A well-designed feeding program should help the horse maintain a healthy body condition, support digestive health, and provide the nutrients needed for its age, workload, and lifestyle.
But even a high-quality feed can fall short if it is not the right match for the horse, fed incorrectly, or if it is paired with forage and feed management that do not support its needs.
When a horse is losing weight, lacking topline, or not performing as expected, it can be tempting to add another scoop of feed or supplement. Instead, take a step back and evaluate the entire feeding program.
Starting With the Horse’s Individual Needs
Nutritional requirements and the horse's individual needs can change throughout the year and over the horse's lifetime.
The horse’s current requirements help determine whether a ration balancer, full-intake feed, complete feed, or another type of nutritional support is appropriate, as well as how much is needed to meet those nutritional needs.
First, consider factors such as:
- Whether the horse is typically an easy keeper, average keeper, or hard keeper
- Current body condition and topline
- Current workload and activity level
- Age and life stage
- Dental, digestive, or metabolic concerns
- The type and amount of forage currently being consumed
Choosing the Right Feed and Feed Program for the Horse
When making the most of your feeding program, choosing the right feed for the individual horse is an important part of the process.
Commercial horse feeds are formulated for different calorie and nutrient needs based on the horse's unique needs.
Although two feeds may look similar, important nutritional differences can make one a better fit for a particular horse. These differences may include:
- Calorie density
- Protein quality
- Non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) levels
- Amino acid content
- Vitamin levels
- Mineral levels
For example, an easy keeper that maintains weight on forage may need only a ration balancer to provide concentrated amino acids, vitamins, and minerals without unnecessary calories.
Conversely, a performance horse or hard keeper may require a full-intake feed that supplies additional calories and nutrients to support work and recovery. Growing horses and broodmares also have different nutritional requirements, while senior horses may need a highly digestible feed or complete-feed option if dental changes limit hay intake.
The goal is to match the product to the horse’s actual requirements and the forage already in the diet to make the most of your feeding program.
Feeding the Recommended Amount
One of the most common ways an otherwise appropriate feeding program can become unbalanced is feeding less than the manufacturer’s recommended amount.
Fortified feeds are formulated so the recommended daily amount supplies specific levels of protein, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals in addition to calories.
Feeding significantly below that rate may reduce energy intake, but it can also leave the horse short on important non-calorie nutrients.
For example, an easy keeper may gain too much weight when fed the minimum recommended amount of a calorie-dense performance feed. Cutting that feed down to a small handful may solve the calorie problem but does not necessarily create a balanced diet.
A ration balancer or lower-calorie feed may be a better fit for that horse because it can be fed at its intended rate without oversupplying calories.
Putting Forage at the Center of the Feeding Program
Hay and pasture usually make up the largest portion of a horse’s diet, so forage should be one of the first areas evaluated when a feeding program is not producing the expected results.
Forage provides fiber as well as calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals, and consistent forage intake supports normal digestive function. Its nutritional value can vary based on plant species, maturity, soil, weather, storage conditions, and cutting.
A horse may therefore do well on one hay source but may show changes in weight, body condition, or performance after the forage changes, even if the concentrate portion of the diet remains the same.
A laboratory forage analysis can help determine calorie, protein, fiber, sugar, starch, and mineral content. Most importantly, consider how much forage the horse actually consumes rather than only how much is offered.
Keep the Feeding Program Simple
More products do not necessarily create a better diet. Adding several feeds and supplements can increase expense, create nutrient overlap, and make it harder to determine how to make the most of your feed program.
Before adding a supplement, review what nutrients the horse already receives from forage, fortified feed, ration balancers, and other supplements. If there is a nutritional gap, adjusting the base feeding program may be more effective than adding another product.
Reevaluate the diet whenever the horse’s forage changes, workload increases or decreases, body condition shifts, a new health concern develops, or the horse enters a new life stage.
Measure Feed by Weight, Not Just by the Scoop
A feed scoop measures volume, not the weight of grains and ration balancers.
Two feeds can fill the same scoop but weigh very different amounts depending on pellet size, density, and formulation.
Because feeding directions are generally given in pounds per day, weigh the feed instead of assuming a scoop holds a certain amount. A simple scale can be used to determine how much the usual feed scoop holds, and the correct level can then be marked for consistent daily feeding.
Hay should also be weighed periodically because flakes can vary considerably. Knowing approximately how many pounds of forage and concentrate a horse consumes gives a more accurate picture of the total diet.
Body Condition and Performance: How It Helps Evaluate the Feed Program
The horse's body condition is one of the best tools for determining whether a feeding program is working. Monitor body condition, rib cover, topline, and muscle development regularly rather than relying on weight alone.
Tribute’s Wellness System looks at rib cover, crest scoring, and topline scoring together to provide a broader picture.
Changes in performance can also offer clues. A horse that suddenly lacks stamina or begins losing muscle may need its diet reevaluated, although nutrition should not automatically be assumed to be the cause.
Don’t Overlook Feed Management
Making the most of your feeding program means more than simply providing a nutritionally balanced diet. Even a well-formulated diet can be undermined by inconsistent feeding management.
Horses have adapted to consume relatively small amounts throughout the day, with forage forming the foundation of the diet. When grain concentrate is needed, divide the daily amount into appropriately sized meals.
Diet changes should also be made gradually. Sudden switches in hay, pasture, or concentrate can disrupt the hindgut microbial population and increase the risk of digestive upset.
When the Problem May Not Be the Feed
If the feeding program appears appropriate but the horse is still losing weight, dropping feed, lacking topline, or shows unusually poor performance, consider whether a health issue could be affecting intake or nutrient intake.
Dental disease can make chewing forage or concentrate difficult, particularly in older horses. Parasite burdens, gastrointestinal disease, ulcers, chronic pain, and other health concerns can also affect appetite, body condition, or performance.
Routine veterinary and dental care should be part of evaluating a feeding program. Work with your veterinarian to develop an appropriate parasite-control program.
A sudden or unexplained change in weight, appetite, manure, behavior, or performance warrants veterinary evaluation, particularly when nutritional adjustments have not helped.
How Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition Helps You Make the Most of Your Feeding Program
Selecting the right product and feeding it at the recommended rate can help ensure the horse receives balanced nutrition without unnecessary calories or nutritional gaps, helping you make the most of your overall feeding program.
Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition offers a variety of fixed-formula feeds, ration balancers, and supplements designed for different forage programs, calorie needs, workloads, life stages, and health considerations.
-
Essential K®: A low-NSC ration balancer for horses that maintain weight on forage but still need essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals without additional calories.
-
Alfa Essentials®: A low-NSC ration balancer formulated for horses consuming forage programs that contain 50% or more alfalfa or other legumes.
-
Kalm ‘N EZ®: A low-sugar and starch feed that provides additional calories through fat and fiber for horses that need more energy while maintaining a low-NSC diet.
- Synergize®: A low-NSC, high-fat feed designed for hard-keeping and hard-working horses with greater calorie demands.
Because every horse’s needs are different, Tribute’s free personalized feeding plans can help owners evaluate the entire feeding program and choose an appropriate feed or ration balancer.
References
- Hiney, K. (2016, October). Feeding management of the equine. Oklahoma State University Extension. https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/feeding-management-of-the-equine
- Smarsh, D. (2024, April 8). Creating the right mix: Understanding nutrients in a horse’s diet. Penn State Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/creating-the-right-mix-understanding-nutrients-in-a-horses-diet/
- Smarsh, D., & Orr, E. (2023, August 17). The importance of weighing horse feed. Penn State Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/the-importance-of-weighing-horse-feed/
