If you have horses you will know how vital it is to feed them properly. Their diet is crucial to their health and wellbeing. It can also have a big impact on performance if you use them for any kind of physical work. Below we want to look at some of the best tips here to ensure you have happy, healthy animals. We will also cover things like horse feed storage.

Feeding schedule

The ideal diet for a horse is similar to what you would expect with a world class athlete; eat small amounts more regularly. It is especially good for horses because they are naturally trickle feeders. This is because they have rather small stomachs for their size. Plus, they are inelastic and can’t stretch to accommodate a great deal of food.

Think about bodyweight

The nutrient requirements of every horse are dictated by their bodyweight. Larger heavier horses will require more nutrients and therefore you need to give them more horse feed.

Weighing feed

You should be feeding horses by weight rather than volume. This will make it easier for you to ensure you are giving the animals the right amount. As part of this you must think about feed density. You won’t need as much of denser feeds.

Manage feed carefully

How would you feel if your diet was mouldy bread and out of date meat? The same goes for horses. If you want them to be healthy, you need to give them quality food and should always stick to the use by dates. The latter is particularly important because the nutrient value of feed can drop dramatically after this point.

A crucial thing here is to ensure you store your horse feed properly. You should keep it in secure containers in cool, dark places. This will help to reduce the risk of it getting mouldy and dusty. The containers will also stop pests from getting into it. It will be much better for your animals and reduce the risk of illnesses and diseases, including colic and respiratory problems.

Forage is important

While quality feed is essential, you also need to make sure your horses are getting enough forage. It is crucial for getting fibre in their diet and other nutrients. It will help with digestive health, energy, and absorbing nutrients. You could choose hay, grass, or certain cereal crops here. It should never be less than 1.5% of bodyweight per day.

Watering

While feed is vital, you also need to make sure your horses have enough water. An idle horse in normal weather can drink 25 litres or more per day. Consumption will increase in hotter weather and due to work or exercise. So, you must ensure you provide enough clean, fresh water.

Speak to us if you need to order horse feed

JS Hubbucks Ltd is proud to stock a selection of high quality feed for horses. Everyone can buy from us with confidence, knowing they will receive great products for fantastic prices. We manage everything properly to maintain the quality. Plus, we also offer reliable delivery.

So, if you need horse feed you can rely on us. Get in touch today to find out more about the products we have to offer or to ask any questions.