What role does diet play in a horse’s digestive health?

The role of diet is crucial for a horse’s digestive health. Horses are particularly prone to digestive issues, and their diet is a significant factor influencing the incidence of colic, a common abdominal issue in horses. A balanced diet of pasture forage, harvested roughages, and concentrates is typically adequate for horses.

How Does Diet Impact a Horse’s Digestive System?

A horse’s digestive system is unique. Perissodactyls, including horses, have a simple, small, undivided stomach, making up only 8.5% of their digestive system, in contrast to an ox’s 71%. Horses have a very long intestine, and a large cecum and colon that macerate, ferment, and dissolve fibrous portions of food.

What are the Nutritional Requirements for Horses?

The specific nutritional needs of horses can usually be met with pasture forage, harvested roughages, and concentrates. Good quality grass-legume pastures and iodized or trace-mineralized salt provide sufficient nutrients for adult horses doing light work or for pregnant mares. Lush, early spring pasture, high in water and protein, may need a high-energy supplement like grain for horses performing medium to heavy work. Late fall and winter pasture forage, low in water and protein, may need protein and vitamin A supplementation.

What Types of Feed Should Be Avoided?

Moldy or dusty feeds should be avoided, as horses are very susceptible to forage poisoning and respiratory issues. Silages of all sorts should be avoided because horses and mules are extremely susceptible to botulism and digestive upsets.

What are the Best Grains and Forages for Horses?

Oats are a preferred grain for horses due to their bulk. Corn, barley, wheat, and milo can be used if they are less expensive. Early bloom alfalfa is a high-quality legume hay that is especially good for growing or lactating horses. Grass hays like timothy, prairie grass, orchard grass, and bluegrass were preferred by early horsemen, especially for racehorses, because they were usually free from mold and dust and tended to slow down the rate of passage through the intestinal tract. However, these hays are low in digestible energy and protein and must be supplemented adequately.

How Does Colic Relate to a Horse’s Diet?

Dietary changes are a significant factor influencing the incidence of colic. More than 70 causes of colic have been identified, including impaction and twisting of the digestive tract, which can be influenced by diet.

How Can Complete Horse Rations Help?

A large number of horses stabled in cities and suburbs where sufficient roughages cannot be grown create a large market for complete horse rations, including roughage. These rations are tailored to the total needs of specific animals according to their particular function at a given time, such as growth, pregnancy, lactation, or maintenance.

People Also Ask (PAA)

How quickly do foals begin to eat solid food?

Foals will start to nibble on pasture grass, forage, or hay at about three days old, and they will begin to eat grain at around three weeks old.

How much should I feed my horse daily?

Weanling foals need about three pounds of feed per hundred pounds of live weight each day. As they get closer to maturity, this drops to about one pound of feed per hundred pounds of live weight daily. Horses typically reach their mature weight before they are four years old, and 80% of their mature weight before they are two years old.

What are the signs of colic in horses?

Signs of colic include pawing the ground, kicking at the abdomen, and rolling from side to side.

In summary, a balanced and appropriate diet is essential for maintaining a horse’s digestive health and preventing issues like colic.

Want to learn more about specific nutrients and supplements for horses?