Where I live....?

Question

Where I live there are 4 seasons. What do you suggest the proper feeding of a horse would be regarding the different seasons? And what about nutritional supplements, when is this necessary?

Answer 1

My feeds change a lot with the seasons.

During the winter my horses are kept in at nights and get haylage. They also get their bucket feeds which include sugar beet, chaff, chopped veg and their supplements.

This goes down gradually to Summer ( where they are turned out in pasture 24/7) right now they are getting just a tiny amount to give the supplements to the ones who need them. The two who don't need the supps just get a couple of carrots or a handful of chaff.

You base your feeds on the needs of your horse(s) not just on the time of year. I have one horse who needs a supplement year round, one who only needs it in Summer and 2 who don't need any. I also have one who will lose weight at a frightening rate and one who gets fat if he looks at feed, one who hots up and one who appears to be able to eat just about anything with no heating effect whatsoever.

Same as people really - they are all different.

Answer 2

Nutritional requirements are determined by workload and specific metabolic issues.  The need for supplements will be determined by the horse's work load, particular metabolism, and the quality of the forage (grass and hay ).  No matter what the season, a horse needs to get at least 2% of his BW in forage, and many horses do not need hard feed at all unless they cannot hold their weight.  Horses burn more calories in very cold weather as their body seeks to maintain the optimal internal temperature.

We add glucosamine and chondroitin with MSM, Farrier's Formula, stabilized flaxseed, and 2 - 4 oz of salt to each horse's feed.  ALL horses need salt added to their diet.  Other than that, if a horse is having a specific problem, it's addressed on an individual basis.  Older horses, mares in foal and lactating, and young horses have special requirements, but I don't think that's what your're looking for.

If your horse is healthy and not working really hard, you could get by with just making sure he or she gets lots of good forage, fresh water at all times, and 2-4 oz of salt.  You can have the content of your grass and hay checked to see if it needs to be balanced out with supplements, if you're worried about it.

Answer 3

we dont really change feed but we live somewhere where there's like no winter so that doesnt mean much

bump the feed up by like half (so from a scoop to a scoop and a half) in the winter... starting with a quarter more in the fall and then a quarter more in the spring and then normal in the summer...

so like

1 scoop in summer

1.25 scoop in fall

1.5 scoop in winter

1.25 scoop in spring

that way you can help cope for grass loss in fall and winter and also i would put them on more hay during the winter than in the summer... cuz they dont get as much grass in winter

Answer 4

I would say feed them a little bit more in the winter, because I think they probably use more energy when their bodies are keeping them warm.

Answer 5

You don't mention what age your horse/horses are...older horses require different supplements going into and through the winter months...contrary to many beliefs, the grain should remain the same, up your vegetable oil and make sure that you have good quality hay in front of your horses 24/7.  Horses get more heat from the roughage that they eat, because there is more digestion involved...also, if you have your horses stalled, you will need less heat producing feed than otherwise.

Answer 6

If you are going to alter the horse's diet at different times of the year, instead of thinking of temperature, decide based on activity.  For example, if your horse is shut in from the snow for an extended period, don't feed him as much.  Just like humans, horses will burn calories based on activity, not based on how cold or hot they are.  Keep your horse in shape by feeding him based on his activity

Answer 7

Feeding your horse is not necessarily going to change that much through the seasons, providing their routine is not changed. You may have to up the hay in the autumn and winter to compensate for poor pasture grazing etc.

What you must remember with feeding horses; You feed according to work load. For example, A horse in very light work or no work at all, would have very little grain but more hay/grass and visa versa. As far as supplements are concerned, feed according to the individual needs.

Answer 8

well it depends on the horse's routine.

A horse who is at grass full-time in spring and summer will not need forage, just a hard feed if in hard work; if not in work i would feed a fibre-based food once a day. However when it gets to autumn, you will need to increase the hard feed. In winter, keep autumn levels of hard feed but make sure your horse gets plenty of forage - it will give him/her slow-release energy to keep warm when grass is limited.

A horse who is turned out in the day and stabled at night should require the same as a grass-kept horse in spring and summer, but maybe a haynet or two in the night to keep the forage levels up! In the colder seasons, feed haynets 2-3 times when stabled, as well as more hard feed and maybe a few flaps of hay in the field during the day.

Stabled horses in work should only need a little more hard feed in cooler seasons; they should be allowed hay between 4 and 6 times a day, little and often. This frequency should be increased to 6 - 8 in winter.

A horse inside on box rest should have little "hard" feed, if any; if the horse loses weight easily a fibre-based hard feed may be fed. They should have forage instead frequently, because this will not make them excited but keep them healthy!

As a horse gets older food should be increased as the body functions will slow down. Most veterans prefer fibre and forage to hard feed: it is easier to eat, and healthier too.

Supplements are only really necessary if your horse loses weight extremely easily, has a behaviour or health problem related to the season, or has an unrelated problem.

Hope I helped! :D