts.

3. Not Keeping up with Dental Care:

“Horses have to physically chew to produce saliva, which is needed to start the digestive process and also aids in the movement of food through the system,” says Crandell.

If the horse’s teeth can’t chew well and break down feed, this puts the horse more at risk of impaction colic as feed matter moves through the digestive tract. All horses should have an annual exam by an equine dental care provider.

Horse Feeding Mistakes: Key Takeaways

As a horse owner, it’s important to be aware of the mistakes you should avoid when it comes to feeding your horse. If needed, consult a veterinarian or equine nutritionist for personalized dietary advice.

Frequently Asked Questions About Feeding Horses and Preventing Colic

What factors can increase the risk of colic in horses?

Several factors can contribute to an increased risk of colic, many of which are within a horse owner’s control. These factors include lack of forage, too much consumption of sand, limited exercise, reduced water consumption, and neglecting dental care.

How does a lack of forage affect a horse’s risk of colic?

Horses are grazing animals, and their digestive systems are designed for small, frequent feedings. When forage (grass or hay) is not readily available, it can predispose horses to gastric ulcers and disrupt the microbial balance of the gut. It’s essential to ensure that forage is accessible to horses throughout the day and night, whether through pasture grazing, hay nets, or slow feeders.

This article about horse feeding mistakes appeared in the August 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post 8 Horse Feeding Mistakes to Avoid appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

DO: Feed lots of high-quality forage.

Since horses originated in the wild as grazing animals, they do best when eating a diet of mostly forage (hay and/or pasture). Grain is a modern invention—a form of concentrated calories fed to horses that do a lot of exercise, or hard keepers that need help putting weight on.

Horses need to eat a minimum of 1.5 percent of their body weight in forage (dry weight) per day, which equates to 15 pounds for the average 1,000-pound horse. A great investment is a scale to weigh your portions. Put the hay in a hay net and hang it from a fish or luggage scale. Horses that need more hay can be fed free-choice (unlimited), which equates to up to approximately 2.5 percent of their body weight per day.

Lush pasture grass is very high in calories and will often pack the pounds on faster than hay will. Limit grazing time if your horse becomes overweight, and opt for feeding hay instead.

DON’T: Feed poor-quality hay.

Most horses eat more hay than pasture, so be vigilant about hay quality. Hay should be free of weeds, debris, mold or any musty smell. It doesn’t necessarily have to be bright green in color, but hay should smell fresh and be more soft than stemmy.

Hay contaminated with dead mammals can cause botulism, which is more likely to happen when making round bales. Always vaccinate your horse for botulism if you feed round bales, and only buy those that were stored under cover. Round bales made for cattle are usually too poor quality for horses.

Be particularly picky about mold in your hay. Reject the entire load if you examine some bales and find obvious black or brown mold, or smell a musty scent. Mold particles will damage your horse’s airway and cause respiratory disease that can permanently affect his breathing.

If you feed alfalfa hay, check for leaf shatter before buying. If the leaves shatter too easily, you’ll be losing a great deal of the hay’s nutrition before your horse is able to eat it. Also be on the lookout for blister beetles that feed on alfalfa. They release a toxin called cantharadin, and even small particles of these beetles contain enough toxin to make a horse quite sick.

DO: Be prepared for a hay shortage.

Many areas of the country are frequently, but not predictably, hit with drought years. This drives up the cost of hay when it has to be brought in from farther away, or makes it impossible to find altogether.

As long as it is baled and stored properly, hay that was harvested at a later maturity or has sat in storage for up to a year can still be fine to feed, particularly when options are limited. Some horses may find mature hay unpalatable, however, and refuse to eat it. Older bales that are free of excessive dust are usually fine once opened, even though the outside may be bleached in color, indicating vitamin loss.

Be prepared ahead of time by buying as much hay as you can store at a time (up to a year’s worth), and know your alternatives. Ask your feed store about bagged hay cubes or other “hay stretchers,” such as complete feeds, to make your remaining hay go as far as possible. Use feeders or hay nets over rubber mats to prevent waste and trampling.

DON’T: Allow easy keepers too much pasture.

