Feeding your Horse

2. Do all you can to keep horses drinking, especially when transporting them - remember, if they're not drinking, they're usually not eating.

3. Base the feeding program on good quality roughage and only feed grain when needed to provide adequate levels of energy and/or protein.

6. Do not feed more than 0.5% equivalent of the horses body weight in grain at any one time (feeding).

8. Evaluate your horse's protein and amino acid requirement in terms of pounds or grams per day - not a percentage.

10. Match the protein content of your horse's selected grain mix with the protein level and amount of the selected roughage source. This helps ensure that the protein-to-calorie ratio is maintained within acceptable limits.

11. Ensure that your horse's mineral and vitamin requirements are met and are properly balanced by feeding a properly fortified product according to labeled directions.

13. When using alfalfa as the major roughage source for your horse, use a feed product that is designed to properly balance the high protein and calcium levels of the alfalfa.

Water is often the most overlooked dietary requirement of the horse. A water deficiency will get a horse into serious trouble faster than any other dietary problem.

The average water consumption of horses is approximately 10 to 15 gallons per day. Its not unusual for working horses or lactating mares to consume as much as 30 gallons or more within a 24 hour period.

As long as good quality water is available on a free choice basis , the horse will be able to adjust its intake to meet his/her requirement. If youre using the typical 5 gallon bucket hanging on the side of the stall to provide water to your horse(s), be sure to fill it often enough so that it always stays more than 1/4 full. If this is impractical, then hang a second or even a third bucket alongside the first in order to ensure each horse receives as much water as he/she wants.

Horses competing in long distance or endurance events should be allowed to drink as long as they are kept on the move. However, once they have completed the ride, they should be cooled out before being allowed free access to water.

In order to keep horses drinking while being transported or moved to new locations where the water quality and taste may differ from home, electrolytes can be added at half dose level; or vinegar can be added at the rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon in order to provide consistency to the water odor and taste. Be sure to accustom the horse to these additives before transporting. Remember, if horses aren't drinking, they're not eating - and won't be able to perform up to their potential.

All horses require a certain amount of bulk in their diet which is provided from roughage sources including hay, pasture, or other bulky ingredients such as shredded beet pulp. Shredded beet pulp is found in complete equine diets for horses suffering from emphysema or allergies - Manna Pros Sweet Rely is an excellent example.

Remember - horses are naturally designed to be constant grazers that take small amounts of forage on a regular and continuous basis. If they dont receive an adequate amount of bulk, their digestive systems will not be able to function normally. That predisposes the horse to colic, laminitis, inefficient feed utilization, and stable vices like wood chewing.

The preferred method of providing bulk to horses is to offer pasture and/or hay on a free choice basis 24 hours per day. However, if this isnt practical for your horses situation, a few simple guidelines will ensure that your horse obtains an adequate amount of bulk.

2. Feed hay and/or pasture at a rate that is equal to or greater than a minimum of 1% of your horses body weight. Example - For an 1100 pound horse: minimum bulk = 11 pounds per day.

3. Make sure that you know the protein level of the roughage source so that you can properly balance the entire diet of your horse.

4. When the majority of the bulk is supplied from alfalfa, use feed products that will correctly balance the high protein and calcium content of the alfalfa - like Manna Pros Alfa products.

5. Provide bulk from long stem fiber sources. Alfalfa pellets will provide fiber, but will not provide the bulk factor obtained from pasture, hay, or alfalfa cubes.

The horses energy status is fairly easy to evaluate by assessing the body condition of the horse. Horses should be maintained in a moderate body condition. Ribs should be covered with a layer of fat but easily felt. The topline should appear to be fairly flat when viewed from the side. Broodmares will reproduce more efficiently if kept in this condition on a year-round basis, instead of allowing them to lose weight during lactation and then placing them in a weight gaining situation prior to breeding.

In addition, horses maintained in a thin condition are more susceptible to disease and parasites and will fatigue easily during exercise. Horses maintained in a fat body condition are more susceptible to disease, colic, and founder.

Since alfalfa hay contains a substantial number of digestible calories per pound, horses fed alfalfa, exclusively as their roughage source, require smaller amounts of grain per day to meet their energy requirement. This is a definite advantage for the mature horse. However, caution should be taken when feeding alfalfa only to the young growing horse as described in the next section.

