Horses need ALOT of food to gain. It takes approximately 20lbs of food for every 1lb. of gain, unlike say, a pig, which only takes about 3lbs of food for every 1lb of gain (and as we all know, alot less than that for us humans :p)
That being said, we also need to understand how a horse's digestive system works. Horses are monogastric, which means that unlike ruminants, but much like humans and other animals, horses only have one chamber in their stomachs. However, unlike other monogastric species, the horse has a very large cecum, which is the first portion of the large intestine or colon. Because of this enlargement, horses are able to digest roughage better than other monogastric species- it is what they are built for. So, if a horse digests fiber better, why shouldn't that be the better portion of it's diet?
A catch? Yes. It must be the right kind of fiber. There are two types of fiber, but only one is most digestable and easier used by the body. The stalkier the fiber source, the less digestable it is due to the type of fiber that makes it.
While I was still trying to battle the windsucking problem, Texas was in his stall all day because he wouldn't graze. Because of this, not only did I provide him with 2 flakes of T &A during the day (in between feedings) but I also added 1 scooop of T&A pellet to his food at every feed (2 scoops daily) to make up for lost fiber. Why T&A instead of alfalfa or something else? Well, I like to use a lesser protien when a horse is in a stall to reduce the chances of colic or founder. However, since his teeth were so bad, he wouldn't eat say, a coastal or harmathia like the roll I have out in the pasture. T&A pellet are also suprisingly low in protien, but very high in the desirable fiber!
So if it's fiber they need, why not use a bran mash? Great question! I thought the same thing. But here's your problem. I feed my horses bran mash once or twice a week, but not every day for this main reason: Bran mash will mess with the vital bacteria in the secum, thus throwing of the horse's ability to digest food properly if fed in excess. This can lead to colic among many other things. So keep this in mind!!! It's very good to feed them this if you don't feel like feeding a sand collic supplement or are experiencing other digestive problems, however remember that there is a reason they feed this in such instances- it cleans out everything!
Now that the windsucking problem is under control, however, I still continue with the T&A while he is in his stall, but while he is at pasture (usually up to 6-8 hours a day) I have a large harmathia roll available for free choice feeding, as well as grass which, by the way, is LOADED with nutrients.
So we have covered fiber, which as a general rule, should be about 10-15lbs of the 20lbs we talked about earlier. The rest should be taken up by concentrates. Concentrates are as the name suggests: vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients in a concentrated form.
I swear by Safe Choice feed by Nutrena. This, in my opinion, is the best stuff on the market. Alot of people around here are in love with Horseman's Edge which is a 12% feed with 6% fat. Safe Choice is a 14% pelleted feed (also, apparently, can be bought as a 12% , though I haven't seen it) with 7% fat and DOES NOT make the horse hyper! Samone gets hot on some feeds- I had her on Dumor 14% and she was wild. This is due to the controlled starch/high fiber formula in Safe Choice. And, you want to know the best part? It is specifically designed to be able to be fed to ALL horses in every stage of life! Cool, huh? All my horses, even Samone (who is very hard to keep) do well on it. Tex is 5, Emma is 14 and Samone is 24 and all do great on it. I also use Standlee Alfalfa Cubes. I always soak these down, especially for Texas. He choked the second day I had him, and I stayed up until 1 o'clock in the morning with him because of it. Not a good experience. My mares can take it dry or not but I will say this: I wet my food...soak it actually, for both Samone and Texas. Why? It reduces feed waste for horses that drop feed, like both these guys do. I know it has to do with their teeth- I have to get them floated- but even then they still drop. By reducing feed wate and by partially breaking down the food, the horse's body is able to utilize more feed and do so more efficiently. As long as you don't let it soak for too long, (I let it soak for about 15 minutes, or until I can break apart the cubes with no effort by hand) there is no risk of mold, and you are able to more accurately measure how much food your horse is actually receiving.
With 1 scoop of Safe Choice, 1 scoop of Alfalfa Cubes, and half a scoop of cracked corn, Texas receives about 2 gallons of food at every meal according to the measurements on the bucket I use (after it is soaked). (any flat back bucket should have these measurements. These were on sale at my local TSC for $8.00)
Both my mares get 1/2 scoop of Safe Choice, 1 scoop of Alfalfa, and 1/4 scoop of cracked corn which is approximately 1 gallon or 1 1/4 gallon of food, only once a day and this mantains them well.
Usually, what I feed Tex is over the 20lbs of food described, but Texas is very large and that estimate is for the average 1,000lb horse. He should be about 1,500.
I'm sure you are also wondering, "Why did she mention cracked corn?"
Corn is one of THE best ways to put weight on an animal. This is why it is usually the first ingredient in any dog or cat food or livestock pellet. This is also how cowboys and farmers back in the day fed everything efficiently. It kept the animals healthy and was easy to grow. However, there are two problems- it makes a horse hot becuause of the starch content and is harder to digest. This is why I use 1/2 scoop of cracked corn. By using cracked corn, when I look at my horses feces, you can tell there is none being used as waste since it is already ground down to small peices, and 1/2 scoop seems to keep the horse from being hot.
Supplements? Yes, I almost forgot!
Omagatin and Focus Senior. I swear by both of these. Omagatin is a 24% fat supplement that comes in a 50gal. container and lasts very long and Focus Sr. is a great all-round supplement.
How much do I spend? I usually spend around $60.00 or $70.00 at every trip to Tractor Supply plus $35.00 for a round bale and $16.00 for two bales of T&A (about $200.00), but have recently found a very good feed store call Mary Lou's that is much cheaper.
