Feeding for Soundness

Horses can't live on grass alone



Horses evolved as an animal who traveled many miles per day in order to find food. This meant that they ate more or less continuously throughout the day. In addition, they ate a wide variety of plant matter which was rich in mineral content.

Today horses eat 2 or 3 meals of processed chemically enhanced food plus hay and grass of the same species. We now have new research that points to the damage that this processed food is doing to our horse's health and well being. In fact the amount of information available is quite overwhelming.

The good news is there are a few simple rules you can follow that will help.

• Always feed forage (grasses) first.
• If you need to supplement your forage with grains always feed whole foods such as oats,
• flax, ricebran, beetpulp, and/or black oil sunflower seeds.
• Balance the horse's feed with a good supplement. We have seem remarkable improvements in horse's soundness and general condition for stressed or otherwise compromised horses with a product called EquiPride. Ask us about it.
  
  If you must feed commercial feeds be sure you can identify at least the first three ingredients on the feed bag. In other words, if you don't know what it is (wheat middlings? soybean hulls?) don't feed it.
  
  Most of our horses get just whole oats plus Equipride. Some situations require special consideration. The diets of horses who are "metabolic" (Equine Cushings), laminitic, or are currently foundering require immediate attention. These horse's soundness issues will not improve until their diet is brought under control. First and foremost is managing the horse's sugar intake. Have pasture grasses and hay tested for sugar and mineral content.
  
  How do you know if a horse is "metabolic"? Look for sore feet, hard and/or lumpy cresty necks, fat pads, heavy sheaths, and bulging eyes. If this sounds like your horse consider supplementing with magnesium from Foxden Equine.
  
  If it still sounds too overwhelming we can help you sort it all out. That's what we're here for!