FEED LITTLE AND OFTEN

This imitates the horse’s natural feeding pattern, and achieves satisfactory digestion by ensuring a constant passage of food through the digestive system.

FEED ADEQUATE ROUGHAGE

Roughage such as grass, hay and haylage ensures that the digestive system is always satisfactorily filled, as would be the case in the wild.

CONSIDER SIZE AND WORKLOAD

More work requires more energy, and more food. Too much or too little food will result in the animal being over- or underweight.

CHECK CONDITION

By body condition scoring regularly you will be able to tell whether your horse needs to gain, lose or maintain weight. This information is vital when working out how much you should be feeding your horse.

NO SUDDEN CHANGES

Do not make sudden changes to the diet. Bacteria in the large intestine breaks down the feed and they have to adapt gradually to any changes in the diet.

REGULAR TIMES

Keep to the same times of feeding each day. Horses are creatures of habit and thrive on a regular routine.

HYGIENE

Ensure that both feed and feeding utensils are clean. Horses are fastidious feeders and can be easily deterred from eating.

VARIETY

Feed something succulent each day. Succulents like apples and carrots help to maintain the horse’s interest and adds moisture to the feed.

TIME TO DIGEST

Do not do fast work immediately after feeding. A full stomach will put pressure on the lungs and affect the horse’s breathing. Fast work results in redistribution of the blood in the body, leading to impaired digestion.

FRESH WATER

Ensure that the horse is watered before feeding so that undigested food is not washed through the digestive system too rapidly.

AND FINALLY

You need to know what to feed in addition to grass or grass products such as hay. Remember that many leisure horses may only need the addition of a vitamin and mineral supplement rather than a concentrate feed.

In the past, considerable knowledge and skill were required to provide the horse with a balanced diet by mixing the raw ingredients oneself. The availability of balanced mixed feeds produced by many reputable feed manufacturers has made this process much simpler today.

They provide a variety of feeds that are suitable for animals of varying ages and states of health as well as being balanced for the type of work or exercise being undertaken.

HOW TO BODY CONDITION SCORE YOUR HORSE OR PONY

Knowing your horse’s weight is essential if a correct feeding level is to be achieved.

However, as important as knowing your horse’s weight, is having an appreciation that your horse is not too heavy. In order to know that your horse is at a healthy weight, it is essential that you fat-score them as well to ensure you are not over- or under-feeding.

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU FEED YOUR HORSE?

Most horses should consume 1.5% to 2.5% of their bodyweight per day according to their condition and workload. However, many other factors also can affect dietary needs. These include:

  • the horse’s temperament
  • the weather and time of year
  • whether or not the horse is clipped
  • feed quality
  • age
  • health

    • WORK LEVELS

    It is very important that your horse’s diet is based upon the correct amount of calories needed for the level of work he is in. Over-estimating the level of work your horse carries out in a week can lead to over-feeding and obesity.

    OVERWEIGHT PROBLEMS

    Overweight horses:

  • are at increased risk of laminitis
  • are at increased risk of developing equine metabolic syndrome
  • have less effective immune systems than those at the correct weight
  • are more likely to suffer from problems with their joints
  • have problems with their heart and lungs

    • Aoife Byrne Dr.Med,Vet, MRCVS Cert AVP, qualified from Szent Istvan University Faculty of Veterinary Science in Budapest in 2007 and did an equine internship on the Curragh for 12 months before working for an equine ambulatory practice. She followed this with a stud season at the Beaufort Embryo Transfer Centre.

    Aoife then worked at Rowe Equine & The Equine Eye Clinic for a few years before moving to Norfolk where she now works for Chapelfield Vets equine clinic.

    From a horsey family in Carlow, Aoife enjoys hunting side saddle in the winter and showing in the summer.