Four Reasons To Review Your Horse's Diet

Four Reasons To Review Your Horse's Diet

- Christine Barakat with Melinda Freckleton

Consistency is a good thing when it comes to equine diets. If your horse is doing well on his current feed, there’s no need to go messing with it. But there are times in a horse’s life when his diet needs to be reexamined and a change in feed may be warranted. Here are four such times:

CHANGE OF LIFE STAGE

There are feeds formulated and marketed for every life stage a horse may go through, from growing weanling to mature senior. As a horse moves through these stages, his nutritional needs can change significantly, so he may benefit from switching to a feed made specifically for his new situation. As your horse reaches different age-related milestones, keep an eye on his overall condition, and be prepared to make an adjustment in his feed if necessary.

CHANGE IN ACTIVITY LEVEL

A busy athlete may need a high-calorie, nutrientrich feed, while that same horse on an extended break between seasons has much different dietary needs. Likewise, the energy requirements will grow for a pleasure horse who is stepping up his activity level before a busy trail season.

Anytime a horse’s activity level changes, it’s wise to consider whether his ration is still appropriate. Sometimes, simply feeding more or less of the same product is fine, but you may need to switch to different information altogether to best support his new lifestyle.

CHANGE IN GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION