To begin with, your horse in nature uses forage as being a core component of their diets. It is one of the MAJOR requirements for a correctly operating digestive system. When we speak of forage, we usually mean natural pasture and cut hay.
Older horses commonly consume almost 2 to 2.5 pct of their body weight in feed every day. So a one thousand pound horse will eat approximately 20 to 25 lbs of feed per day. This means premium feed, not low quality high fibre feed (that may interfere with proper digestion).
In an ideal pasture planet, your horse should consume at least 1 % of his body weight in hay/pasture forage each day. If your horse does not do much exertion, they'll do nicely on strictly forage, with no grain scattered in. On the other hand, developing, in breed, or working horses will need to have dietary supplements as well as forage - for instance grain or perhaps a supplement concentrate. Think of it this way, forages ought to provide at least one half or more of the total weight of the feed consumed each day for optimum growth and development.
Before you can feed a balanced "meal" for a horse, you have to be aware of the nutrient content and quality of the forage. Once you know that, it is easy to work out the right amounts of each to meet nutrient requirements.
The very best resource, and the least costly one for summer time feed is your pasture. And, normally good pasture by itself can provide the whole nutritional needs your horse needs. How can you figure out just how much pasture is needed to provide for a horse? Here is a rough and ready guideline that will help you: (using a weight of 1,000 - 1,200 lbs)
Mare and foal 1.75 to 2 acres
Yearlings 1.5 to 2 acre
Weanlings 0.5 to 1 acre
Wintry weather feed of course can be cut hay, and again, top quality if you can supply it. It ought to be cut early, be leafy and green in color and as free as viable of dirt, moulds, weeds and stubble. This feed is generally full of protein, minerals and nutritional vitamins.
Yes, you may want to use alfalfa hay, but be cautious about the higher protein contents if you are feeding to young developing horses, as it could contain an excessive amount of calcium in relationship to phosphorus. Too much calcium isn't good for developing horses. If you are not sure about hay quality, have it checked.
Author Resource:
If you are~you're currently~presently searching~looking~browsing for horses for sale or ponies for sale , please visit~be sure to visit~take a look at The Horse and Pony Directory.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")