# What should i feed my horse?



## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Is the horse under or over weight? Otherwise, the best for them is grass. Next would be a good quality hay. If they have either and have it freechoice 24/7, they really don't need anything else. They really shouldn't need any supplements unless they have hoof, joint or tendon problems. We only give ours a low protein sweet feed as a treat during the summer and sweet feed mixed with soaked beet pulp in the colder months about 4 times a week. Their treat is between 1/2 and a full scoop and winter feeding is about 1 scoop of each.

I don't know what chaff or cool is, so I can't help with that. Where our horses are boarded, not being biased, out of about 20 horses, our horses look the best. Most of the rest look thin and the vet always rates ours at a 5 or maybe a 6 on the BSI(Body Score Index). We've noticed that the stable has started to feed the other horses the same way that we have fed ours.


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## auTBrider (Feb 6, 2011)

Ok thakyou  Chaff is a type of grass which is chopped up finely to feed to horses and cows here in Australia as a roughage. Cool is a type of grain food which most people use for horses that are in any sort of work.

Thaks for the advice ill keep that in mind


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

If you're feeding grass hay, you could go with just a lurcerne chaff with a vit/min supplement mixed in. I would only add "feed" if your horse seems to need it.

If you're not feeding any hay, only chaff, then I would go with a mixed blend of lucerne/grass or lucerne/timothy, about 40% lucerne (alfalfa). Your horse should be getting 1.5-3% of their body weight in hay/grass every day. Most horses in light to moderate work won't need much, if any, "feed" if your hay/pasture is good enough quality.


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## ShinaKonga (Jun 24, 2010)

I usually use a general rule that somebody said on this forum before- one pound of hay to every hundred pounds of horse. My boy is 900 pounds and gets roughly nine pounds of hay a day- about nine and a half or ten since its quite a cold winter out here in the Northwest states. That tidbit about the 1 to 100 really helped me out when I first got my horse, since I was _very_ convinced I was going to underfeed him and kill him overnight  New owner worries.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

free choice hay if possible if not then aim for 1 to 2% of his ideal body weight in hay a day 

add a good solid vitamin/mineral supplement designed to balance the type of hay you will be feeding 

avoid grains (corn, oats and barley) at all cost


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

1% of body weight a day would only work for a VERY easy keeper horse, in no work to very light work. I feed my horses, even the easy keepers, 2.5-3% of their body weight a day in mixed grass hay (bermuda/bahai mix), or about 25-30 lbs a day. When it's very cold like it has been, I increase it to 30-40 lbs a day.

Most horses with free choice hay will consume 3-4% of their body weight in forage daily.


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## auTBrider (Feb 6, 2011)

Thaks so much guys its been really helpful


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

An Aussie perspective. My horses are all fat as mud at the moment in Canberra. 

One is muzzled 24/7 and they are both in light work. 

I'm giving them two small handfuls of Hygain Showtorque to supply some protein, oils, and some energy along with making them nice and shiny. Small handful of soaked lucerne cubes to add some forage, stick it together and it is good for their gut. I top dress it with konkhes own cell vital as I'm not feeding the reccomended amount of the showtorque. 

I can recommend feedxl - a program that balances feeds for you. It has most Australian feeds and I use it a lot.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## auTBrider (Feb 6, 2011)

thanks! an aussie reply is always good


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## RedTree (Jan 20, 2010)

Oh another Aussie opinion 
I have a TB as well and struggle with his weight but I think I have finaly gotten on top of it 

He gets 2 hard feeds a day, which consist of shandy chaff(mix of lucene and wheaten), Sunflower seeds, ACV and Equinm(a vitiam supplement designed for WA soils)
He also gets hay 1-2 times a day which is 2 of meadow and 1 of lucene.
If he gets hay once a day I turn him out for the day into a big paddock which has grass


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