A human athlete requires proper nutrition to remain active and compete at their best level. Likewise, equine athletes need the proper nutrients to have the energy and ability to perform essential ranch, arena or everyday tasks.
Horses have a complex and unique digestive system that requires adequate forages in order to properly break down and absorb nutrients. Providing your equine partners with quality forage daily ensures they are ready and able to perform no matter the task.
Don’t Forget the Forage
Over 65% of the horse's digestive system is geared toward the digestion of forage. Horses are what we call “hind-gut fermenters”, meaning equines process forages in a part of their large intestine known as the cecum. Forage is necessary for optimal digestion in horses. It maintains the integrity of the digestive system and allows for proper and consistent nutrient breakdown and absorption.
How Much Forage Do Horses Need Per Day?
Forage is the most important ingredient of a horse’s diet and should make up the majority of a total daily ration. In general, equines require forage in the amount of 1-2% of their body weight per day. For example: a 1000 lb horse should receive a minimum of 10 lbs of forage each day (1000 x .01 = 10 ).
Forage Sources and Quality
A balanced equine ration is built largely around a forage source and its quality. Forages can be divided into two types: legumes and grasses
Alfalfa Hay and Legume Forages
Legumes are plants such as clover and alfalfa. Alfalfa hay is low in starch and sugar and generally higher in protein than grass hays. Alfalfa is often referred to as a “hot” feed due to its high nutrient density. Alfalfa is often an ideal feed for high-performance horses with increased energy and nutrient requirements.
Grass Forages
Grasses are broken down as cool season and warm season plants. Cool season grasses include: Ryegrass, Orchard, Timothy and Prairie. Common warm season grasses are: Bermuda, Kikuyu and Pangola. Cool season grasses are more common forages found in the intermountain west due to our climates. These grasses tend to be highly palatable, low in starch and sugar and are generally lower in calories than straight alfalfa.
Alfalfa-Grass Mixed Hay
Alfalfa-grass mixed hay offers a forage option that combines the best of both nutritional worlds. Mixed hay is low in starch and sugar with a moderate crude protein level. Mixed hays are a safe choice for horse owners with moderately active equines.
Judging Forage Quality for Horses
Forage quality includes characteristics that make forage valuable to animals. Forage quality has also been shown to have an effect on consumption levels, especially when low-quality forages are being fed.
A quality forage should provide a chemical composition that supplies animal nutrition requirements. It should also provide desirable characteristics that affect consumption (palatability) and utilization (digestibility) within the animal. The higher the content and digestibility of the nutrients, the higher the quality of the forage.
Five characteristics for judging forage quality include:
1. Maturity
Maturity of a forage at the time it is harvested or grazed has a substantial impact on the nutrients and nutrient levels present in the feed.
2. Leafiness
Leafiness in legume feeds, especially alfalfa, impacts the level of energy and nutrients available in the feed. Green, leafy forages are often high in energy.
3. Plant Color
The visual appearance of a forage is a good indicator of its nutrient profile. The color of the hay or plant gives a good indication of its maturity and quality.
4. Odor & Condition
Smelling forages, especially hay, can help you determine if there is any mold or undesirable characteristics of the feed.
5. Foreign material: dust mold, weeds, dirt
Foreign materials, or any material present in the feed besides the plant, impacts the nutritional value, palatability and overall quality of the feed.
Although appearance and odor are often good indicators on the quality of a forage, a nutrient test is the best way to know exactly what you are feeding. This forage analysis will tell you the exact quality of your forages as well as any nutrients that may need supplementing.
IFA Equine Supplements
Even the best quality forages are often lacking in certain trace minerals and nutrients. Supplementing forage with an equine feed helps meet these nutrient requirements for a more balanced total ration.
IFA Safe Horse Conditioner
IFA Safe Conditioner is an all-natural feed, grain-free and low-sugar feed for horses with unique dietary needs, including insulin-resistance. This supplemental feed is locally formulated with highly digestible ingredients for horses of all lifestyles. IFA Safe Horse Conditioner is enhanced with Omega-3s for better health and yeast to increase digestibility and optimal fiber utilization.
IFA Gold Horse Conditioner
IFA Gold Conditioner is an all-natural feed formulated with nutrition for performance horses or horses with an active lifestyle. It is balanced to be fed with alfalfa hay. This active equine feed is enhanced with Omega-3s for better health, yeast to increase digestibility and nutrient absorption and 13% protein for muscle development and recovery in active horses.
IFA Senior Horse Conditioner
IFA Senior Horse Conditioner is an all natural feed formulated with balanced nutrition for mature horses with all lifestyles. Advanced with Omega-3s for better health, this feed supplement increases digestibility and optimal fiber utilization. Senior Conditioner is formulated with 15% protein for muscle maintenance in aging horses. The feed’s pellet form minimizes sorting and delivers the same nutrition in every bite.
Helping Your Equine Partners
Whether it’s work on the ranch, in the arena or just enjoying the trails, fueling our equine partners with the proper nutrients is essential. Make sure your horses are receiving the daily forage and supplements they need for a balanced total ration.
Stop by your local IFA for quality hay bales, cubes, pellets and additional supplements to keep your horses healthy and performance ready.
Discover the nutritional benefits equine feed supplements >>
Information for this article was provided by Dennis Christensen, M.S., P.A.S., Feed & Nutrition Advisor, Draper IFA Feed; Heidi Simper, M.S., Nutritionist, IFA Feed and Nutrition; and Jill Singleton, Bagged Feed Category Manager, IFA Feed & Nutrition.