Although horses are naturally grazing animals, farm pasture grasses are usually improved nutritionally to provide extra calories. The starches, sugars and fructan in grass can lead to crippling laminitis, a painful inflammation in the hooves, if eaten in excess.

Horses that gain weight easily — often called easy keepers — are most at risk for pasture-related laminitis. Signs that the pasture may be storing extra starch, sugar and fructan (instead of putting them toward plant growth) include any time it is sunny but the temperatures go below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and when the grass is stressed by drought or overgrazing.

DO: Manage your pastures carefully.

It may be tempting to look at the abundance of spring grass and add more horses to your pasture, but that’s usually not a good idea. Depending on how arid your region is, you may need 1 to 10 acres per horse for adequate full-time grazing.

To minimize bare spots that will get colonized by weeds, pastures need to be rested. Ideally, you should have two or more fields to rotate your horses between. It’s not necessary to spend lots of money on fencing; for interior pasture separation, you can use step-in T-posts and electric tape with a solar charger. Always use a solid perimeter fence for safety.

If your pasture has been overcrowded and grazed down or has suffered from a drought, it’s best to re-seed and wait six to 12 months before returning horses to the field. Weeds should be managed with mowing or an herbicide; follow directions for keeping livestock off the pasture until it’s safe for grazing.

DON’T: Forget the exercise.

A fit horse, like a fit human, will have greater muscle mass and bone density. For a horse with minor arthritis, low-intensity movement can help alleviate aches and pains and keep him feeling better. For overweight horses, an exercise program is absolutely essential for health and shedding pounds.

DO: Feed a balanced diet.

Since hay alone may not provide your horse with enough calories, many horse owners supplement the diet with grain. If your horse needs grain for extra calories, you should use a commercially formulated horse feed. These will be nutritionally balanced to meet the vitamin and mineral requirements of horses, unlike a straight grain (corn, oats, barley, et cetera).

DON’T: Overfeed your horse.

It is helpful to learn about body condition scoring so you can keep your horse from becoming obese and suffering from related health problems. Some ponies and certain horse breeds are very easy keepers and do not need to eat grain. Fortunately, ration balancers are made by most commercial feed companies that contain all the vitamins and minerals a horse needs without all the calories found in grain. Talk to someone knowledgeable at your feed store to help you select a ration balancer.

Additionally, always keep your feed room/grain bin locked up so that your horse can’t break in and gorge on feed. This happens more than you might think, and can lead to a life-threatening bout of laminitis.

DO: Feed concentrated calories if your horse needs them.

On the other end of the scale are hard keepers, often Thoroughbreds or Thoroughbred crosses. This type of horse requires a higher calorie intake to stay at a healthy weight. If your horse is already eating unlimited high-quality hay and a maximum amount of grain (no more than 5 pounds per meal in order to prevent digestive upset), you can add fat to his feed to supplement calories.

Vegetable oil is the most inexpensive form of supplementary fat, and most horses prefer the taste of corn oil above all others. Start off by adding just a couple of tablespoons to each grain meal, working upward over a span of two weeks to a maximum of 1 cup of oil twice a day. It takes time for a horse’s body to learn to metabolize fat and get used to the taste, since it’s not naturally found in large quantities in the equine diet. After acclimating, he may be fine with eating these quantities.

For picky eaters, or if you want to incorporate a fat source with more omega-3 fatty acids (corn oil is mainly omega-6 fatty acids), you can purchase a powdered equine fat supplement at the feed store that may be more palatable. These are formulated to help put weight on and be tasty, and often contain rice bran.

DON’T: Ignore your horse’s specific needs.

If your horse is a senior citizen or has a health condition such as insulin resistance, he will probably need a more specialized diet. Talk to your vet about his individual needs.

If a senior is missing teeth, he may need to eat soaked hay cubes or senior feed in order to ingest enough forage and/or calories in his diet. Beet pulp is another highly digestible source of calories from fiber, although plain beet pulp is not a balanced feed and should not make up more than 25 percent of the diet. Always soak it in plenty of water for at least one hour before feeding to prevent choke. If you have any left over, it should be fed within the day so that it doesn’t begin to ferment.

DO: Be aware of special concerns for youngsters.

