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Chapter 1. Horse Feed Overview

Jul 2, 2023

Chapter 1. Horse Feed Overview

Types of Horse Body Clips

Body clipping is a grooming technique commonly performed on horses to remove excess hair during certain times of the year or for specific purposes. There are several types of body clips done on horses, each serving a different purpose.

Here are some of the most common types of horse body clips:

sugar cubes no

Horse Treats

Horses enjoy treats, but should not be fed refined sugar. Better choices for treats are horse cookies, carrots or apples. To avoid choking, carrots and apples should be cut into pieces. Hand feeding can bring on mouthy behaviors so it is generally best to give treats in the horse’s feed tub.
Bucket height

Grazing

Walk, Graze, Repeat.

Horses can’t easily digest large, infrequent meals. A horse’s digestive system is designed to digest small amounts of food eaten frequently which mimics how horses live in the wild. Feeding large amounts of food at once can lead to colic.
horse Feed Size

Bucket height

Bucket Height

A horse’s feed bucket should be hung at shoulder height to keep the horse from getting a leg caught in it if he paws.
Clock

Feed On a Regular Schedule

Horse should be fed on a regular schedule and at the same times every day.

If their food doesn’t come on time it could make them anxious, and when their food does come, they may rush to eat it which could lead to colic.

horse Feed Size

Customize Feedings

Feed horses according to their size, condition, workload, and temperament.

You don’t feed a small pony the same amount as a Clydesdale, and a racehorse does not eat the same amount as a pleasure horse.

Feed In Bucket

Check for Leftovers

Before dumping new grain into the horse’s feed bucket, check to make sure the horse ate his previous meal. You should never put new food on top of old food. It is important to know why a horse did not eat all of his feed. It could be because he does not like the taste of a medication or supplement, but could also be a symptom of a dental or health problem.
Feed In Bucket

Hay in the Pasture

When you place hay in a pasture or paddock that contains more than one horse, put out one more hay pile than the number of horses. This was each horse gets some hay even if a horse is chased away from a pile.

Place hay along the long side of a paddock or pasture. This ensures a horse does not get pinned into a corner by another horse and potentially get hurt.