Horse Feed

Feeding time at the ranch cafeteria style. Each horse has a specific diet and each. has his own bowl.

Kali is in charge of mixing the supplements and vitamins in the food. She also pours each serving and adds water.

Adding water prevents a horse choking if he eats too fast. Drinking a lot of water is healthy.

Selecting the Right Horse Feed

Choosing the right horse feed can be confusing. There are so many kinds to choose from as well as vitamins and supplements.

I was concerned about amount of horse feed I am presently giving.

Carmelo the Paso Fino was slightly underweight. It might have been because his sidekick Opie the Shetland pony was eating hay faster than he but I wanted to make sure that he had the correct portion of grains.

Charlotte and Black are 28 and 24 years old respectively. The right quantity of food is so important to older horses especially Charlotte. She is a Standard Bred, and has trouble keeping weight on.

Then there is our fat little pony, Opie.

I decided to call Marie-Élaine Smith the nutritionist from Agribrands Purina Canada.

Marie-Élaine Smith, Equine Certified Consultant

She is a certified equine consultant, has a degree in agronomy from Laval University and is a member of “Ordre des Agronomes du Québec”.

...And She does not charge for her consultation.

Marie-Élaine, spent over an hour with me and the horses. She evaluated the body condition of the horses and their feed.She assessed each one and gave her recommendations.

As I had suspected the 2 older horses were needed to augment their feed intake. They already receive a food specifically formulated for mature horses (15 years and older)It is called Equine Senior.

'Hi Fat Hi Fiber' is a horse feed with a lot of fat and fiber. It is a horse feed meant for performance horses, young horses and or horses that get too hot eating grain. I feed the younger horses this food.

I also give grain mix that is a 13% oil mix with oats, pellets containing minerals and vitamins and processed grains. I also mix in a 25lb bag of 'Hi Fat Hi Fiber'. This mix is economical does not contain molasses and meets the nutrional requirements of lightly active horses. Our Lawn ornaments.

Some horses, believe it or not have a hard time digesting oats. They get either 'Hi fat Hi fiber' and/or hay pellets. Hay pellets are just that – hay in pellet form. The pony received a half a scoop of hay pellets so he doesn’t feel left out when dinner time roles around.

Horse Supplements

I give my horses a vitamin supplement called Equi-Min. It is cheaper than Equalizer but is comparable in nutrients. It contains all the essential trace minerals and both fat and water soluble vitamins. I put it in their evening feed.

I also give them extruded flax seed. 1 quarter cup each evening.

Electrolytes are a salt based supplement to augment the amount of water a horse consumes. Water is so important. A horse that doesn't drink enough is a candidate for all sorts of problems especially colic.

Below is a summary of horse feed intake of each of my equine charges.

Chelsea Morning: Breed: Quarter Horse. Age: 13 years. Exercise: light trail riding. Feed: 1.2 kilos of hay pellets per day. Supplement: 3 scoops vitamin powder.

Sweet Nightmare:Breed: Quarter horse / Canadian cross. Age: 4 years. Exercise: light training. Feed: 1.2 kilo 'Hi Fat Hi Fiber'. Supplement: 2 scoops vitamin powder.

Opie: Breed: Shetland pony. Age: 13 years. Exercise: Hangs out and harasses Carmelo. Feed: A token amount of hay pellets twice a day. Supplement: 1 scoop vitamin powder.

Carmelo: Breed: Paso Fino. Age: 14 years. Exercise: light. Feed: 1.4 kilos Hi Fat Hi Fiber / 13% oil mix grain. Supplements: Electrolytes (1 scoop), 2 scoops vitamin powder.

Dolly: Breed: Quarter Horse. Age: 9. Exercise: Light. Feed: 700 grams 'Hi Fat Hi Fiber'. Supplement: 3 scoops vitamin powder

Charlotte: Breed: Standard Bred. Age: 18 years. Exercise: very light. Feed: 3 kilos Veiux Copain ( Senior Mix) / 700 grams Hay Pellets. Supplement: glucosamine / vitamin powder.

Black: Breed: Quarter Horse Age: 24 years. Exercise: moderate. Feed: 2 kilos 13% Oil Mix / Senior / Hi Fat Hi Fiber. Supplement: glucosamine and vitamin powder.

Rio Grande: Breed: Paint. Age: 9 years. Exercise: light. Feed: 1.2 kilo Hay pellets. Supplement: 3 scoops vitamin powder.

FiFi: Breed: Canadian/any bodies guess. Age: 4 years. Exercise: light. Feed: 1.2 kilo Hay Pellets. Supplement: 3 scoops vitamin powder.

When I use the term scoop, it is the scoop that comes in the supplement container.