Young horses have special nutritional needs. If you have a young horse that’s still growing, he will have slightly higher protein and calcium needs than an adult horse. The calcium/phosphorus and other mineral ratios in the diet are particularly important at this time, so you should talk to your equine veterinarian, a nutritionist at a feed company, or an equine extension agent to see if the diet you’re feeding is appropriate. Feeding concentrates (grain) made specifically for young, growing horses will take into account these particular needs.

You should also avoid raising an overweight/obese youngster, as joint strain at this age can cause permanent damage. Use your body condition scoring chart often to make sure he stays in the middle of the BCS range.

DON’T: Oversupplement.

If you’ve spent any amount of time in a feed store, you’ve probably noticed the numerous equine oral supplements on the market. The variety can be dizzying.

Supplements exist to address specific health issues from digestion to respiratory health. If your vet recommends trying a joint supplement for an arthritic horse, for example, try it out and see if you notice a difference after six weeks. If there are additional issues you want to address with supplements, check with your vet or an equine nutritionist to make sure your horse’s diet stays balanced when you add your supplements.

DO: Provide free-choice salt.

A hay and grain diet usually doesn’t provide sufficient salt, particularly during hotter weather. Always keep a salt source in your horse’s field or stall; several kinds are available. If your horse will lick a regular salt block, you can choose either a white or trace-mineral (brown) type. Newer to the market are Himalayan salt licks, which can be more palatable for horses that don’t like the other solid types. A free-choice feeder for loose salt is also an option if your horse doesn’t like a block.

DON’T: Forget the water.

Many people forget that water is the No. 1 nutrient your horse needs. Horses are often sensitive to dirty water or water that’s too hot. Make sure your horse always has plenty of clean water at a good drinking temperature. When troughs freeze or buckets sit empty, there is the potential for digestive contents to dry out in his gastrointestinal tract and cause impaction colic, a very serious veterinary emergency that is easily avoided with a bit of diligence in this area.

This article about horse feeding dos and don’ts originally appeared in the 2014 edition of Your New Horse.

The post Horse Feeding Dos and Don’ts appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Whether you’re waiting for your broodmare to deliver or you’ve purchased a young horse, nutrition plays a vital role in the early years. Growing horses have significantly different nutritional needs than mature horses. Here, we’ll break down the young horse’s needs into a timeline from zero to 2 years old, highlighting what to feed and when.

Nutrition During the Mare’s Third Trimester

Providing foals and young horses good nutrition begins before they’re born. Some of the most critical nutrients are needed during the mare’s third trimester of pregnancy, according to Rhonda Hoffman, Ph.D., professor and director of horse science at Middle Tennessee State University.

“The foal fetus grows to only 20 percent of its birth weight during the first 7 ½ to 8 months of pregnancy, and 80 percent in the last trimester,” says Hoffman. “Those last three months are critical for the foal’s bone development and its storage of trace minerals, which are not supplied in milk.”

Trace minerals include copper, zinc, iron, selenium, iodine, and others. Hoffman points to a 1998 New Zealand study that proved pregnant mares deficient in trace minerals during late pregnancy had foals more likely to develop osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) joint lesions. The study also showed that foals deprived of nutrients in utero could not “catch up” to foals whose dams were fed a balanced diet during late pregnancy, regardless of what they were fed after birth.

Hoffman recommends feeding a “mare and foal” or “growth” feed in the eighth through the final month of pregnancy. Following feed tag instructions for how much to feed is essential; these formulations are guaranteed by law to meet the needs of broodmares and foals.

“In addition to the feed, mares and foals should be allowed to graze pasture, if available, and/or fed a high-quality hay,” she adds.

Nutrition from Foaling to 3 Months

The mare’s milk is the foal’s first food supply. Her colostrum (first milk) is nutrient-dense and shares her antibodies to support the foal’s immunity.

“Look for feeds labeled as ‘mare and foal’ or ‘growth’; they should be highly palatable and range from 16 to 18 percent crude protein,” says Jessica Leatherwood, Ph.D., associate professor and equine nutritionist in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M.

A dam’s milk production peaks about two months post-foaling. By the time her foal is 3 months old, a mare’s milk supply steadily declines. So-called “creep feeding” the foal is recommended to compensate, according to Leatherwood.

