The Best Natural Horse Nutrition for Health

Keeping our horses healthy is very important to horse owners. Horses are natural grazers with special dietary needs. This guide will cover the best ways to feed them naturally for good health and energy.

Key Takeaways

• Horses are non-ruminant herbivores that have evolved to consume a diet rich in forage, such as grass and hay.
• Providing a balanced diet with the right nutrients, including fiber, protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins, is essential for equine health.
• Incorporating high-quality grass hay and fresh pasture grass into your horse's diet can meet their nutritional needs naturally.
• Supplementing with natural grains and pellets can help fill any nutritional gaps, but should be done in moderation.
• Maintaining proper hydration by ensuring your horse has access to clean, fresh water is crucial for their overall well-being.

Understanding a Horse's Dietary Needs

Horses are non-ruminant herbivores. This means they have a special digestive system for eating forage and grasses. They evolved to eat plants to get the nutrients they need. Their digestive tract is between 75 and 100 feet long!

Horses' Evolutionary Adaptations

Horses don't have a four-chambered stomach like cows do. Instead, they have a single-chambered stomach and a long digestive system. This setup helps them break down cellulose in grasses and other plants. They get important nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins from their food.

Nutrients Essential for Equine Health

• Carbohydrates: The main energy source for horses, coming from grasses, hays, and grains.
• Proteins: Important for building muscles, fixing tissues, and keeping the immune system strong.
• Fats: Give horses a lot of energy and help with absorbing vitamins that need fat to work.
• Minerals: Important for strong bones, enzymes, and keeping the body's electrolytes balanced.
• Vitamins: Needed for many body functions, like seeing well and staying healthy in reproduction.

Knowing what horses need to eat helps us give them a diet that keeps them healthy and happy. This diet is based on their natural eating habits.

The Importance of Forage in a Horse's Diet

Forage should be the main part of your horse's diet. It includes grass and hay and is key for their health and well-being. Horses are meant to eat forage, so it's vital for their health and how well they perform.

Grass is a great forage choice for horses. It's full of essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber they need for digestion, muscles, and energy. Letting horses graze helps them act naturally and keeps their digestive system healthy.

• Grass gives horses a balanced mix of nutrients for their health.
• Grazing helps horses act naturally and lowers the chance of health problems.
• Pasture lets horses control how much they eat and meet their nutritional needs.

High-quality hay is also key for a horse's diet. Hay, like timothy or grass hay, is full of fiber and important nutrients. When there's no pasture, hay is a good choice to keep your horse eating well. But Timothy can be high in sugars and also fiber so some horses may have an issue with it!

A horse's diet should focus on forage for their health and happiness. With a diet rich in forage, your horse will get the right nutrition to stay healthy and in top shape.

Best Natural Horse Nutrition for Health

For your horse's health and well-being, natural nutrition is crucial. Grass hay and fresh pasture grass are top choices that offer many benefits.

Grass Hay: A Nutrient-Rich Option

Grass hay, like timothy hay, is a key part of a horse's diet. It's full of nutrients, minerals, and fiber important for their digestive system, body weight, and health. Unlike many other feeds, grass hay is a natural source of these important elements. It's a great choice for natural horse feeding.

Providing Fresh Pasture Grass

High-quality grass hay and fresh pasture grass are great for your horse. Grass is a big part of a horse's diet. Letting them graze in a pasture meets their dietary and nutritional needs. The variety of grasses and minerals in a pasture help with digestive health, respiratory health, and prevent problems like colic and laminitis.

Adding these natural forages to your horse's diet ensures they get the nutrients, minerals, and fiber they need. This helps them stay healthy and in top shape.

Supplementing with Natural Grains and Pellets

Forage should be the main part of a horse's diet. But, adding high-quality grains and pellets is key for their health. These supplements give a boost of essential nutrients. They help with growth, health, and performance.

Choosing High-Quality Grains

When picking grains for your horse, go for ones that are tasty and full of nutrients. Great options include:

• Oats: A classic grain that is easily digestible and provides a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber.
• Barley: A grain that is higher in energy and can be beneficial for horses with higher activity levels.
• A whole food type of 'grain" like Modesto Milling Organic Senior Feed has some grains and other whole foods extruded.
  
• Extruded feeds: These processed grains are easier for horses to digest, making the nutrients more readily available.

