OUGD504: Brief 3- Further Illustrations (diet)

The main elements of a horses diet is forage which includes grass and preserved forage such as hay and haylage which is why I thought it would be important to include a small illustration of a bale. 

This image shows wheat, barley, maize and oats to show a varied diet is incredibly important, there are many different food elements but I think one image should be sufficient to portray the message. HAPPA told me about a case where a horse was purely fed carrots which are not used a staple food as it is not healthy they should only be used as succulent (providing interest and taste).

In young horses water makes up to 80% of their body but drops to around 50-60% as an adult which is why it is vitally important they have continuous access to fresh clean water which is especially important during hot weather or after exercising. 

Diet:

In order to maintain the energy and physical well-being necessary to carry out work a horse’s diet should supply the correct balanced diet of different components.

Water

Water is vital for life and is present in every cell in the body. A young horse’s body is made up of around 80% water but in adults this drops to 50-60%. Fresh clean water should be provided continuously and especially after exercise or when the temperature is higher.

Forage:

The main part to a horses diet will always be forage and this includes grass, hay and haylage. You should feed by consulting your vet by comparing your horses weight as to how much you should be feeding. You should feed at similar times every day and should never feed directly before or after exercise. At least 50% of your horses diet should consist of forage.

Cereals

Cereals most fed to horses are oats, barley, maize as well as wheat; which is found in bran mashes and bulks out a horse’s hard feed. Sugarbeet pulp can also be used within the horse’s hard feed but this must be soaked in water and allowed to swell to prevent digestive problems. You can add chopped carrots and apples to make the feed more appealing and tasty but should never be used as a main food source.