The major principle to remember in equine protein requirements is that horses require a certain amount of protein per day. "Percent protein" is meaningless to the horse.

Growing horses require critical amino acids such as lysine, methionine, threonine and tryptophan. The daily amount of protein and amino acids required by a growing horse is determined by the horses age, weight, growth rate, breed, health, metabolic rate, and environmental conditions.

For example, a 400 pound weanling at 5 months of age that is receiving enough energy per day to gain weight at a rate equal to 10% of its body weight per month with an expected mature weight of 1200 pounds requires 1.4 pounds of protein and 27 grams of lysine per day. If this same weanling only receives enough energy per day to gain weight at a rate equal to 5% of its body weight per month, its daily protein and lysine requirements would only be 1.1 pound and 21 grams, respectively.

Young growing horses should not be fed excess amounts of protein. (An excess is greater than 2X the requirement.) High protein intakes have been associated with certain types of developmental orthopedic disease.

Likewise, performance horses should not be fed high protein levels because protein not used for protein synthesis purposes is used as an energy source. When the horse uses protein for energy, he does so very inefficiently and produces extra body heat that can inhibit his/her performance if the environmental conditions are hot and/or humid.

When deciding what protein level (percentage) you should feed your horse, remember to balance the percent protein level of the grain mix with the percent protein level of your roughage. Horses receiving alfalfa hay should be fed a grain with a lower percent protein content than horses fed grass hay due to the higher protein content of the alfalfa.

Performance horses are usually fed enough total feed per day (to satisfy their energy requirement) that meeting their protein requirement in terms of pounds per day is seldom a problem, even if feeding a grain mix containing only 10% protein.

Mineral requirements of the horse are very complex and most often misunderstood. Many minerals interact with each other during the digestion and absorption process and also at the metabolic level. In certain cases, an excess intake of one mineral may cause a deficiency of a second mineral - even if that second mineral is available in the horses diet at what would normally be considered an adequate level.

The most appropriate example of this type of interaction is the relationship between calcium and phosphorus. High calcium levels are capable of creating a phosphorus deficiency in the horse - even though the intake of phosphorus would otherwise be considered adequate. The preferred calcium to phosphorus ratio is ont that is greater that 1.1 : 1 and less that 3.5 : 1 grams of calcium per gram of phosphorus.

This relationship also applies to zinc and copper. However, the acceptable zinc to copper ratio has a much wider range with greater than 2.4 : 1 and less that 5 : 1 milligrams zinc to milligrams copper being considered adequate.

Don't haphazardly supplement individual minerals to a horses diet. Used incorrectly, many minerals are capable of causing more harm than good. Without knowing your horses mineral requirements or the mineral composition of your horses selected diet components, the most efficient means of providing proper mineral nutrition to your horse is to select a feed products from a company that has demonstrated its commitment to proper equine nutrition and always feed them according to the labeled directions.

Mature, healthy horses are quite capable of meeting their vitamin requirements via intestinal synthesis, metabolic synthesis, or by consuming feedstuffs that contain natural vitamins or their precursors. For example, pasture contains a substantial level of carotene which can be used by the horse to synthesize some of its Vitamin A requirements.

However, young horses, performance horses, or horses under a greater than normal degree of stress due to disease, environment, or temperament may not get adequate supplies of certain vitamins to meet their requirements. These horses should receive vitamin supplementation according to their needs.

For example, performance horses will require greater amounts of Vitamin E, Vitamin C, thiamin, niacin, choline, and folic acid than pleasure horses. Rehabilitating horses may benefit from additional Vitamin A and B-complex supplementation.

If you find yourself reaching for vitamin supplements, remember that your horse will also require supplemental minerals. If a micro nutrient supplement is in order for your horse, use one that contains minerals and vitamins, not just one or the other.


