What do Horses Eat?

Horses are primarily grazing animals and hence, their diet consists of plenty of good quality hay and pasture. Horses are a member of the family Equidae and they were first domesticated by humans around 4000 BC. Today, majority of horses are domesticated horses. If you are considering to become the proud owner of this magnificent animal, then consider to acquire some basic knowledge about horse care. The basic horse care usually begins with a healthy diet.

Horse Diet

The levels of feed required for horses depends mainly on the age, weight, overall health condition, along with the activity level of the horses. In general, a horse needs 2 to 2.2 pounds of feed for every 100 pounds of body weight. Primarily, horse diet consists of forage from hay and pasture, as they are herbivores. The digestive system of herbivores is adapted to digest grasses and other plant materials. Following are the food that your horse would surely love to relish.

Pasture and Hay
Pasture and hay are the staple food of horses. In fact, horses can survive on pasture and hay only, if they are not doing any heavy work. But, be sure to feed them quality hay and pasture. While purchasing hay for your horses, make sure that it is free of mold and dust. Feeding moldy and dirty hay can cause various health problems including, colic and respiratory problems. There are different types of hay for horses including, alfalfa, oat, bermuda and grass hay such as, Timothy and orchard. You can find hay in the form of bales, pellets and in cubes. Alfalfa hay contains much higher level of protein, as compared to grass hay. Consumption of too much of alfalfa hay can cause diarrhea in horses, which should be kept in mind while feeding your horse.

Concentrates
In addition to hay and pasture, concentrates is another important component of a horse diet. Concentrates are especially required for providing enough nutrition for pregnant and nursing mares, as well as the highly active horses. The youngsters should also be fed concentrates in order to promote their growth. The most common concentrates for horses are grains like oats, barley, corn and beet pulp. Beet pulp needs to be soaked in water for some time before feeding the horse. Sweet feed is another good concentrate, which is made by mixing grains with molasses. Concentrates are basically meant to supplement forage or hay to provide better nutrition to horses.

Other Foods
Try giving them some carrots and apples. In fact, horses love to eat fruits and vegetables and out of them, apples and carrots are their favorites. Many horse owners prefer to give these to their horses an occasional 'treat'. Horse treats can be made with carrots, apples, oats and molasses. You can also give your horses supplements like corn oil and cod liver oil. However, be sure to talk to a veterinarian in order to know the appropriate dosage of such supplements and how frequently these can be given.

A small amount of rice bran can also be given to horses. But, horses should be given only stabilized rice bran. In addition to these, salt blocks are very important for the health of your horses. This is because, the foods that horses usually eat are low in sodium and chlorine. A trace mineralized salt block is especially ideal for horses. If horses are not getting enough salt and minerals, you can observe them to lick the dirt.

Food to be Avoided by Horses

Certain foods and plants are not good for horses. In fact, a few foods and plants can be quite harmful for the health of horses. Wild blue flax, elderberry, milkweed, oleander, lily of the valley, water hemlock, yew and foxglove can be toxic for horses. On the other hand, horse chestnut, pokeweed, azaleas, mesquite and laurel can cause diarrhea and colic in horses. In addition to these, it is better to avoid giving them Sudan grass, ryegrass, tall fescue and too much of red clover, sweet clover and bran rice or wheat.

In addition to the above mentioned foods, your horses would need plenty of water, about 38 to 45 liters of water daily. So, make sure that enough clean and fresh water is available for them. Another important point to be kept in mind while feeding horses is that they tend to overeat, if given a chance, which can cause laminitis. Therefore, it is better to feed them little and frequent meals.