EQUUS FEEDS - Feeding Advice

1. Rules of Feeding
2. Feeding by Weight, Not Volume
3. Changing your Horse's Diet
4. Maintaining condition in Winter
5. Equus Products Feeding Guidelines

Rules of Feeding

The guiding principle should be to keep all feeding practices as natural as possible. Despite recent
technological advances in equine feeding, most successful feeding practices have been in use for
centuries and have actually been developed through an understanding of both the horse's behaviour and
of how the horse's digestive system works. Experience has shown that respecting the basic physiological
needs of our equine companions will go a long way in keeping them happy, healthy and performing.

1. Feed plenty of forage
The equine gut needs a constant supply of forage in order to function correctly. Horses have evolved in
such a way that they need to spend a long time eating. Forage in particular takes a long time to chew
thus feeding plenty of forage to a stabled horse helps satisfy his need to chew and also relieves
boredom, reducing the risk of behavioural abnormalities.
Forages should provide the basis for all equine rations, and nutritional requirements not met by the
forages should be supplemented in the form of concentrates. As a general rule, horses should be fed at
least (absolute minimum) one percent of their body weight of good quality roughage.

2. Feed little and often
Dividing the total daily concentrated feed into as many smaller feeds as possible is much more natural
and encourages more efficient digestion. The horse is a "trickle feeder" with a proportionally small
stomach which is also fairly rigid. Divide the concentrated part of the feed into at least two feedings and
distribute the intake of forage as evenly as possible throughout the day and also at night. Avoid feeding
more than 2kg of concentrated feed per single feeding. Rather opt for an additional feeding
session or consider changing to a product designed for more intense
training if your horse requires additional nutrients due to a higher workload.

3. Avoid making sudden changes to diet
Any sudden change made to the diet may cause the microbial population to be disrupted resulting in the
production of toxins from bacteria which die. These toxins can cause metabolic disorders (eg. laminitis)
and digestive efficiency can be compromised, leading to colic or diarrhea. A gradual change allows the
bacteria to adapt and minimises the risk of metabolic or digestive upsets.

4. Feed at regular intervals
The horse's digestive system is not designed to be empty for any length of time. If a horse cannot have ad lib access to forage then feeding at regular intervals helps reduce the length of time the system is empty. Horses also thrive on routine and are happier knowing when and where their next meal
is coming from!

                                                                  5. Feed each horse as an individual
                                                                  Feeding lots of forage regularly is a common rule for all horses. Their requirement for the type of
                                                                  concentrated feed will vary, however, according to work load, temperament and how efficiently they
                                                                  utilise their feed. A good doer in light work will have completely different requirements from a nervous
                                                                  Thoroughbred in hard work. The art is to achieve a balanced diet which meets the horse's requirements
                                                                  for work whilst maintaining healthy condition.

                                                                  6. Choose good quality feed and forage
                                                                  Equine Feeds produced by reputable manufacturers are often more cost effective as only quality
                                                                  ingredients with high digestibility are used, providing far better value for money. One should be careful
                                                                  in the selection of hay provided: this should be mould and dust free and cut at a young immature stage
                                                                  to ensure digestibility.

                                                                  7. Feed Horses According to Body Weight
                                                                  The total ration of a horse should be fed as a percentage of its body weight. When following the
                                                                  manufacturer's recommendation on how much of the concentrate to feed, make absolutely sure you feed
                                                                  by weight and not by volume. Different concentrates have completely different densities, so take care to
                                                                  establish exactly what the volume of feed you use actually weighs in order not to over or underfeed
                                                                  your horse.

8. Allow time after feeding before working
It is important not to start exercise on an empty stomach, but take care to allow at least 1 hour after feeding the concentrate before commencing strenuous exercise/riding, or the blood supply will be diverted away from the digestive tract to the muscles, resulting in impaired digestion. A full
stomach may also restrict the area in which the lungs can expand, reducing cardio-vascular efficiency.