Creep feeding provides foals with access to an appropriately formulated feed while restricting the mare’s access to the ration. Feeder height can keep foals from helping themselves to mom’s ration, while feeders with small openings can keep the mare out of her foal’s grain meal.

“Feeding the mare and foal separately through the use of a creep feeder ensures the grain is formulated to meet the foal’s requirement and gives us an idea of the foals daily intake of grain,” Leatherwood explains.

Continuously monitor your foal’s body weight and body condition to ensure a consistent plane of growth. Fat first fills in over the loin, withers and tailhead.

“It’s common and OK to see the slight outline of ribs on the foal at this time,” Hoffman says. “Foals alternate between growth spurts and adding body fat. The ribs are one area where they are slow to accumulate fat.”

If you’re concerned that the foal looks too ribby or is growing too slowly, Hoffman recommends talking with your veterinarian.

Nutrition from Three to 6 Months

Texas A&M University raises about 15 foals per year. At this stage, foals receive a mare and foal or growth feed twice a day, according to Leatherwood. Appropriately formulated grain provides both the calories and nutrients required during mom’s declining milk supply and prepares the young horse for the upcoming weaning process.

“Foals may have unlimited access to a creep feed until they consume 4 to 5 pounds daily,” she says. “At this stage, their hind gut and large intestine are not developed enough to extract nutrients from forage, and therefore their diet consists primarily of grain with little forage.”

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) recommends starting “by feeding 1 percent if a foal’s body weight per day. For example, 1 pound of feed for each 100 pounds of body weight, or 1 pound of feed per month’s age.”

Nutrition from Six to 12 Months

Foals undergo a signification transition period halfway to their first birthday. Most foals are weaned at or by 6 months old. A balanced formulated feed is essential for supporting foals during this stressful transition. The weaning process activates cortisol, a stress hormone that can compromise a foal’s immune response.

By now, all the foal’s nutrition must come from a source other than mom. Most light breed foals are eating 4 to 6 pounds of concentrate feed along with hay and grass. However, Hoffman cautions that weanlings are not reliable in their hay consumption. If you compare pounds of concentrate eaten to the pounds of hay eaten, weanlings might voluntarily eat a dietary proportion of 60 to 70 percent concentrate and 30 to 40 percent forage, she says.

“Most owners rely a lot on forage, but that can be deficient in this age group,” says Leatherwood. “Giving a concentrate that provides enough minerals and other nutrients at their appropriate ratios is critical to support skeletal development.”

Access to fresh pasture may increase a foal’s forage intake, but because most grass is typically dwindling by the fall when most horses are weaned, higher quality hay is necessary. Hoffman recommends a grass-alfalfa mix or high-quality grass hay. Alfalfa is high in calcium, so if fed, the concentrate chosen should be labeled as balanced to accompany alfalfa hay.

“There’s an old horsemen’s practice of feeding oats and alfalfa to growing horses, with the idea that the oats’ high phosphorus balances out the alfalfa’s high calcium,” Hoffman says. “It generally does, but it’s not recommended because this diet lacks the essential amino acid lysine, which is critical for optimal growth, and it’s marginal or deficient in other amino acids, vitamins and minerals.”

Nutrition from Yearling to 2-Year-Old

Yearlings continue to grow, but not as rapidly as during their first year of life. Research suggests that light-horse yearlings are about 64 percent of their mature height at 12 months of age and grow to 86 percent of their mature height by 24 months, according to Hoffman.

“Many yearlings come out of a growth slump [over the] winter and have a compensatory growth spurt when spring pasture appears,” she says. “Keep a keen eye on their joints at this time. Look for epiphysitis—ridges at the top and bottom of knees and fetlocks—that indicate an inflammation of the growth plate. Also watch for extra fluid or swelling in the joints, especially knees, fetlocks and stifles; lameness; or crooked leg conformation from uneven growth.”

To a mild degree, all of the above are normal and temporary in every growing horse, but if the issue seems extreme or persists, talk to your veterinarian. Overfeeding or feeding an unbalanced diet, along with genetics, can increase a growing horse’s chances of developing joint issues, so it is critical for a young horse’s nutrition to feed appropriate rations.

