TABLE

CHART

Every horse is different. Its nutritional requirements are affected by its age, breed, discipline (pleasure, racing, jumping, dressage etc.) and individual characteristics (“hard” or “easy” keepers).

In today’s large boarding and/or training operations, the individual horse’s needs are often sacrificed in the name of convenience and/or cost. Outside of watering the horses, their nutrition is the next most important service provided by the facility - it is not an area to take shortcuts!!!

1. Base the feeding program on QUALITY hay or forage.
(see EB35: Forage Visual Score Card at BUCKEYENUTRITION.COM)
a. Soft texture
b. Fresh smell
c. Free from dust and mold
d. Good, green color
e. Small stems (relates to maturity at harvest)
f. Free from weeds and foreign materials
g. High leaf to stem ratio (if hay contains alfalfa)

Teach the barn staff to recognize good and poor quality hay and not to feed it.
2. Feed a QUALITY concentrate (if needed) balanced for forage fed. The concentrate needed when feeding straight alfalfa hay will be TOTALLY DIFFERENT than the one needed when feeding grass or mixed hay.

3. ALWAYS have CLEAN, FRESH, ACCEPTABLE WATER available to the horses (unless the horse is hot from work). In the winter, water below 40 degrees F. may reduce the horse’s intake. Horses will drink a minimum of 10-12 gallons of water a day -more if working and MUCH more if lactating. If a horse’s water bucket is empty at feeding time - HANG ANOTHER BUCKET FOR HIM!!

4. Have a free-choice vitamin/mineral supplement balanced for the forage you are feeding, and a trace mineral salt always available to the horses. If you offer free choice minerals to horses that have not had them available, they may consume more than normal because it is new.

Once the novelty wears off, consumption will be driven by the horses individual needs, his workload and possibly changes in the forage nutrient composition. A large portion of the many minerals consumed by the horse comes from the forage.

5. Feed at regular times during the day.

6. Feed AS OFTEN during the day as possible. Not more feed, just divide the total daily intake in to 3, 4 or 5 feedings, if possible. Of course, avoid feeding right before or after hard work.

The horse’s digestive tract is designed to handle SMALL, FREQUENTfeedings. When offered feed only once or twice a day, the horse’s tract can become overloaded and lead to colic, founder, diarrhea, insulin spikes (leading to insulin resistance) and other problems.

More frequent feedings can also help to reduce stable vices like bolting feed, chewing wood and weaving, especially if turn out is limited or unavailable.

7. Provide free exercise (if facility is so designed). This is important to the soundness of the horse’s mind and limbs. The more the horses can be out, the better.

8. Make any changes to the horse’s feeding program SLOWLY. The horse’s digestive tract (especially the microbes in the hindgut) must adapt to any new types and amounts of feed. A conservative approach would be:

Straight alfalfa is also expensive and more prone to mold than grass or mixed hay. Grass or mixed hay is easier to manage, less expensive and less prone to management issues than straight alfalfa. It is usually more reasonable in protein level and has a better Ca:P ratio. The purpose of this portion of the article is to show how building the horse’s diet from the nutrients supplied by the hay and then addressing critical nutrients like protein and minerals can reduce the excess starch calories typically fed to today’s horses, and reduce related problems like colic, founder, insulin resistance and obesity. Meeting the horse’s caloric needs is quite simple and has an easy gauge - his body condition.

The following table shows:
TABLE.

A. the Nutrient Requirements (NRC, 1989) for adult horses for maintenance, light work (Western/English pleasure, equitation etc.) and moderate work (roping, cutting, jumping etc.)

B. the amounts of select nutrients supplied by 15 pounds of straight alfalfa versus grass hay.

C. the nutrient deficiencies (negative numbers) or excesses when the horse is fed 15 pounds of alfalfa hay.

D. the nutrient deficiencies (negative numbers) or excesses when the horse is fed 15 pounds of bromegrass hay.

E. the nutrient deficiencies (negative numbers) or excesses when the horse is fed 15 pounds of alfalfa hay plus the recommended amount of Buckeye Alfa Gro ‘N Win® ration balancer.

F. the nutrient deficiencies (negative numbers) or excesses when the horse is fed 15 pounds of bromegrass hay plus the recommended amount of Buckeye Gro ‘N Win® ration balancer.

Section C. of the table shows that 15 pounds of alfalfa hay exceeds the protein requirement of the horse at maintenance (not doing much work) almost two-fold. This degree of excess protein will cause the horse to urinate more than normal, causing a strong ammonia smell in the barn, and may be a cause of hyperactivity.

Even the horse doing light work (most horses in a boarding situation) will have a significant excess of protein. In addition, the Ca:P ratio of straight alfalfa hay is 6:1 (Section B.) - experts suggest any ratio greater than 3:1 may adversely affect the adult horse. The straight alfalfa diet is also deficient in P for the light and moderate work horses.

Section D. shows that straight bromegrass hay will meet the protein requirements of the horse at maintenance and light work. Only a minor deficit exists for the horse doing moderate work, which can be met using a well-designed ration balance like Buckeye Gro ‘N Win®. This diet is also low in Ca for the light and moderate work horses and P for the moderate work horse. Luckily, the Ca:P ratio is almost exactly 1:1 and the minor deficiencies can be easily met with the ration balancer.

Sections E. and F. demonstrate how small amounts of well-designed ration balancers (Buckeye Gro ‘N Win® and Alfa Gro ‘N Win®) can meet each horse’s requirements and more appropriately balance the diet - the Ca:P ratio of the alfalfa diet is now 2.7:1 and the grass hay diet remains at 1:1 ? both adequate for adult horses. Also, the addition of a calorie source to meet the energy deficit will add additional P to improve the Ca:P ratio in the alfalfa-fed horses.

