Safely Transitioning Your Horse's Diet

You may need to change your horse’s feed over the years for a number of reasons. 

Whether it be upgrading their feed, a change due to lifestyle, health, or even switching forages from hay to pasture grass, switching feed is bound to happen at some point.

However, there is a right and wrong way to switch a horse’s feed.

In this article, you’ll discover why it’s so important to switch horse feeds safely, tips for switching horse feed, and how to know when it’s time to switch your horse’s feed. 

Why Is It Important to Safely Switch Horse Feed?

A sudden change in a horse’s diet has been shown to be a leading cause of colic.

Whenever you decide to change up a portion of your horse’s diet, whether it be forage (hay or pasture) or horse feed (grain), it’s always recommended that you change their diet slowly. 

The reason a slow transition to a new diet is so important is because the horse’s digestive system needs to adapt to the new feed. This is especially true of the microbes, which are responsible for digesting fiber, in the hindgut of your horse. A change in the type and density of certain nutrients (carbohydrate, fat, protein) alters the microbial population in the hindgut of the horse. Thus, a transition over several weeks gives the microbe population time to adjust to the new source of nutrients.

It’s recommended that any change in a horse’s diet should be gradually introduced over a period of 2 to 4 weeks.

Others might suggest a shorter time period to transition your horse to a new feed. However, the research we do have about switching a horse’s feed advises taking a longer period to ensure a safe transition to the new diet.

For example, data has shown that a sudden change in the type or quality of hay fed to a horse within a 7-day period leads to a 20x greater chance of colic. This risk is significantly decreased to a 2x chance of colic if the transition to the new hay instead took place over 3 to 4 weeks.

A similar pattern was observed when changing the type of horse feed (grain) fed to a horse. If the change happened within 7 days, there was a 13x greater chance of colic. This risk is changed to no increase in the chances of colic when the transition to the new concentrate took place over 3 to 4 weeks.

Tips for Switching a Horse’s Feed

When switching a horse’s grain or hay, a simple 3-week plan will help your horse transition in a healthy way.

For example, if an owner wants to change the hay they are feeding their horse, the owner would be feeding the horse 100% of the new hay by week 4 with this plan.

It’s important to remember to mix the hays together as horses can be picky eaters. If they were just left with two piles of hay, the horse may just eat one pile and ignore the other. This plan could also be used for any new horse feed being fed.

The chart below shows this feeding plan example.

hay feeding plan

A slow transition to any new kind of forage is also recommended, such as transitioning from primarily hay to primarily pasture grass in the spring.

It’s generally recommended when starting a horse on pasture grass to allow them to graze for only 15 minutes. Then, each day, add 15 more minutes of grazing time until the horse is grazing for 4 to 5 hours. After that, the horse should be able to safely remain on pasture grass for any duration. You can read more about introducing your horse to pasture grass here.

It has also been suggested that feeding a prebiotic and probiotic helps lessen the chance of digestive upset in a horse transitioning to a new feed. Consider Equi-Ferm XL®, which is a microencapsulated (protected) yeast that acts as a pre- and probiotic in the horse’s digestive tract. The microencapsulation helps the pre- and probiotics reach the hindgut, where they help support the growth of beneficial bacteria.

How Do You Know When It's Time to Switch Your Horse's Feed?

Sometimes, the seasons decide when it’s time to switch your horse’s feed, like the example of horses making the switch from hay to pasture grasses in the spring.

Another reason to change your horse’s feed could be because your horse has a significant change in workload, age, or a health condition that causes them to need a grain that’s better suited.

For example, age related changes in a horse’s body means they require slightly different nutrient and digestion requirements to help ensure proper nutrient absorption. This is why horses typically need to be fed a senior feed once they reach a certain age. On the other hand, growing horses will also switch from a growth feed to an adult feed once they reach a certain age to ensure they are receiving the proper nutrients for their stage of life.

A horse that goes from hanging out in a pasture to being in heavy training and competition will likely need not only a change in how much they are being fed, but also a feed that meets their new energy requirements. Conversely, a horse retiring from a performance career will now have a more sedentary lifestyle, meaning he will need a slow reduction in calories and potentially the type of feed he’s been receiving.

A horse that is diagnosed with a certain medical condition, such as those with metabolic disorders, may need to switch to a ration balancer that keeps calories and NSC low, while still providing key nutrients.

Pregnant mares and mares with young foals might also need to have a change in feed. This is because special attention must be given to the diet of the pregnant mare from conception to foaling. Broodmares and mares with foals need certain balanced essential amino acids, and certain levels of copper, zinc and possibly magnesium, for example.

Sometimes, a horse’s feed is switched from a lower-quality to a high-quality feed to ensure the horse is getting the essential nutrients they need.

Find the Right Horse Feed with Tribute®

Tribute® Superior Equine Nutrition has a number of horse feed options to suit the needs of the individual horse based on their health, age, and level of work.

For example, Kalm ‘N EZ® pellets are suitable for many types of horses. Kalm ‘N EZ® is high in fat and fiber, while low in sugar and starch (NSC), when compared to some commercial horse feeds which have much higher levels of NSC. The high fiber levels are also an ideal option for horses when hay quality is poor.

Every Tribute® feed is made from the highest-quality ingredients, and includes digestive support.

Tribute® focuses on being a reliable and affordable source of key nutrients for horses. Additional fortification using highly available sources of nutrients that are commonly lacking in equine diets, such as amino acids, trace minerals, and vitamins, help support horse health and performance.

Tribute® feeds include Equi-Ferm XL®, a pro- and prebiotic, as well as digestive enzymes, to support optimal digestion. These enzymes enhance the digestibility of the feed portion of the diet, and Equi-Ferm XL® supports the fermentation in the hindgut. This maximizes digestibility of forage, which is the main source of dietary energy for many horses. It’s also a helpful digestive aid when switching your horse’s feed.

If you aren’t sure what the best feed is for your horse or want advice about switching your horse’s feed the right way, Tribute® also offers personalized feed plans that are tailored to your horse’s specific needs.

 

References

 Cohen, N.D., P.G. Gibbs, and A.M. Woods. 1999. Dietary and other management factors associated with colic in horses. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 215:53-60.

Article By:
Chris Mortensen, Ph.D.
Sarah Welk Baynum
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