Because they are herbivores and have a special digestive system that is completely different from ours, horses have highly specific nutritional requirements. Their lengthy digestion processes necessitate a high-fibre diet that is taken slowly over an extended period of time. Horses often have numerous tiny meals throughout the day as opposed to a few substantial ones like we do. In actuality, horses eat the majority of the time! Here is a quick list of foods that horses can and cannot consume.
Pasture Grass and Tender Plants
The grazing grass and sensitive plants make up the horse’s natural diet. The majority of the nutrition needed for a horse to remain healthy is found in good pasture. Silica, which is crucial for dental health, is also present. Primitive horses are able to survive on meager diets and frequently have to make due with subpar grazing and living conditions. This explains why conditions like obesity, equine metabolic syndrome, and laminitis are more common in modern horses than in wild horses. The type of horses we’ve developed and the lack of activity are more likely to be the issues than the pasture grass itself.
Those of us with simple keepers must restrict our horses’ access to fresh grass. A horse that is not used to lush pasture could experience major issues if it is suddenly introduced to it. The optimum nutrition, however, is provided by healthy pasture for horses who are difficult to keep.
Hay
Many of us do not have the luxury of allowing our horses to graze on pasture all year round. Hay is a superior alternative to grass when it is not available. Finding quality horse hay can be challenging. Testing the hay is helpful so that any vitamin and mineral deficiencies can be made up for with supplements. Rich hay can be problematic for some horses in the same way that rich pasture grass might. Easy keepers might need to have limited access to a bale feeder all the time.
Grains
A common grain fed to horses is oats. Horses may, however, also be given tiny amounts of other grains, such as corn. Wheat is one of the grains that isn’t usually excellent for horses. The closest a wild horse would get to consuming grains in their native habitat would be the seed head of grasses.
Modern techniques for growing, harvesting, and processing grains do not constitute natural feed for horses. It is simple to give horses too much grain. Additionally, grain doesn’t take the same amount of chewing time or have the same levels of silica as grass. Ulcers and dental troubles are just a couple of the things this might lead to. A horse that consumes too much feed may get colic or founder.
