How much should I feed my horse?
How much should I feed my horse?
Clare Barfoot BSc (Hons) RNutr, SPILLERS® nutritionist
Do you know how much the recommended amount of feed for your horse should be? If the answer is no, then you are not alone. Add this to the people who know the recommended amount but don’t feed it, and this describes most horse owners.
So if you are not feeding the recommended amount of compound feed is this a problem? Well, potentially yes. Cubes and mixes are designed to supply all your horses’ nutritional requirements when fed in conjunction with grass or forage. Most products’ feeding recommendations are based on the feed accounting for 30% of the diet or in other words 3kg’s per day to the average 500kg riding horse. But how many horses in light work actually need this amount of feed all year around? Recent market research has shown that 38% of horse owners asked feed less than the recommended level. The main reasons owners do this is due to their horse’s temperament for example the horse becoming too fizzy, due to the time of year; most owners drop their horse’s feed during the summer months as grazing is abundant or simply because their horse is a good doer and doesn’t require the extra calories that a mix or cube supplies. This means that unless you feed a vitamin and mineral supplement your horse will not be receiving his full complement of vitamins and minerals and this in time may lead to deficiencies which can affect his overall health and well being. Totally relying on grass to provide everything your horse needs is risky. The nutritional value of grass varies hugely from pasture to pasture and at different times of the year. Therefore you can’t guarantee that your pasture is rich in trace elements, this is particularly true of selenium as much of the UK is deficient in this important trace element that acts as a powerful antioxidant and is fundamental for a healthy immune system. Other trace element deficiencies such as copper, zinc and manganese can result in poor coat or hoof quality.
This situation has led SPILLERS® to develop a concentrated feed perfectly suited to all the situations where you may be feeding less than the recommended amount to your horse or pony. SPILLERS® Cool Concentrate is the first concentrated non-heating mix on the market that supplies all your horse’s vitamin and mineral requirements in the handy amount of 500 grams without unwanted extra calories. The feed comes packed with vitamins and minerals of which copper, selenium, zinc and manganese are chelated to support overall health and wellbeing with the added benefits of vitamin C to support respiratory health, a live yeast to support a healthy gut, a full 15mg of biotin to support hoof health and a balanced blend of amino acids, omega 3 and 6 oils to support joint health. With added hedgerow herbs and dried lucerne your horse will also love the taste of new SPILLERS® Cool Concentrate.
For more information on new SPILLERS® Cool Concentrate please call the SPILLERS® Careline on 01908 226626.