9. Provide a clean, fresh water supply
Water is the most important nutrient. 70-75% of a horse's bodyweight is water and it is needed for vital functions like maintaining body temperature
and transporting nutrients around the body.
It is also a constituent of saliva and other digestive juices. Horses are notoriously fussy and sometimes choose not to drink rather than to drink dirty water. With constant access they will rarely drink too much.

10. Keep feed buckets and scoops clean
Harmful bacteria only needs a bit of substrate and moisture to proliferate. Smelly buckets put horses
off eating too!
There is also the risk of cross contamination where a number of horses are involved and one or more
is receiving medication, so take care to keep buckets and scoops hygienic.

11. Look after the system
Two important factors here are dental care and de-worming. Sharp edges on teeth make chewing difficult
so the horse will swallow larger particles of food, resulting in choking in some cases, and reducing the
efficiency of the digestion process. Damage, due to poor internal parasite control, results in scar tissue
which can accumulate over a number of years and reduce the area available for the absorption of
nutrients making it difficult for the horse to maintain its weight and condition. Regular worming assists in
promoting good condition throughout the horse's life.

Feeding by Weight, Not Volume

It is very important to ensure that your horse is fed the correct portion of food by weight, not by volume! All feeds have different densities and thus
do not weigh the same. Feeding instructions are also always given as a percentage of body mass, therefore it is very important to establish exactly
what weight (kg) your scoop holds of the specific product you are feeding.

Failing to establish the correct weight of the portion being fed can lead to considerable over- or underfeeding of your horse especially when changing
to a new concentrate. Overfeeding can lead to the horse becoming obese which will take time to rectify but, more seriously, it can also cause severe colic. Underfeeding, especially performance horses, might cost you the prize trophy towards which you have been working as your equine athlete will
not be able to sustain his efforts due to a lack of energy. While this can be rectified fairly quickly in healthy horses by feeding the correct quantities,
often time is lost because the reason for weight loss or low energy levels is often sought elsewhere first, for example, with internal parasites. Always
start off by checking that your horse is being fed the right amount by weight.

The table below illustrates just how easily the incorrect amount can be fed especially in a stable yard where more than one product is used:

A CONTAINER HOLDING 5 LITRES OF WATER WILL HOLD APPROXIMATELY:

1.5 kg Equus Cool 'n Perform or Safe 'n Lite.
3.0 kg of a typical pelleted horse Cube.
2.9 kg of crushed maize.
1.6 kg of wheaten bran.
0.6 kg of a milled lucerne.
6.5 kg of molasses syrup.

This clearly demonstrates how easily one can either over- or underfeed by considerable margins. This does not mean one cannot use the 5 litre bucket method to feed your horses. Simply weigh out the appropriate amount of concentrate and mark the bucket with a permanent marker so you know
up to where to fill it each time. This technique allows one to standardize the amount of concentrate being fed.

This further explains why the person responsible for feeding at a yard might be surprised if you changed from a pelleted product, for example, to a muesli style product like Equus Cool 'n Perform or Safe 'n Lite. Judging by the volume of the product, it may appear that the new feed is being fed
at nearly twice the rate of the previous one, but judging by weight shows clearly that this is not the case.

                                                                   Products in the Equus range provide adequate fibre to help keep the ingested concentrate portion
                                                                   moving along the digestive tract normally.
                                                                   Our muesli style concentrates are specifically designed to contain lots of highly digestible fibre, and are
                                                                   therefore very voluminous so horses will take much longer to finish their allocated portions, which is
                                                                   exactly what is required as this stimulates saliva production, which further promotes gastric health.

                                                                   It has been shown that it is hugely advantageous to slow down the tempo of intake of the concentrated
                                                                   feed. The longer a horse chews, the closer he is to natural grazing behavior. (see article on Importance
                                                                   of Fibre and Digestive Health)

How much does my horse weigh?