Make sure the grains or pellets you pick are top-notch, free from mold, and right for your horse's needs. Talking to an equine nutritionist can help you make a plan that keeps your horse healthy and happy.

By picking and adding natural grains and pellets to your horse's diet, you're giving them a complete source of nutrients. This supports their health and happiness. Always consult with your vet or an equine nutritionist to make sure you're meeting your horse's needs.

Balancing Nutritional Requirements

It's key to make sure your horse gets the right mix of nutrients for their health and happiness. As they age or change their activity level, their diet needs might change too. By knowing what each horse needs, owners can tailor a nutrition plan just for them.

Adjusting for Age and Activity Level

Horses of all ages and activity levels have different nutritional needs. Older horses might need food that's easy to digest and has more energy to keep them in good shape. Horses that are working hard or doing lots of exercise need more calories and protein to keep going. But mature horses that don't move as much might just need a diet with fewer calories.

Figuring out how much feed your horse needs involves looking at their age, body condition, and how active they are. Talking to a vet or equine nutritionist is a good idea. They can help you plan for your horse's individual needs and make sure they get the right kind of types of horse feed for their health and performance.

• Older horses may require a more easily digestible diet with higher energy content
• Horses that are working hard need more calories and protein to fuel their activities
• Mature, less active horses may only require a maintenance diet with fewer calories

By tweaking your horse's diet based on their age and how active they are, you can help maintain their health and prevent issues. This tailored approach to horse nutrition makes sure every horse gets the specific nutrients they require.

Water: The Lifeblood of Equine Health

Keeping your horse well-hydrated is key to their health. Water helps control body temperature, aids digestion, and keeps the respiratory system healthy. It's crucial to make sure they always have access to clean, fresh water.

An adult horse can drink between 5 to 15 gallons of water daily. This depends on their size, how active they are, and the weather. Since horses might not drink enough on their own, you need to watch their water intake closely.

In hot or humid weather, horses need more water to stay cool and avoid breathing problems. In cold weather, they drink less. So, you should break up ice and make sure they can get to unfrozen water.

To get your horse to drink more, place fresh water in different spots around their area. Some like slightly warmed water better. Adding a bit of apple juice or molasses to the water might also help if they're not drinking enough.

"Proper hydration is essential for a horse's overall health and well-being. Monitoring their water intake and providing clean, fresh water should be a top priority for any responsible horse owner."

Keeping your horse hydrated is important for their nutrition. It helps with their breathing, digestion, and overall health. Always check how much water they're drinking and adjust as needed to fit their needs.

Managing Equine Digestive Health

Keeping a horse's digestive system healthy is key to their overall health. Horses are meant to eat plants, and their stomachs are made to handle lots of fiber not lots of grain or bag type feed whose ingredients you may not be able to pronounce, but may also be hard to digest. But, because changes in how we feed them and their living conditions can upset this balance it has to be taken slow, if not this can lead to problems like colic and laminitis. We also highly suggest our Equine Zyme with horse specific probiotics and horse specific digestive enzymes that we add to the yeast carrier.  We also have Equine Zyme Plus with added Colostrum to boost immune health.

Preventing Colic and Laminitis

Colic is a bad stomach pain, and laminitis inflames the tissues in the hooves. These are big problems for many horse owners, many are because the horse is not digesting properly, or his/her microbiome is out of balance. To stop these issues, knowing what your horse needs to eat is crucial along with what you can supplement to help them digest better and absorb more, like our Equine Zyme. A good diet helps keep their digestive system healthy as well.

• Give your horse a diet based on lots of good quality grass hay or let them graze in a pasture. This keeps their fiber levels right for their gut.
• Change their diet slowly so their stomach can get used to new foods.
• Make sure they always have clean, fresh water to drink.
• Don't change their food or feeding times suddenly, as this can upset their stomach.
• Think about adding probiotics or digestive supplements to help their gut work better like Equine Zyme to help them transition or to help their digestive tract.

By knowing what your horse needs to stay healthy and taking steps to help, you can stop big health problems. This keeps your horse happy and well.  Or booking a Nutritional Evaluation with us to help balance your horses diet and nutritional needs.

Creating a Natural Feeding Plan

Creating a more natural feeding plan for your horse is key to their health and happiness. Horses are non-ruminant herbivores, meaning they eat plants without digesting them twice like cows do. They need a diet rich in forage, with some grains and supplements. This diet helps prevent health problems and gives them the nutrients they need.

