subject: How You Should Feed Your Horse If You Own Just One Horse [print this page] Often the single horse owner will use trial and error method over time to determine their horses feed ration. Many owners choose feeds that are well known and often don't always meet the needs of the individual. The need for a spreadsheet constructed feed ration may not be acknowledged by owners, but the benefits can be great. Financially, feed can be a large contributor to monthly bills. By formulating a diet that will allow the horse to gain the maximum nutrient and energy values available, they will not have to feed as large a quantity. This creates a financially better method than trial and error.
Pasture is often more commonly used by horse owners rather than competition horses due to the time that owners have to spend with their horse. The pasture will need to be tested to determine the nutrients that the horse is gaining from it. Good pasture can fulfil many requirements need by horses in light work, but as the workload increases or the pasture quality declines it is the responsibility of the owner to supplement the horse's diet.
Inputting the data;
-Pasture quality
-Energy requirements
-Weight, etc
will assist the owner in deciding the most appropriate feeds. Many owners will not want to use a diet that is financially unrewarding, but the use of spreadsheets to formulate their horses ration can reduce costs and improve diet and digestibility. By using this method, it educates the owner to the relative values of different feeds, so as their horse's tastes vary, they will be able to find an alternative successfully, and avoid feeds that can provide limitations in the diet. This becomes more important when feeding e.g. weanlings or lactating mares as limitations in proteins, lysine can be detrimental.