“It may be hard to believe, but the total calorie requirement of a 12-month-old and a 24-month-old horse is quite similar, even considering that the 24-month-old is physically larger,” says Hoffman.

Nutritional needs will change, however, whenever that young horse begins his training. When that happens, an older yearling or 2-year-old needs to meet the demands of exercising and growing.

Adding exercise and learning stress can increase caloric needs by 20 to 30 percent above growth alone, and protein needs by 10 to 15 percent. Horses started in training at 18 to 24 months of age should be transitioned to a performance-based concentrate.

“Twelve to 24-month-old horses are becoming more reliant on forage, but forage alone still does not provide enough to meet their nutritional needs,” Hoffman continues. “Plan on dietary proportions of 50 percent grain concentrate and 50 percent forage.”

This article about young horse nutrition appeared in the January/February 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Nutrition for the Young Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Keeping weight on a senior horse can be difficult any time of year, but with the challenges of cold weather right around the corner, dental issues requiring soaked feed can create twice the headache. However, with a little planning and these feeding and nutrition tips, your senior horse can sail through the winter months in good weight and glowing health.

Focus on Forage

Grass hay, cubes or pellets help maintain weight and keep your horse warm by raising his internal body temperature. This means he can use the calories to maintain (or add) weight, rather than burning calories to stay warm in cold weather.

Aim to feed at least 1.5 to 3 percent of your horse’s body weight per day in forage, or work with your veterinarian on the right amount for your senior horse.

Using a slow feeder or small-hole hay net will help prevent hay wastage as mud and snow pile up. These have the added benefit of mimicking grazing, which decreases stress and helps keep the horse’s digestive system working well.

Soaking Feed for Your Senior in the Winter

If your senior has lost teeth or has other dental issues that prevent him from eating hay (you’ll start to see wet wads of partially chewed hay near the feeder), feeding a soaked diet will provide the right nutrition and calories to keep weight on your senior through the winter. However, wet feed can freeze, making winter feeding doubly challenging. Here are a few tips.

One of the best hay replacements is unsweetened beet pulp. With a similar protein content to grass hay (8 to 12 percent), it also has a high level of digestible fiber. Many horses like it plain, or you can make it more palatable by adding hay pellets, cubes, or a quality senior feed, and soaking them along with the beet pulp.

Even if a horse can eat hay, supplementing with soaked beet pulp is a great way to increase calories and help maintain weight.

Beet pulp pellets need to be soaked for several hours before feeding, and a common ratio is using twice as much water as pellets. To keep the soaking pellets from freezing, it’s ideal to soak them in your house or other warm place. One easy way to do this is to have one bucket soaking overnight for the morning feeding, then let the evening feeding soak during the day.

An easier, quicker solution is to feed shredded beet pulp instead of pellets. Shreds need minimal soaking time, and less water depending on your horse’s preference. These are also big benefits if your horse is boarded.

NOTE: Straight beet pulp is high in calcium and low in phosphorus, so work with your veterinarian to balance the minerals. Adding a fat source, like stabilized flax meal, increases the calorie density of each meal.

Winter Feeders

Placing a feeder of soaked food on the ground will lead to freezing more quickly, so try to find a way to elevate the feeder off the ground. An easy solution is nesting a smaller feeder into a larger feeder, or building an insulated feed box that holds the bucket.

It’s also good to rotate feed buckets so frozen feed doesn’t accumulate in the feeder.

As with feeding extra hay in the winter, try to feed only the amount that your senior can eat in 30 minutes or so. Adding smaller, more frequent feedings during the day can help your senior get the calories he needs without the feed freezing before he can eat it all.

If your barn has electricity, you can try using a heated bucket for soaked feed. Like with a water heater, be sure the cord is horse-proof.

Helping your senior horse maintain a good weight during the winter can be challenging. The good news is that with some planning and simple horsekeeping and feeding tweaks, you can laugh at old man winter and your senior horse can welcome spring in good weight and maybe even a spring in his step

This article about feeding senior horses in the winter appeared in the October 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Feeding the Senior Horse in the Winter appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

You know the type if you’ve ever had one. The picky eater that plays with his grain unless it’s exactly the right combination of toppers and supplements; the horse who always has a faint hint of ribs showing despite the loads of hay you shovel into his stall every day. Let’s take a look at some feeding techniques you can use to put the pounds back on a so-called hard keeper.

