As horse owner's we try to do what is best for our horse, mini, mini donkey and donkey, draft horses too,  as we also try to save money and stick to a budget.  I get it,  I currently own an Arabian and 4 mini mares.  Being an equine nutritionist, testing my hay and my well water I know what is lacking, what I need to add to their diet to balance things out or to add to.  Not everyone can do that especially if you are at a boarding facility or do not have a consistent source for hay.

Determine your horses nutritional needs by testing your hay and your water, find out what is lacking and then supplement to that.  Buy the best quality hay you can find, although it may be a bit more expensive  high quality hay has more nutrients and will cost far less then purchasing cheaper hay and having to supplement with a concentrated bag feed. 

I don't recommend "fad" hay like Teff but stick with the hay that has always been grown in our area or is available like Orchard, Meadow Mix or Bermuda.  Organic hay is becoming hard to find and many of the hay seeds the farmers grown have gone GMO to withstand the Round Up, so as horse owner's we are a bit stuck when we try to get a stack of hay. 

Prioritize hay/forage over concentrates full of all kinds of ingredients and additives you cannot even pronounce.  Concentrated bag feed is often full of soy as well which can cause over all body inflammation and other hormonal issues.

Consider mixing your own feed (grain/ ration) - instead of buying the "bag feed" - this allows you to feed a more clean feed and you can add things like Speedi Beet,  Rice Bran Meal, Kelp, Rose Hips and other naturally sourced ingredients. Buying ready made concentrated grain/bag feed is expensive and not always in the best interest of your horses' health.

When feeding hay/forage I free feed in hay nets and Hay Pillows for less waste but also because they can "naturally" feed all day as often as they want.  Many do like to weigh their hay rather than feed by volume (which also saves money) then add it to a hay bag or Hay Pillow.  I give me herd a choice of Bermuda or Orchard in separate bags so they pick from what they want or need, they prefer Orchard over Bermuda of course but still have a choice.  In the morning they get a small amount of free fed Alfalfa on their mats, the rest of the day they have dry lots with some short winter rye they nibble on.

I do my own bucket feed for my herd, I use Mountain Sunrise Timothy Pellets, maybe some Alfalfa Pellets at half the amount of the Timothy pellets, Rice Bran meal, Kelp, and Speedi Beet which I soak together, then I add either High Point for grass diets or add Best of the Best which both are excellent vitamin mineral supplements, Best of the Best is High Point for Grass and Pasture diets and Arizona Copper Complete blended together for "The Best of the Best"! 

I also add, especially in the fall and winter, a small sprinkling or topper of Modesto Plus Organic Non GMO whole grains which has oats, barley, split peas and more.  I like to switch up my vitamin/mineral additives so I will also use just  Arizona Copper Complete part of the year - a much better product then California Trace I have found.  Or will use just High Point pellets for grass hay and pasture diets.

More importantly however, for the best of health my herd does get daily digestive enzymes and probiotics in our Equine Zyme.  Not only does it keep their immune health on tract but they digest more of the nutrients in the hays I feed and their bucket feeds as well.

You can find Equine Zyme, High Point and Best of the Best in the Earth Song Ranch Store.