It is thus clear that it is extremely important to take the guesswork out of how much you are feeding. It is, however, also very important to know what your horse actually weighs. Although horses all have different metabolisms and cannot be fed strictly according to feeding guidelines based on weight alone, it is an important parameter with which to start off. The guideline of the amount of feed to be fed by weight will initially be determined by your horse's weight, and then adjusted according to his specific metabolism (good doer versus poor doer) and his current workload. It is also important to know accurately what your horse weighs when it comes to the use of medication supplements, de-worming etc.

If you do not have access to a weighbridge or livestock scale, it is certainly worth investing in an inexpensive weight tape to avoid guessing. Weight
tapes are usually accurate to within 5%, which is better than most eyeball guesstimates, and are cheaper to buy than livestock scales.

Changing your Horse's Diet

Great care should be taken when changing the diet of horses. Whether it is the concentrated
feed, the hay, or the pasture that needs to be changed, colic or founder may occur if the
diet change is not planned properly and spread over a period of time.

The fermentation that occurs in the hindgut of the horse is a very complex and somewhat
delicate process that can be disrupted by many factors. Millions of bacteria in the gut have
their own life cycles of digesting the complex carbohydrates of ingested hay and other
ingredients with the horse benefiting from the bacterial byproducts. If a badly planned change
of diet occurs to "shock" or change the population of bacteria, the rate of fermentation
changes along with the by products of the fermentation.

In addition, disrupting normal fermentation can lead to rapid changes in the pH (acidity) of
the intestine, which can further negatively impact on the normal population of bacteria and
the whole digestive process. There are many species of bacteria living within the horse's gut,
including ones that can cause illness if their population numbers become too high. In this
situation large numbers of "good" bacteria actually keep the numbers of potentially "bad"
bacteria under control (competitive inhibition). This is one reason why the administration of
some oral antibiotics can cause diarrhea and illustrates why it is extremely important to make any changes in type and quantity of feed slowly.

To maintain the delicate balance in the gut, any increases in the amount of concentrate given to a horse should be added at approximately 200 grams
per day (not more than � kg) until the desired amount of concentrate is reached. Concentrate increases may be necessary when there is an
increase in activity level or for a mare during lactation.

When introducing a new type of hay or concentrate to a horse, the new hay or concentrate should replace the old feed at a rate of 25 percent every
other day, taking a total of six days for the new feed to be fully implemented. Feed intake, or eagerness to consume the diet, may decrease during
this changeover period. If this occurs, more time may be needed for the horse to adjust to the new feed.

When changing to a new concentrated feed it is important to make sure you re-establish exactly what weight of the new product your feed scoop in
use holds. Feeds all have different densities and especially when changing to one of the Equus muesli style products like Cool 'n Perform or Safe 'n
Lite, you might find that your scoop holding 2 kg of your present hard feed only holds 1 kg of the Equus product.

When a horse is turned out on pasture all day, especially where the pasture is lush and green, time on pasture should be gradually increased to avoid overeating. Horses should be provided with all the hay they want to eat about a week prior to the start of complete pasture turnout. The time on
pasture should be increased by one hour each day for four to five days. Then, before the horse is to be turned out completely, a hay meal should be provided.

It is important to remember that each horse is different. Some horses take more time to adjust to dietary changes than others. Therefore, it is
important to monitor the horse's eating habits and health status carefully during this time.
Whether it is the grain, hay, or time on pasture, any change in the horse's diet should be spread over several days or weeks.

Changing over from High Molasses containing Diets

Unfortunately a large percentage of available products, especially pelleted concentrates, are composed mainly of bran and molasses. Although molasses
is an important and very palatable source of energy, it should always be used sparingly. Molasses in a horse's diet may be compared with feeding candy to children.
Horses do love it, but since it is basically sugar, it can cause an insulin spike which may not just affect blood sugar levels but may also have an adverse effect on other body processes, notably cartilage, bone development and body maintenance functions.