Note: A veterinary check is always advised first to rule out any medical or dental issues that may be causing your horse’s weight loss. For the purpose of this article, we’ll assume that the vet has declared him in perfect health and there is no underlying health problem.

1. Top Hard Keeper Hack: Feeding More Calories

If your horse needs to gain weight, an obvious first step is to add calories to the horse’s diet. Increasing concentrated feed (grain) can certainly do this, although you don’t want to overload the digestive system with starches and sugars found in grain. Keep each meal at 5 pounds or less for an average 1,100-pound horse so he can safely break down the nutrients.

Increasing calories from fiber is often a preferable method. Beet pulp or alfalfa cubes provide easily digestible, high-calorie fiber; and you can soak them right before serving to make them easy to consume. These can also be mixed with a grain concentrate if desired.

Additionally, consider the quality of your hay as well as the amount fed. Quality hay that is harvested at an earlier, leafy stage, is more nutrient-dense than mature, stemmy hay. Hay that is less than a year old, and stored properly, will also carry more nutritional value and supply the most energy. Switching from grass hay to a grass/alfalfa mixture can be beneficial, as alfalfa packs additional calories over grass hay (around 25 percent more).

Finally, getting your horse onto quality pasture for long hours of grazing in a relaxing herd setting can sometimes be a great addition. (As with increasing concentrated feed, care must be taken to increase grazing time slowly to avoid colic or founder.)

2. Fat Supplements

Sometimes a hard keeper will still need more calories, even when feeding concentrated feed and free-choice forage.

“The safest approach is to add calories with fat,” says Mike Graper, DVM, of Cornerstone Equine Services in Rhinelander, Wisc. “Most senior feeds have increased fat levels, and I’ve used them even with underweight yearlings.”

It’s also possible to supplement pure fats, such as vegetable oil top-dressed on your horse’s grain. One problem is that vegetable oil can get a little messy, and your horse may not like the taste. If this happens, you can try rice bran or a powdered (and perhaps more palatable) commercial weight-building supplement.

“Whole-roasted soybeans are high in fat as well as protein, and are a useful addition for thin horses that are still in work,” says Graper, noting that straight fat supplements should be added slowly to prevent loose stool.

Starting with 2 tablespoons twice a day and working up to 1 to 2 cups total per day may help the body adjust well.

“The type of fat doesn’t really matter, as in the case of the thin horse, we don’t care about the fatty acid distribution, we just want the calories,” Graper says. “In cases where we are concerned about which fatty acids are in the fat source (such as Culicoides hypersensitivity, aka sweet itch), you’d lean toward ground, stabilized flax seed or flax seed oil. Otherwise, feed whatever fat the horse will eat at the lowest cost.”

3. Digestive Supplements

You can also talk to your horse’s veterinarian about using probiotics or prebiotics to aid your horse’s digestive system. While these products don’t directly add calories, they can help your horse’s body put food to better use so your hard keeper can get more energy out of what you’re feeding him.

4. Take It Slow

You’re probably aware that it’s important to make slow adjustments in feed types, supplements, and amounts in order to give your horse’s digestive system a chance to adapt to the new modifications. But it’s also important to take things slowly in order to give the new supplement or feed time to work and cause a visible difference.

Depending on the horse, you may need to wait two to four weeks to see the effects. Give it time.

5. Separate the Hard Keeper From Other Horses While Feeding

Finally, be sure your underweight horse is getting the chance to consume the feed you offer! Horses in a group setting may squabble over pecking order, and older horses in particular may be pushed away from communal hay piles.

Also, a horse that eats more slowly will obtain less when fed in a group. You may need to temporarily separate your underweight horse during meals so that you can confidently control his rations until he reaches the desired weight. To ensure your hard keeper is getting his full meal, try feeding him separately from other horses.

The best place to begin is free-choice hay, water, and a salt block; the rest of these suggestions can be added from there to see which works best for your horse. Always form a plan under the guidance of your horse’s veterinarian for the best and safest results.

