Tips On Maintaining Your Horses Nutrition On A Limited Budget

The worldwide recession has hit many people hard; grocery lists are streamlined to the basics

, such as rice and beans, and large purchases are being held back by lack of funds and credit. For horse owners, the limited budget constraints can be extremely difficult. These large animals must be fed a quality feed or their health can be affected significantly. In fact, cutting costs on feed can raise veterinarian visits since the animal may not respond well to a change in diet. How does a horse owner survive these hard, recession times? A few key adjustments can make a world of difference.

Most horses are not used for heavy loads like in the past; horse owners will typically ride their horses for leisurely activities. As a result, a horse will not need a substantial amount of feed for energy purposes. Owners can simply reduce their feed costs by allowing horses to forage for grasses on their property; the natural grasses will provide the needed nutrients and fill their stomachs for a happy animal. However, the horse owner must make sure that the property does have enough foraging grass; visually inspecting the property for any missing grass patches can indicate that the horse is trying to eat more than the land can provide.

It may be necessary to add a feed balancer to the foraging diet if it is not providing enough nutrients. Low cost feed balancers are available at local and online retailers; many times, it is good practice to purchase the balancer in bulk. Buying large quantities of a good quality balancer can save a lot of money over time. A good balancer does not need to be extremely expensive; many horse owners discuss the products that have worked amongst each other to gain a better insight into the everyday supplement use.

Foraging and feed balancers do not supply all the nutrients needed for horses. Salt is a mineral that horses crave and need for body functions; since the body cannot produce this mineral, it must be placed in the everyday diet. Luckily, an expensive salt lick is certainly not needed, especially since many horses find it uncomfortable along the tongue. Everyday table salt, mixed with hay or pulled grasses from the property, will easily maintain the horse's need for this essential mineral.

Another strategy for maintaining a horse's nutrition is allocating hay. For horses that cannot forage on a property, such as those animals kept at stables, a purchased hay must be used. This hay cost can be substantial if the dried grass is simply strewn about for open feeding. A solution to this wasteful practice is weighing out the feed; horses must consume between 1.5 and 2 percent of their body weight on a daily basis. Horse owners can weigh the animal and determine their 2 percent body weight amount; this value can then be used to divide out the purchased hay. Owners will find that the feed will last for a longer period of time, effectively saving money.

A helpful strategy between horse owners is sharing the hay purchase. With this scenario, a group of horse owners can purchase a large amount of hay to support each horse's nutrition at a bulk discount. As long as the owners are dividing out the hay based on horse weight, the hay will still save each owner money. In fact, it may save them more money than if one owner purchased the hay individually; bulk discounts will normally become larger as the product quantity increases. Since hay cannot be stored for long periods of time, sharing the feed between a number of different owners is a smart nutritional alternative.

by: Timothy Capper

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