Horse nutrition

General nutrition

10 things everyone should know about nutrition for the mature horse

Meeting the unique needs of a mature horse
Carbohydrates: the good, the bad, and the ugly

The different kinds of carbs found in horse feeds
Complications with feeding clover

Clover can be “too rich” or have mold.
Distillers dried grains with solubles

Useful, but not a balanced equine feed
Feeding fat to horses

Fat is calorically dense and easily digestible.
Feeding orphaned foals

Foals should eat 20-25% of their body weight per day.
Feeding the overweight horse

Reduce caloric intake and add light work.
Feeding your horse in winter

A horse's nutritional requirements change when the temperature falls.
Forage options for horses

Common alternatives to regular baled hay for horses; benefits and disadvantages of each

Forage testing—sugar

Learn about NFC, NSC, starch, and ESC.
Frost effect on plants

Some deciduous leaves and grass species can be deadly after a frost.
The importance of water

An exercising horse could need 12 to 16 gallons of water a day.
Low sugar forages

Some horses are sensitive to the sugar content of hay and pasture forages.
Not all horses should graze

Due to the sugar content of forage grasses
Nutrition of the weanling and yearling horse

Matching nutrition to your horse's growth rate
Nutritional value of forage after a frost

Legume quality deteriorates more rapidly than grass quality.
Vitamin and mineral nutrition of the horse

Quantities needed, supplement options

Choosing forages for horses

Consider plant maturity and species
Determining the value of rained on hay

Rain occurring while cut hay is in the field causes yield loss.
Do not feed moldy hay to horses

Molds in hay can cause respiratory problems.
Equine hay analysis

How to interpret hay analysis reports
Harvest moisture and bale wrapping affects forage quality and mold in grass round-bales

Research results detailing the effects
Harvesting ditch hay

Problems caused by ditch hay treated with picloram or clopyralid
Hay soaking

Used to manage horses diagnosed with laminitis, PSSM, HYPP, and COPD.
Horse hay suppliers in Minnesota

Hay and straw auctions (PDF)

Make better use of round-bales

Reduce hay waste by using feeders and properly storing hay
Preventing hay fires

Moisture is the key.
Purchasing and using certified hay

Find hay certified free of noxious weed seed.
Selecting a round-bale feeder for use during horse feeding

Research results from a study of nine round-bale feeders
Selecting and storing horse hay

Characteristics to evaluate and purchase hay for your horses
Storing round bales outside

Minimize loss due to weather.
Tips on buying horse hay

Consider content, nutrition, touch, smell, color, crop, and mold.
Using hay in equine diets

Example feeding programs for idle, working, and growing horses