It is important to keep in mind that well balanced diets will normally contain less molasses than some cheaper concentrates available, and therefore it
might take a little longer than normal to adapt them to the new diet with less "candy" to chew on. Safe 'n Lite, in particular, our speciality product for
horses prone to laminitis, insulin resistance and related problems, is blended with hardly any molasses because of its negative side effects. In the
long run though, it is worth the effort to slowly adapt them to the new diet until they are used to it.

Maintaining Condition in Winter

Winter brings with it a different set of feeding problems. With the colder weather in winter your horse
will use up to 80% of his feed energy to keep warm. For hardy, native types this may not be so much
of a problem but for thoroughbred horses this may mean that they require extra food to replace the
energy expended in keeping warm.

Feeding as much forage as possible, in the form of pasture or hay mimics the way your horse has
evolved to eat and should also help to keep him calm. However, unless your horse is an incredibly
'good doer', then forage alone will seldom be enough to maintain his condition and give him enough
energy for the work he is doing during winter.

When it comes to feeding concentrated feeds, remember that it is not just the amount you feed but
your choice of product which will make a difference to your horse. If your horse or pony tends to be
the type that gains weigh very easily, a lower calorie, high fibre feed like Equus Safe 'n Lite will be
ideal. This will provide him with the vitamins and minerals he needs to stay healthy without adding too
many calories to his diet, and will also assist in preventing laminitis.

For the majority of horses and ponies who maintain their weight reasonably well, a medium energy
mix like Equus Train 'n Leisure will be suitable.
This should provide sufficient calories to maintain condition and also to provide enough energy for
moderate workloads.

If your horse is working particularly hard or is competing regularly it may be that he will need a
competition type feed like Equus Cool 'n Perform to maintain condition.

Older horses often have difficulty keeping their weight up in winter. Although these horses often
maintain their condition fairly well during the summer when they are out at grass, in the colder
weather they seem to just drop off, especially over the withers and hips. High quality protein is parti-
cularly important for older horses as their metabolism is sometimes less effective at absorbing it.
Higher levels of digestible energy are also essential for maintaining body condition and so is the
correct vitamin and mineral composition. The problem, however, with older horses struggling to
maintain weight often lies with their inability to properly chew and digest poor quality fibres.
The Equus range is specifically useful for "topping up" good quality fibre due to the high fibre content
of the products. (see article on "Feeding older horses")

Points to Remember

1) Making sure your horse is well-rugged will avoid wasting energy on heat loss and allow it to be used for weight gain and work.
2) Fibre is the most 'warming' food for your horse as more heat is produced during its digestion than with any other nutrient.
3) Turning out regularly, even for a few hours each day, is very important not only for exercise, but also for the horse to relax and socialise. Horses
    like to pick at the available grass, yet it is likely to be of low nutritive value and additional supplementary forage will be needed to help to satisfy
    appetite, avoid boredom, and maintain a healthy digestive system.
4) Your horse's workload can change quite substantially with the winter weather and for some horses it may mean that they are only being ridden at
    weekends while for others, such as hunters, they will be working hard so the amount and type of feed you are giving should reflect this.
5) Monitoring your horse's condition with a weigh tape or tape measure will allow you to pick up changes quickly and allow you to adjust the diet in
    good time. Don't forget that winter rugs and hairy coats will make it impossible to see even quite prominent ribs, and can easily disguise the first
    signs of a loss of condition.
6) If you feed concentrates all year round then you will probably need to increase the quantities you feed during the winter unless your horse is
    doing less work. Each feed should contain no more than 2Kg (4.5lbs) of mix or cubes, as the horse's stomach is small and cannot physically cope
    with larger quantities than this.
7) If you need to feed more than this to prevent weight loss then split this into two or more feeds or change to a conditioning feed like Cool 'n Perform.
    This will provide your horse with more energy, or put weight on him, without having to increase the total amount of feed he is getting.
8) It is of vital importance to ensure that your horse's worming program is up to date and that his teeth have recently been checked.