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Provide water free choice at all times with the exception of the hot horse. 2. Do all you can to keep horses drinking, especially when transporting them - remember, if they're not drinking, they're usually not eating. 3. Base the feeding program on good quality roughage and only feed grain when needed to provide adequate levels of energy and/or protein. 4. Feed as often as possible - two to three times per day is the minimum. 5. Feed a minimum of 1% equivalent of the horse's body weight in roughage per day. 6. Do not feed more than 0.5% equivalent of the horses body weight in grain at any one time (feeding). 7. Never feed more grain than roughage on a pounds-of-dry-matter-per-day basis. 8. Evaluate your horse's protein and amino acid requirement in terms of pounds or grams per day - not a percentage. 9. Do not feed excessive levels of protein to growing or performance horses. 10. Match the protein content of your horse's selected grain mix with the protein level and amount of the selected roughage source. This helps ensure that the protein-to-calorie ratio is maintained within acceptable limits. 11. Ensure that your horse's mineral and vitamin requirements are met and are properly balanced by feeding a properly fortified product according to labeled directions. 12. Provide salt free choice. 13. When using alfalfa as the major roughage source for your horse, use a feed product that is designed to properly balance the high protein and calcium levels of the alfalfa. 14. Maintain horses in a moderate body condition. 15. Keep horses healthy with the help, services and advice of your selected equine practitioner. By Manno Pro WATER Water is often the most overlooked dietary requirement of the horse. A water deficiency will get a horse into serious trouble faster than any other dietary problem. The average water consumption of horses is approximately 10 to 15 gallons per day. Its not unusual for working horses or lactating mares to consume as much as 30 gallons or more within a 24 hour period. As long as good quality water is available on a free choice basis , the horse will be able to adjust its intake to meet his/her requirement. If youre using the typical 5 gallon bucket hanging on the side of the stall to provide water to your horse(s), be sure to fill it often enough so that it always stays more than 1/4 full. If this is impractical, then hang a second or even a third bucket alongside the first in order to ensure each horse receives as much water as he/she wants. Horses competing in long distance or endurance events should be allowed to drink as long as they are kept on the move. However, once they have completed the ride, they should be cooled out before being allowed free access to water. In order to keep horses drinking while being transported or moved to new locations where the water quality and taste may differ from home, electrolytes can be added at half dose level; or vinegar can be added at the rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon in order to provide consistency to the water odor and taste. Be sure to accustom the horse to these additives before transporting. Remember, if horses aren't drinking, they're not eating - and won't be able to perform up to their potential. Bulk All horses require a certain amount of bulk in their diet which is provided from roughage sources including hay, pasture, or other bulky ingredients such as shredded beet pulp. Shredded beet pulp is found in complete equine diets for horses suffering from emphysema or allergies - Manna Pros Sweet Rely is an excellent example. Remember - horses are naturally designed to be constant grazers that take small amounts of forage on a regular and continuous basis. If they dont receive an adequate amount of bulk, their digestive systems will not be able to function normally. That predisposes the horse to colic, laminitis, inefficient feed utilization, and stable vices like wood chewing. The preferred method of providing bulk to horses is to offer pasture and/or hay on a free choice basis 24 hours per day. However, if this isnt practical for your horses situation, a few simple guidelines will ensure that your horse obtains an adequate amount of bulk. 1. Feed high quality roughage that is free of noxious weeds, mold and other contaniments. 2. Feed hay and/or pasture at a rate that is equal to or greater than a minimum of 1% of your horses body weight. Example - For an 1100 pound horse: minimum bulk = 11 pounds per day. 3. Make sure that you know the protein level of the roughage source so that you can properly balance the entire diet of your horse. 4. When the majority of the bulk is supplied from alfalfa, use feed products that will correctly balance the high protein and calcium content of the alfalfa - like Manna Pros Alfa products. 