Feeding Your Horse 'Good Groceries' Needn't Be Complicated

Texans love their horses – whether they are kept in ranchette paddocks or ranch-sized pastures. In fact, Texans spend an estimated $342 million annually buying and selling horses – whether they be miniatures, saddle ponies, working Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, or draft stock.

Feeding horses is an industry in itself, but the bottom-line for horse owners to remember is "they all need good groceries," according to two horse experts speaking at the Western Rolling Plains Mare and Foal Clinic here.

The clinic included presentations on feeding and nutrition; live-animal demonstrations on starting young colts and body condition scoring; and a tour of the horse breeding program and facilities at the 6666 Ranch. The clinic was sponsored by the King, Kent, Dickens and Stonewall county offices of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service; the 6666 Ranch; Tongue River Ranch; and Purina, Pfizer and Hoescht.

Feeding mares and foals for optimum health, reproduction and growth need not be a complicated matter as long as horse owners follow a few simple guidelines.

"Horse reproductive rates are low in comparison to other species, but what you can achieve in your breeding operation largely depends on mare body condition going into the breeding season," said Dr. Don Topliff, equine nutritionist and professor and head of West Texas A&M University's Division of Agriculture. "Mares need a reserve tank of body condition to overcome the stresses of breeding, foaling, lactation, rebreeding and reconditioning.

"We typically rate body condition from 1 to 9 -- with 1 being very poor to barely alive, and 9 being extremely fat. In between are many different levels of body condition. Mares that are moderately thin (4) to extremely fat (9) will breed, but the ideal body condition range lies somewhere between fleshy (7) and fat (8). Too often, we expect thin mares (4-7) to breed, foal, and nurse their foal while regaining body condition. That's expecting too much."

Horse owners can achieve 90 percent or higher reproduction rates in their mares by providing a sound health program and feeding for optimum body condition, Topliff said. These tips will help:

• follow a regular de-worming and vaccination program.
• feed on a regular schedule; providing each horse 1 percent of their body weight in roughage each day.
• feed by body weight, not by volume, and never force horses to compete for feed – put out enough feeders (troughs, pans) for every horse, plus one.
• feed large-particle concentrates that are at least 10 percent crude fiber to encourage slow eating.

Weanling to yearling horses require a different feed management strategy, said Pete Gibbs, Texas A&M Extension horse specialist based at College Station.

"Young horses require feeds that allow them to achieve sound structural development (bone and muscle) early in life. We have to feed according to their growth rate. Colts that exhibit rapid growth will reach their mature height and weight in 18 to 24 months," he said. "Moderate growth colts won't achieve mature height and weight until they are about 3 years old. At either growth rate, we need to feed to avoid developmental orthopedic diseases such as contracted tendons and epiphysitis.

"Foals learn to feed from their mothers, but we need to remember that mare rations often don't fill a colt's nutritional requirements. For example, an oats and alfalfa ration won't provide enough protein – especially lysine – for a growing colt. Keep in mind that grains are typically higher in phosphorus than calcium. Colts need a balanced, 1:1 calcium/phosphorus ratio in their diet. And remember that free-choice supplements are a bad choice for young horses. We need to provide minerals in their feed to ensure adequate uptake."

Even though young horses will require their own ration starting at two- to six-months of age, balancing the energy, protein and mineral content of their rations isn't hard to do. A 16 percent protein commercial feed containing 0.7 percent lysine, 0.7 percent calcium, 0.5 percent phosphorus, about 3.4 percent crude fat, and about 6 percent crude fiber fits the bill nicely for most weanlings, Gibbs said.

"If you use creep feeders, put the feeders close to where the mares eat but make sure the mares can't get the colts' creep feed. Young horses eat light portions almost continually – they eat all day long," he added. "So, provide enough creep feeders and feed for every colt to get something to eat; regardless of the pecking order.

"With a good nutrient program, you can start weaning colts at four months of age. Once they start weaning, their ration should contain 70 percent concentrates and 30 percent roughage. It's also a good idea to divide their daily ration into three portions and feed each portion at eight-hour intervals."

Weanling horses cannot thrive on grass pasture – they must receive their roughage requirement from hay. But as weanlings become yearlings, horse owners can adjust their ration to contain 50 percent concentrate and 50 percent roughage (hay or grass pasture). By this age, young horses typically exhibit moderate growth rather than rapid growth, Gibbs noted.

"How we feed, and the nutrients we feed, determines the success of any exercise program. Don't forget that yearlings require more calcium in their diet once they enter a forced exercise program," he concluded. "Stay away from feeding anabolic steroids – it just isn't a good idea for young horses. You will be more successful, and your horses will be healthier, if you simply get them on a good balanced feed and keep them on it year-round."

Texans can get Extension publications on horse management from their local county Extension office, or on the Internet.

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