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along with added vitamins and minerals. When offered as a supplement, pellets don’t create as much intestinal fill as eating a comparable weight of hay, so a horse can consume both pellets and hay to obtain extra calorie intake.
Beet pulp (pelleted or shredded) is another useful and highly digestible supplement with more energy than grass hay. Beet pulp is fermentable in the large intestine without the concerns related to carbohydrate overload that arise from grains. Beet pulp pellets should be soaked for at least 6-8 hours in ample water before feeding. For equine metabolic and/or insulin-resistant horses, don’t use beet pulp with added molasses.
If greater caloric intake is needed to maintain body condition, grass hay can be supplemented with more energy-dense feeds like alfalfa-containing complete feed pellets and/or grain. As measured per pound, grain
provides 30-50 percent more digestible energy than hay. Different grains provide various amounts of energy as, for example, corn provides twice the energy as an equal volume of oats. Grain can be a useful supplement provided it is fed at an amount less than half the total ration by weight.
Comparing oats to corn, a one-pound coffee can contain 1 pound of oats, but the same volume holds 1.5 pounds of corn. However,
the take-home message is this: Feeding a one- pound coffee can of corn provides your horse with three times more energy than a one-pound coffee can of oats.
When more than five pounds of grain is fed at one meal, the carbohydrates may not be entirely digested in the small intestine; then starch enters the large intestine. There, excess fermentation develops, leading to increased bowel acidity and overgrowth of bacteria that set up conditions for colic or laminitis. High grain diets are also notorious for increasing the risk of gastric ulcers as well as leaky gut syndrome that allows unwanted molecules
to pass from the intestines into the general circulation. This can lead to all kinds of systemic illness and behavioral problems.
The more grain fed, the more “hyper” behavior a horse will display, and the more at risk he will be for developing nutritionally- related diseases such as colic, laminitis, tying- up syndrome, or equine gastric ulcer syndrome. Feed as little grain as necessary to supply extra calories to maintain weight and body condition – this may only be a pound or two a day. If you need to feed more, do not exceed 5 pounds
per day, and avoid feeding more than
4 pounds at any one feeding.
Ideally, grain feedings
should be split
into smaller
amounts fed
at intervals
spaced at least 5 hours apart rather than being offered in large amounts twice daily.
A safer alternative to feeding grain concentrates is to offer a high-fat feed, such as rice bran or vegetable oil or a complete feed pellet that has a high fat component. Feeding fat to the horse is proven as an excellent source of energy with minimal side effects, and it is 85 percent digestible. As much as 8-12 percent of the concentrate diet can be fed in the form of fat, equivalent to 1 cup of oil twice a day. As a relative comparison of energy density of fat, a cup of vegetable oil is equivalent
to 1.2 pounds of corn or 1.5 pounds of sweet feed. Useful vegetable oils to substitute for a portion of
a grain include any of the long-chain unsaturated fats such as corn, soybean, coconut, peanut, canola, or sunflower oil.
Another high-fat product, rice bran, is
a popular supplement to provide energy to
a hard-working horse or difficult keeper. Horses will readily eat 2 pounds of rice
bran per day. Rice bran can be mixed with grain or pellets, and as an extruded feed it
is easy to handle. But keep in mind that it is only 20 percent fat as compared to the 100 percent fat of oils, so does not contain as many calories. All fat supplements are
prone to going rancid so should be stored
in a cool, dark place, and may require additional vitamin E supplementation for its anti-oxidant properties.
Rice bran is a popular supplement to provide energy to a hard-working horse or difficult keeper.
VETERINARY VIEWS
High grain diets are also notorious for
increasing the risk of gastric ulcers as well as leaky gut syndrome that allows unwanted molecules to pass from the intestines into the general circulation.
If greater caloric intake is needed to maintain body condition, grass hay can be supplemented with more energy-dense feeds like alfalfa-containing complete feed pellets and/or grain.
QUESTION: DOES MY HORSE NEED GRAIN?
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