Feeding a horse may appear easy, but you would be amazed if you knew about the ignorance level of various horse owners. It is a fact that there is no golden rule relevant involving the nutritional needs of a horse, as it mostly depends on the age, body weight and the level of activity, which the horse goes through. Grass is the most fundamental part of a horse diet. It is one of the MAJOR necessities for a properly functioning digestive system so when we speak of forage, we normally mean natural pasture and cut hay.
The amount of food a big horse needs per day is subject on its body weight, which is 2 to two point five%, so if the horse weighs a thousand pound the quantity of daily feed needed can be calculated to 20 to 25 pounds. Horses need good nutrition so this means high quality food, not low quality high fiber feed (which can interfere with correct digestion).
Ideally, your horse would be healthy if you fed him with 1% of his body weight made up of hay/pasture forage. In case your horse is not employed in much activity, then the right feed is only forge without any grains. On the other hand, horses which are active, or at the growing or breeding stage, require additional supplemental feeds over and above the grass like grains or concentrate supplements. Think about it this way, forages should supply at least one half or more of the total size of the feed eaten everyday for optimum growth and development.
The nutrient content and the quality of the forage are crucial considerations when you are planning to give your horse a stable diet. When you are aware of this, you can easily figure out the correct amounts of nutrients that would meet his specific needs. One of the best and most affordable sources of summer feed is pasture, which if it is good quality, can satisfy all the nutrition requisites of the horse. To know the correct quantity of pasture that your horse needs, use this rough guideline, which uses the weight of 1000 to 1200 pounds. Roughly the necessities are as follows: a mare and foal would need 1.75 to 2 acres; yearlings would need 1.5 to 2 acres and weanlings 0.5 to 1 acre.
Winter food of course would be cut hay, and again, high quality if you can provide it. The hay which you food should be cut uniformly and have green leaf-like appearance and there should not be any dust, moulds, weeds or stubble accompanying the hay. This food is normally rich in protein, minerals and vitamins.
Alfalfa hay is great for horses in a developing phase as it is protein enriched by there could be excessive calcium content in relation to phosphorus. Since abnormal calcium may not be good for growing horses, you could opt for a hay analysis, in case you are not too sure. - 20763
The amount of food a big horse needs per day is subject on its body weight, which is 2 to two point five%, so if the horse weighs a thousand pound the quantity of daily feed needed can be calculated to 20 to 25 pounds. Horses need good nutrition so this means high quality food, not low quality high fiber feed (which can interfere with correct digestion).
Ideally, your horse would be healthy if you fed him with 1% of his body weight made up of hay/pasture forage. In case your horse is not employed in much activity, then the right feed is only forge without any grains. On the other hand, horses which are active, or at the growing or breeding stage, require additional supplemental feeds over and above the grass like grains or concentrate supplements. Think about it this way, forages should supply at least one half or more of the total size of the feed eaten everyday for optimum growth and development.
The nutrient content and the quality of the forage are crucial considerations when you are planning to give your horse a stable diet. When you are aware of this, you can easily figure out the correct amounts of nutrients that would meet his specific needs. One of the best and most affordable sources of summer feed is pasture, which if it is good quality, can satisfy all the nutrition requisites of the horse. To know the correct quantity of pasture that your horse needs, use this rough guideline, which uses the weight of 1000 to 1200 pounds. Roughly the necessities are as follows: a mare and foal would need 1.75 to 2 acres; yearlings would need 1.5 to 2 acres and weanlings 0.5 to 1 acre.
Winter food of course would be cut hay, and again, high quality if you can provide it. The hay which you food should be cut uniformly and have green leaf-like appearance and there should not be any dust, moulds, weeds or stubble accompanying the hay. This food is normally rich in protein, minerals and vitamins.
Alfalfa hay is great for horses in a developing phase as it is protein enriched by there could be excessive calcium content in relation to phosphorus. Since abnormal calcium may not be good for growing horses, you could opt for a hay analysis, in case you are not too sure. - 20763
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You can check out: Horses As Pets and Keeping A Horse As A Pet for more accurate information.
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