The only remaining deficit in the light and moderate working horse’s diet is energy (calories). The addition of 2 pounds of oats or 1 pound of a well-designed fat supplement like Buckeye Ultimate Finish® will supply the calories needed by the horse performing light work. The needs of the moderate working horse can be met by 4 pounds of oats or 3 pounds of Ultimate Finish®.

The advantages of using fat as a calorie source are many:

• Provides required energy with less concentrate ? less starch causes less metabolic stress ? reduces glycemic response; decreases lactate accumulation.

• Digested more efficiently than traditional high grain diets • May improve behavior.

The horses’ diets are now simplified (15 pounds of hay, 2-3 pounds of ration balancer and a calorie source). More importantly, the major source of variability between individual horses is most likely to be the calories required to maintain desired body condition (discussed later). Instead of feeding more or less of a sweet feed NOT designed to compliment the horse’s hay, the manager can merely adjust the calorie source (oats and/or Ultimate Finish) to increase or decrease the horse’s weight.

Managing Each Horse as an Individual

BODY CONDITION SCORING: Every horse in the barn should be body scored to establish its current body condition. Most athletic horses should be about a 4-6, depending on the discipline. Remember, any excess weight can be detrimental to the horse’s long-term soundness.

For a detailed discussion of body scoring, see EB02: Body Condition Score at BUCKEYENUTRITION.COM. This system was developed at Texas A & M University by D. R. Henneke and others.

(See Description of Body Condition Scores chart.)
Horses should then be scored periodically, like once a month, to track changes in body condition. The calorie source in the diet should be adjusted up or down, depending on the desired direction of body condition - getting too thin = more calories; getting too fat = fewer calories. Weight tapes can also help manage the horse’s body weight.

The Bulk Grain Bin
Many large barns have a bulk grain bin to store grain, as it is usually cheaper to buy grain in bulk. Though the bin may save money in cost per pound of feed, most bulk mixes are very high in corn and molasses ? both significant sources of starch and sugar, which, when greater than about 25-30% of the horse’s diet, have been linked to colic, founder, insulin resistance, obesity and diarrhea. When one looks at cost per day to feed a horse, many low starch, higher fat feeds (Buckeye Nutrition’s Formula Line, “Unbeetableä”, “Race ‘N Winä”, “Trifecta®”, along with Gro ‘N Win®) will be comparable to the traditional bulk sweet feeds in cost per day, because fewer pounds need to be fed. This will also lower the risk of the problems listed above while providing better nutrition.

Another solution is to use the bulk bin to store good quality oats as the calorie source discussed above, and use Buckeye Gro ‘N Win® or Alfa Gro ‘N Win ®, depending on the hay being fed, to balance the protein, vitamin and minerals. The combination of the low starch ration balancers with oats will typically be below the 25% starch level.

In Conclusion

1. Manage every horse as an individual.

2. Base nutritional program on the hay/forage fed.

3. Feed QUALITY forage and concentrates.

4. Make sure every horse has acceptable water available at all times (unless hot from work).

5. Have free choice vitamin/mineral supplement and trace mineralized salt available at all times.

6. Feed as often during the day as possible.

7. Provide as much free exercise as possible.

8. Make any changes to the feeding program slowly.

9. Understand the contribution of hay/forage in meeting the nutrient requirements of the horse.

10.Use the appropriate ration balancer or well-designed concentrate to supply nutrients not provided by the hay/forage (mainly protein, vitamins and minerals).

11.Once the nutritional foundation (protein, vitamins and minerals) is laid, manage calories with as little starch as possible (i.e. higher fat concentrates).

NOTE: Every Day Equine Supply Service will be hosting a stable nutrition management seminar at the farm in South Beloit, Illinois on April 26, 2004. Call Brain or Chris for details: (866) 211-3287 or (815) 703-2870 or 2871.

Score Name Description
1. Poor Animal extremely emaciated. Spinous processes, ribs, tailhead and hooks and pins projecting prominently. Bone structure of withers, shoulders and neck easily noticeable. No fatty tissues can be felt.

2. Very Thin Animal emaciated. Slight fat covering over base of spinous processes; transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded. Spinous processes, ribs, tailhead and hooks and pins prominent. Withers, shoulders and neck structures faintly discernible.

3. Thin Fat buildup about halfway on spinous processes; transverse
processes cannot be felt. Slight fat cover over ribs. Spinous processes and ribs easily discernible. Tailhead prominent, but individual vertebrae cannot be easily identified. Hook bones appear rounded, but easily discernible. Withers shoulders and neck accentuated.

4. Moderately Negative crease along back. Faint outline of ribs discernable. Tailhead prominence depends Thin on conformation, fat can be felt around it. Pin bones not discernible. Withers, shoulders and neck not obviously thin.

5. Moderate Back level. Ribs cannot be visually distinguished but can be easily felt. Fat around tailhead beginning to feel sppongy. Withers appear rounded over spinous processes. Shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body.

6. Moderately May have slight crease down back. Fat over ribs feels fleshy-spongy. Fat around tailhead Fat feels soft. Fat beginning to be deposited along the sides of the withers, behind the shoulder and along the side of the neck.

7. Fleshy May have crease down back. Individual ribs can be felt, but noticeable filling between ribs with fat. Fat around tailhead is soft. Fat deposited along withers, behind shoulders and along the neck.

8. Fat Crease down back. Difficult to feel ribs. Fat around tailhead very soft. Area along withers filled with fat. Area behind shoulder filled with fat. Noticeable thickening of neck. Fat deposited along inner thighs.

9. Extremely Obvious crease down back. Patchy fat appearing over ribs. Bulging fat around tailhead, Fat along withers, behind shoulders and along neck. Fat along inner thighs may rub together. Flank filled with fat.