5. Provide bulk from long stem fiber sources. Alfalfa pellets will provide fiber, but will not provide the bulk factor obtained from pasture, hay, or alfalfa cubes. Energy The horses energy status is fairly easy to evaluate by assessing the body condition of the horse. Horses should be maintained in a moderate body condition. Ribs should be covered with a layer of fat but easily felt. The topline should appear to be fairly flat when viewed from the side. Broodmares will reproduce more efficiently if kept in this condition on a year-round basis, instead of allowing them to lose weight during lactation and then placing them in a weight gaining situation prior to breeding. In addition, horses maintained in a thin condition are more susceptible to disease and parasites and will fatigue easily during exercise. Horses maintained in a fat body condition are more susceptible to disease, colic, and founder. Since alfalfa hay contains a substantial number of digestible calories per pound, horses fed alfalfa, exclusively as their roughage source, require smaller amounts of grain per day to meet their energy requirement. This is a definite advantage for the mature horse. However, caution should be taken when feeding alfalfa only to the young growing horse as described in the next section. Protein The major principle to remember in equine protein requirements is that horses require a certain amount of protein per day. "Percent protein" is meaningless to the horse. Growing horses require critical amino acids such as lysine, methionine, threonine and tryptophan. The daily amount of protein and amino acids required by a growing horse is determined by the horses age, weight, growth rate, breed, health, metabolic rate, and environmental conditions. For example, a 400 pound weanling at 5 months of age that is receiving enough energy per day to gain weight at a rate equal to 10% of its body weight per month with an expected mature weight of 1200 pounds requires 1.4 pounds of protein and 27 grams of lysine per day. If this same weanling only receives enough energy per day to gain weight at a rate equal to 5% of its body weight per month, its daily protein and lysine requirements would only be 1.1 pound and 21 grams, respectively. Young growing horses should not be fed excess amounts of protein. (An excess is greater than 2X the requirement.) High protein intakes have been associated with certain types of developmental orthopedic disease. Likewise, performance horses should not be fed high protein levels because protein not used for protein synthesis purposes is used as an energy source. When the horse uses protein for energy, he does so very inefficiently and produces extra body heat that can inhibit his/her performance if the environmental conditions are hot and/or humid. When deciding what protein level (percentage) you should feed your horse, remember to balance the percent protein level of the grain mix with the percent protein level of your roughage. Horses receiving alfalfa hay should be fed a grain with a lower percent protein content than horses fed grass hay due to the higher protein content of the alfalfa. Performance horses are usually fed enough total feed per day (to satisfy their energy requirement) that meeting their protein requirement in terms of pounds per day is seldom a problem, even if feeding a grain mix containing only 10% protein. Minerals Mineral requirements of the horse are very complex and most often misunderstood. Many minerals interact with each other during the digestion and absorption process and also at the metabolic level. In certain cases, an excess intake of one mineral may cause a deficiency of a second mineral - even if that second mineral is available in the horses diet at what would normally be considered an adequate level. The most appropriate example of this type of interaction is the relationship between calcium and phosphorus. High calcium levels are capable of creating a phosphorus deficiency in the horse - even though the intake of phosphorus would otherwise be considered adequate. The preferred calcium to phosphorus ratio is ont that is greater that 1.1 : 1 and less that 3.5 : 1 grams of calcium per gram of phosphorus. This relationship also applies to zinc and copper. However, the acceptable zinc to copper ratio has a much wider range with greater than 2.4 : 1 and less that 5 : 1 milligrams zinc to milligrams copper being considered adequate. Don't haphazardly supplement individual minerals to a horses diet. Used incorrectly, many minerals are capable of causing more harm than good. Without knowing your horses mineral requirements or the mineral composition of your horses selected diet components, the most efficient means of providing proper mineral nutrition to your horse is to select a feed products from a company that has demonstrated its commitment to proper equine nutrition and always feed them according to the labeled directions. Vitamins Mature, healthy horses are quite capable of meeting their vitamin requirements via intestinal synthesis, metabolic synthesis, or by consuming feedstuffs that contain natural vitamins or their precursors. For example, pasture contains a substantial level of carotene which can be used by the horse to synthesize some of its Vitamin A requirements. However, young horses, performance horses, or horses under a greater than normal degree of stress due to disease, environment, or temperament may not get adequate supplies of certain vitamins to meet their requirements. These horses should receive vitamin supplementation according to their needs. For example, performance horses will require greater amounts of Vitamin E, Vitamin C, thiamin, niacin, choline, and folic acid than pleasure horses. Rehabilitating horses may benefit from additional Vitamin A and B-complex supplementation. If you find yourself reaching for vitamin supplements, remember that your horse will also require supplemental minerals. If a micro nutrient supplement is in order for your horse, use one that contains minerals and vitamins, not just one or the other. All information by Manna Pro