This article about feeding a hard keeper appeared in the June 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Feeding a Hard Keeper appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

There’s no denying some horses have lucked out in the genetic lottery with indestructible feet. But if your horse isn’t one of these and struggles to grow a good hoof in spite of regular trims, a good exercise program and a sparklingly clean, dry stall, there may be more you can do, starting with looking into the nutrients that grow healthy feet from the inside out. However, since a horse’s hooves only grow about 1/3 of an inch per month, it can take up to a year to see if nutrition changes are helping hoof health.

The first place to focus is on simple nutrients, such as energy (calories). An underweight horse must direct his energy to the most vital organs, so hooves and coat can suffer as a result. An obese horse is at higher risk of laminitis, which is very destructive to feet in both the short and long term.

There are dozens of micronutrients present in a horse’s diet. It’s best not to fiddle with them except under the guidance of an equine nutritionist, as imbalance and excess can cause more problems than they solve. For most horse owners, feeding good-quality hay (or pasture) with a concentrate or ration balancer formulated specifically for horses and fed per label directions is the safest way to balance vitamin, mineral and protein input.

If you are curious to learn more about how nutrition can help contribute to hoof health and how, focusing on specific nutrients, then read on.

Macronutrients

Fat: Fat creates a barrier to keep fungi and bacteria from entering the hoof horn. Given a gradual adjustment period, horses do very well with supplementary fat or oil in the diet, and it’s also a good way to put weight on hard keepers without increasing dietary sugar or starch.

Protein: Protein is made up of 20 building blocks called amino acids. “Essential” amino acids are those your horse cannot produce and must get from his diet. If he is missing one or more essential amino acids, he can’t make full use of the protein in his diet, which is used to make muscle, hair, and hoof cells.

The first limiting amino acid is lysine, followed by methionine and then threonine. This means that if deficient in lysine, a horse can’t use any more methionine. And if he has enough lysine but insufficient methionine, he can’t use more threonine, et cetera.

Signs of essential amino acid deficiencies can include joint, ligament and tendon breakdown (lysine); cracking, crumbling hooves and poor hair coat (methionine); and poor body condition, poor topline muscling and lack of energy (threonine).

But this doesn’t mean you should dump tons of extra protein into your horse’s diet. That can be hard on the kidneys for horses with decreased kidney function or insufficient water intake. Plus, even a healthy horse will just excrete whatever is not needed in what we like to call “expensive urine.” When shopping for supplemental protein, always check that it includes the first three limiting amino acids.

Vitamins

Biotin (vitamin B7): One of the more well-studied nutrients for hoof health, biotin is thought to help enhance hoof growth rate and hoof wall quality. Biotin contains sulfur, which strengthens the bond between collagen strands in the hoof wall.

Ten to 30 mg per day for horses with poor hooves despite a balanced diet is not harmful, and in case of a deficiency could help improve feet. B vitamins are water-soluble, and thus safe to feed since excess is excreted in urine.

If your horse grazes, keep in mind that this nutrient is already naturally occurring in pasture grass.

Vitamin C: This antioxidant is important for collagen synthesis. However, unlike humans, a normal healthy horse produces an enzyme within the liver that can convert glucose to vitamin C, and thus does not need additional dietary supplementation.

Minerals

Calcium and phosphorous: Calcium is necessary for attachment of cells to the hoof wall. However, nutritionists keep a careful eye on the calcium-to-phosphorous ratio since excess phosphorus blocks the absorption of calcium.

Copper and zinc: Both of these minerals support hoof growth and strength and are frequently seen in hoof supplements. Zinc in particular plays a role in keratinizing the hoof; however, too much zinc compromises copper and iron metabolism. Yet another reason to be very careful with adding dashes of this and that to your horse’s diet!

Selenium and vitamin E: These important antioxidants can be found in some hoof supplements, but extreme care should be taken. Too much selenium, in particular, can be quite toxic. If you are worried about a deficiency, have your hay tested for adequate selenium levels first, as these will depend on the levels in the soil in which the hay was grown.

