Horse or horse? Both! Horse! Luckily for us, there is now a way to tell the two apart by what they need.
When it comes to food,ercise, and overall wellness, horse versus dog comparison can be hard to make. With both large animals, there are many tests and measurements to consider.
However, when it comes to needs and specific foods a horse needs, nothing compares to buying what is available at the local pet store.
Today we will talk about some of the different horses and how they differ in needs. We will also talk about what horses need and how you can tell which horse needs which thing.
Introduction: Horse or horse? Both! Horse! Luckily for us, there is now a way to tell the two apart by what they need. When it comes to food, exercise and overall wellness, dog comparison can be hard to make.
With both large animals, there are tests and measurements to consider. When looking at horses versus dogs, you must take into account their size as well as their unique needs.
Contents:
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are a key element to horse nutrition. Most notably, horses need carbohydrates in the form of sugar or starch.
Horses are built on muscles, and this includes enjoying their food and drink. This is important, as too little nutrition can prove disastrous for a horse’s health.
There are several ways to provide carbohydrates to a horse. The most common way is to give solid feed, like oats or barley. The second popular way is to use some kind of carbohydrate mix, like powdered dried fruits or vegetables, mixed with water. Both methods can be used together to help match the needs of the horse.
Fat
Fat is a vital part of horse nutrition. Fat is a more complex substance than carbohydrate, so there are several functions for fat in the horse.
As we mentioned earlier, fat is a key part of horse cuisine. As an energy source, it can be found in both fresh and dried horses. This makes it a very important part of their diet.
However, fat is also important in terms of health as well as pricey! Most people do not have access to oil that contains essential fatty acids (EFAs). Fortunately, we can create an adequate FAS diet within the kitchen!
Most people think of fat as being primarily used for cooking, but it actually can be applied topically as well.
Vitamins
It’s important to offer your horse enough vitamins and minerals in order for him or her to thrive. As horses are sensitive to vitamin and mineral content, it is important to ensure that you are meeting the minimum recommended levels in your horse.
Vitamin D is of special importance for horses as it is an important Vitamin A carboxylase, or a chemical that breaks down vitamin A in our bodies.
As horses do not have vitamin A in their systems, this can be problematic. Horses that are suffering from such issues as poor bones and hair loss may be lacking in this crucial vitamin.
Fortunately, there are products today that contain both vitamin D and angus cattle adrenal hormone (ACA), which helps to boost the levels of this vital acid into our systems. This has made it more accessible and necessary for horses that suffer from lack of vitamin D.
Minerals
As the name suggests, horse nutrition concerns about minerals or what horses need in their diets. This topic contains multiple bullet points that make long and fascinating.
The term ‘minerals’ can mean different things to different people. For example, someone looking for information about buying a Queenslander may not know what mineral or what type of horse needs what amount of minerals.
Similarly, someone looking for information about why a stallion is being bred at a certain time of year may not know if it’s necessary to have enough mineral content in the stallion or if it’s necessary when the foal is born to have enough material to thrive.
Having sufficient amounts of certain minerals is important as we discuss below, but there are many other things we can talk about to explain why horses need them.
Fiber
What is fiber? Who needs it and how much can horses eat enough of it?
A measure of fiber is called a standard measure or standard weight of fiber. Standard measures of fiber are typically 4–5 grams for dogs and 1–1.5 grams for cats.
For example, a small bag of wheat germ contains 4 grams of fiber. A cup of cooked wheat germ contains 1.5 grams of fiber.
Horses need more than your typical dry food full-vitality-boosting-factor pack-grade sugar and vitamins and minerals. They also need more nutritious foods that contain more nutrition such as oats, veggies, and fruit.
What kinds of food should they eat? How much should they eat? These questions can make your horse hungry!
As with humans, too little nutrition can lead to poor health problems or loss of vigor. As with humans, nutritional deficiencies can cause symptoms such as reduced appetite, loss of interest in food, or failure to maintain feed intake.
Water
Having enough water is a key part of horse nutrition. While horses do not drink nearly as much as people, they still need to be able to stay hydrated. This is important for achieving optimal health and functioning!
Most horses consume more water than needed but not too much. A horse that is drinking a little less may have a dry mouth or poor eating habits, which can be signs of an overenlonged lifestyle.
It is best to check with your horse’s vet about how much water he or she needs but remember that you do not have to be hydrated yourself! Most horses are compliant enough that you can give them some watered-down fruit or vegetable juice or soup made with only carrots and/or greens.
Having enough water can help prevent dehydation, upset stomach and loose stools, both of which are signs of illness.
Feeding schedules
Most horses need to be fed a food called concentrate food. This is usually a mix of chicken, beef, and vegetable matter. Your horse does not need as much concentrate food as you might think.
Most horses require about 3-5% of their weight in concentrated food per day. That means an average horse might need a small amount of chicken or beef meal each day. A large part of the reason why some horses don’t seem hungry is because they are not getting enough concentrated food.
Another important thing to keep an eye out for is how much water your horse is drinking. Too little water can lead to dehydration or fatigue which in turn may cause a horse to look hungry.
Balance diets
While most horses are adept at finding and using the right foods, they do have a pattern they follow when it comes to diet. This depends on where in their lives it applies.
Some horses operate on a “pattern” with their diets, while others do not. The reason they do not has more to do with the effect of nutrition on their bodies than anything else.
In this article, we will discuss the reasons why a horse may need a lower or higher dietary content of certain nutrients and we will discuss the types of nutrition a horse should have. We will also discuss how to determine if your horse needs more nutrition or whether cutting back Nutrition is the way to go.
We will also discuss what constitutes a sound nutritional profile for horses and give examples of what some of these profiles may be.