Horse Nutrition Flashcards
How much food should be eaten?
2% of BW
Body weight equation
(Heart girth cm2 x length c)/11877
What are the forage to concentrate ratios for the work categories?
Light: 100:0 to 80:20 Moderate: 70:30 to 60:40 Heavy: 50:50 Very heavy: 50:50 Minimum: 1kg DM forage/100kg BW
What is the breakdown for different food amounts for the different categories of work?
Light work: 2%BW, forage should be 80% of ration, broad spec vitamin, mineral supplement
Moderate: 2.25%BW, forage should be 60-70%, supplement
Heavy: 2.25%BW, forage 50-60%, supplement feed
Very heavy: 2.5%BW, 50% forage, supplement feed
Feed types for foals
Good quality protein feeds – Low starch – Good vitamin and mineral levels – Good quality forage (e.g. grass) – Feed a youngstock pellet (if required) – Good doers = balancer only
Feed for yearlings to two year olds
Feed ad lib forage
– Feed a forage balancer
– Good quality forage should meet energy and protein
requirements
– Some youngsters may need supplementary feeding (stud
feed)
Feed for two years onward
Requirements affected by training (e.g. racehorse)
– If not in training then forage alone
– Growing horses in training have ↑ nutrient requirements
– Diet should still be good quality forage plus supplementary
feed
What is the typical supplementary feed that can be chosen?
– Mix
– Sugar beet pulp
– HT alfalfa
– Oil
What is the maximum amount of oil that should be used as an energy source?
100mg/100kg BW
What can happen when starch is used as an energy source?
Instant energy
Can cause excitability
Not for obese horses
Overall rules for feeding
- Provide adequate forage
- Feed concentrates little and often
- Feed consistently: amount and type
- Provide a good water source
- Control parasites
- Check teeth
- Monitor condition (and weight)
- Provide regular exercise
