Tips To Take Care of Your Horse
Remember that old nursery rhyme that begins like, “Hay is for Horses” and so on? Well, this is sound advice when it comes to feeding your companion equines. The following blog post includes more advice and tips, on how to take better care of your beloved horse.
Feed Your Horse Several Small Meals a Day
Just like cows, the stomachs of horses are also developed for grazing which means that your horse will function better with a feeding plan that is based on the ‘little and often’ concept. Additionally, horses should be given several small meals as recommended by experts. By several, we mean at least two or more than 3 in the day. Using probiotics for horses such as our Great Gut Equine Specific Probiotic Supplements will ensure that your horses intestinal and digestive tracts will stay healthy and free of disease.
Grain Isn’t Necessary In the Feed Plan
Even fairly active horses don’t require the extra calories that are found in grains. Adding such a food item to the feeding plan in excess can increase chances of muscle, joint and bone problems in both young and adult horses. It’s a much better idea to base your horse’s diet on food items that are low in energy, such as hay and grass.
Be Aware of Your Horses Individual Needs
Consider the condition and activity level when feeding your horse, as each horse is different from each other. You will find that some horses need to eat more feed per unit of their body weight, as they have difficulty getting energy from it, while other horses need to only eat between 2 to 4 percent daily of their body weight. The individual needs of your horse can be determined by a veterinarian.
Provide a Supplementary Salt Block
The reason for this is simple. Most feeds don’t contain the needed mineral content that provides the horse with optimal health and peak performance. By giving your horse free access to a salt block, this will help stabilize their pH and electrolyte levels, as well as trace minerals. Plenty of fresh water should also be available at all times to negate the concern of salt overconsumption. Lets keep your horses hydrated.
Dental Care & Your Horse’s Diet Are Connected
You should pay equal attention to the teeth of your horse as you do, to its coat or to their horse hoof care. When your horse reaches the age of 5, annual dental checkups by a professional veterinarian should be conducted. Annual checkups of the teeth will tell you whether filing is needed. Tooth quality is also considered when deciding the diet of the horse, i.e. when deciding whether or not to include processed grains.
Placing Caution to Exercise
Horses that are stabled need exercise, as that will enable them to eat and digest food better, which decreases the risk of colic conditions. In addition, your horse will need to finish eating at least an hour before doing some hard work and shouldn’t be fed grain based feed immediately after the exercise, i.e. when the horse is tired or hot. A blanket can be placed on the horse to prevent cooling off too quickly.