This article about hoof health nutrition appeared in the April 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Nutrition for Hoof Health appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

The ability to problem-solve is a key part of cognitive intelligence. Personal experiences and anecdotal stories show us that horses are capable of it. Many elements influence innovative behavior. Based on previous research, the scientists focused on age, sex, size, laterality (left or right “handedness,” often studied to establish if left- or right-dominant individuals are more successful at certain tasks), stress level, and task-
related behavior.

Design of the Study

The study, conducted at a riding stable in Bavaria, Germany, took one month to complete. There were eight mares and eight geldings, ranging in age from 7 to 25. Each horse was regularly exercised, fed, and ridden according to their normal schedule.

The horses were given 38 hours to empty, and thereby “solve” the feeder. The feeder was a casing tube with a rod attached at the base (see pg. 18). When nuzzled by the horse, the rod turned a crossbar on the interior of the tube, causing food to tumble into a collection plate. Further nudging shook the food into the horse’s feed trough. Through trial and error, the innovative horse could learn to manipulate the rod in order to receive the food reward.

◆ The motor laterality preference (“handedness”) of each horse was determined by researchers by observing them in pasture prior to the study. In horses, as in humans, the right side of the body coincides with the left hemisphere of the brain, which specializes in activities related to categorization and prior learning. The left side of the body—and right hemisphere of the brain—specializes in emotion, novelty, and social behavior.
Sensory laterality was marked by which eye was used when the horse made both an approach and contact with the feeder.

◆ Stress hormone levels, as measured by glucocorticoid concentrations (GCMs), were taken to establish the general level of stress of each horse.
Three samples were taken prior to the test to create a baseline. Another sample was taken on the second day of the test for comparison.

◆ Task-related behavior was recorded on two motion-activated camcorders during the study. The activity level of each horse was measured as the total amount of time the horse was in motion.

PERSISTENCE was defined as the number of times the horse’s muzzle touched the feeder, while TENACITY was defined by the amount of time the horse spent with the feeder.

LATENCY was measured as the length of time it took for the horse to make first contact with the feeder.

FOOD MOTIVATION was determined before the study began when each horse was given the same amount of food and timed. The amount of time that it took the horse to finish the feed was the measurement of food motivation.

Results Are In

The final results were clear:

◆ Four of the horses had completely emptied their feeder and could be called “innovative problem-solvers.”

◆ Six horses consumed only a portion of the feed and were considered “by-chance problem-solvers,” because it was not clear if they had learned to operate the feeder.

◆ The remaining six “non-problem-solver” horses did not obtain food from the feeder.

The researchers found that age, stress hormone levels from the test day, persistence, food motivation, and height could be eliminated, and sensory and motor laterality could not be fully considered as a factor, because most horses in this study tended to favor their left side.

The researchers did note, however, that all of the four innovative problem-solvers had “significantly higher” left motor preference, and three of the four had similarly higher left sensory scores.

Sex played an interesting role. While the four problem-solving horses were split evenly—two mares and two geldings, all of the by-chance problem-solvers were geldings, and all of the non-problem-solvers were mares.

Final Analysis

In the final analysis, four traits stood out: activity, latency, tenacity, and a high baseline stress hormone level.

In general, successful horses were very active, and they spent the most time engaging with the feeder. Ironically, they were considerably slower to first approach the feeder.
The researchers deemed this combination a sign of inhibitory control—a cognitive process that allows the horse to adjust each try based on past success or failure and hone in on only successful actions.

From this trait combination, the researchers concluded that innovative problem-solvers were “active, tenacious, and have a higher inhibitory control.” Successful horses also tended to be more emotional based on “high baseline stress hormone concentration and a strong left [handedness].” That strong left-side dominance was taken into account as an indicator that problem-solvers saw the problem through the lens of the more emotional right brain.

The researchers suggest these last two traits may be the result of life experiences in which the horses have been exposed to a variety of challenges and activities that required similar problem-solving. They hope that their work will lead to more study and a deeper understanding of the cognitive capabilities of horses.

* Horses’ (Equus caballus) Laterality, Stress Hormones, and Task Related Behavior in Innovative Problem-Solving.

This article about how horses problem solve appeared in the September 2020 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post The Puzzling Horse Feeder appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.