A good natural feeding plan includes these parts:

• Forage-Based Foundation: Give your horse lots of high-quality grass hay or let them graze in a pasture. This diet is close to what they eat in the wild and gives them important fibers, vitamins, and minerals.
• Balanced Grain and Supplement Selection: Add a little bit of grains like oats or barley, and some supplements if needed. Watch how much your horse eats to avoid overfeeding and health problems.
• Individualized Adjustments: Change the feeding plan based on your horse's age, how active they are, and any special diet needs. Horses of different ages and with certain health issues may need different foods.

By making a feeding plan that fits your horse's needs, you help them stay healthy and avoid diet-related health issues. This is better than giving them commercial horse feed or unbalanced diets.

Every horse is working hard and needs to eat right. By making a special feeding plan, you give your horse the best nutrition. This way, your horse can thrive.

Transitioning to a Natural Diet

Switching your horse's diet to a natural, forage-based one is rewarding but takes time. Plan and do it step by step to help your horse stay healthy and happy.

Start by making small changes, letting your horse's gut adjust. Sudden changes can upset their stomach and cause health problems. Add natural fiber like high-quality hay and fresh pasture while cutting back on commercial feed or grain.

Most often horses have digestive issues up to and including colic when they are pulled off of pasture and are on barn stored hay.

• Start by swapping some of your horse's grain or commercial feed with tasty, nutrient-rich forage.
• Watch how your horse reacts, making sure they stay at a healthy weight and have enough energy.
• Gradually increase the forage over grains over weeks or months, letting their gut get used to it.

Horses are non-ruminant herbivores, meant to eat mostly fibrous, high-quality forage. Giving them free access to pasture or hay lets them eat naturally.

Every horse is different, so their feed needs can vary. Talk to a vet or equine nutritionist to create a personalized feeding plan for your horse.

Switching to a natural, forage-based diet can prevent health issues like colic and laminitis. Many horses do well on this diet, enjoying more fiber and fewer processed foods.

The move to a natural diet is a rewarding journey. It boosts your horse's health and deepens your bond with them.

Conclusion

As we wrap up our look at the best natural horse nutrition, it's clear that a balanced, forage-based diet is key for their health. Horses are non-ruminant herbivores. They are meant to eat grasses, hay, and other natural foods to get the nutrients they need.

By knowing what horses need, horse owners can make sure their horses get the right nutrients, minerals, and fiber. This helps with their digestive health, respiratory function, and overall health. Adding grass hay, fresh pasture, and top-quality natural grains to their diet is a great way to give them balanced nutrition.

Putting a focus on natural feeding and avoiding commercial horse feed can make horses healthier. It can prevent health problems like colic and laminitis. By following the advice in this article, horse owners can give their horses the best nutrition. This supports their long-term health and performance.

FAQ

What are the essential nutrients that horses need for their health?

Horses need a balanced diet with proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients help keep them healthy, support muscle and bone growth, and give them energy.

Why is forage so important in a horse's diet?

Forage, like grass and hay, is key to a horse's diet. They are made to digest forage well. It helps their digestion, nutrient absorption, and natural eating habits.

What are the benefits of feeding horses grass hay and fresh pasture?

Grass hay and fresh pasture are full of nutrients and fiber. They help horses get the vitamins, minerals, and fiber they need. Plus, they encourage horses to graze, which is good for their health.

How do I properly supplement a horse's diet with natural grains and pellets?

Supplements like grains and pellets should be added carefully. Choose ones without artificial additives and make sure they're easy for the horse to digest.

How do I adjust a horse's diet based on their age and activity level?

Young and active horses need more calories and nutrients. Older or less active horses might need less. Adjust their diet to fit their needs and their weight.

Why is water so crucial for a horse's health?

Water is vital for horses. It helps with digestion, keeping cool, joint health, and breathing. Make sure they always have clean, fresh water.

How can I prevent digestive issues like colic and laminitis in my horse?

Good feeding habits and a balanced diet can prevent colic and laminitis. Offer plenty of forage, add supplements carefully, and watch their health closely.

What steps should I take when transitioning my horse to a more natural diet?

Switching to a natural diet should be slow. Make small changes in their food, watch how they react, and make sure they adjust well. Introduce new foods slowly and balance supplements carefully.

Jessica Lynn, Earth Song Ranch

email us at:  earthsongranch@yahoo.com