Choosing the Right Hay & Feed for Your Horse

1. Choosing the Right Hay & Feed for Your Horse University of Maryland Horse Conference Montgomery College November 10, 2007 Erin D. Petersen, MS, PAS Extension Horse Specialist University of Maryland

2. How do I know what my horse needs? • Requirements differ with: • Individual horse • Age • Size and weight • Body condition • Health • Weather • Physiological state • Exercise, breeding, growing, etc.

3. Weather

4. Starting Point: Determine Requirements • Horse Age, Weight, Use • To determine weight: • Length • Heartgirth 1 kg = 2.2 pounds 1 inch = 2.54 cm • Nutrient Requirements of Horses Weight (kg) = girth2 x length 11,877

5. “NRC” • IN METRIC UNITS! • Allows user to manipulate diet (forage, concentrate), horse information  ration evaluation • Does NOT include commercial concentrates • Most commercial feed manufacturers will give additional info on feeds when called http://nrc88.nas.edu/nrh/

6. Forage Quality • What determines forage quality? • PALATABILITY - Will my animals eat this hay? • INTAKE – How much will they eat? • DIGESTIBILITY – How digestible is this hay? • ANIMAL PERFORMANCE – How will my animals perform on this hay? • NUTRIENT CONTENT – What is in the hay?

7. Nutrients for Horses • ENERGY • Carbohydrates • Lipids • PROTEIN • MINERALS • VITAMINS • WATER

8. Other things to consider • Grass vs. legume • Intake • Nutrient Content • Digestibility • Affects of maturity • Species differences • Timothy vs. Orchardgrass

9. Nutrient Requirements • 1 pound = 454 grams • ADG = Average Daily Gain (targeted weight gain for growing animals) • DE = Digestible Energy • Mcal = Megacalorie = 1000 kcal

10. Daily Requirements - Maintenance

11. Daily Requirements - Growth 1100 g Mature Body Weight

12. Daily Requirements - Growth 1100 g Mature Body Weight

13. Relative Change in Daily Requirements with Age

14. Relative Change as a function of Body Weight

15. Daily Requirements - Reproduction

16. Daily Requirements - Exercise

17. First Cutting Orchardgrass (grass 1) CP = 7.9% ADF = 45.1% NDF = 66.3% DE = 0.82 Mcal/# Avg. bale wt. = 35 Cost = $4.50 Second Cutting Orchardgrass (grass 2) CP = 14.8% ADF = 33.7% NDF = 53.2% DE = 1.06 Mcal/# Avg. bale wt. = 35 Cost = $6.00/bale The Hays…

18. Orchardgrass/ Alfalfa Mix (MGA) CP = 17.1% ADF = 35.4% NDF = 52.5% DE = 1.01 Mcal/# Avg bale wt. = 42 Cost = $5.50/bale 3rd Cutting Midwest Alfalfa (alfalfa) CP = 21% ADF = 30.4% NDF = 38% DE = 1.12 Mcal/# Avg bale wt. = 70 Cost = $8.00/bale The Hays…

19. Assumptions • Most horses will eat anywhere from 1.5 - 3% of their body weight in Dry Matter per day • Maintenance 1.5 – 2% • Growth 2 – 3% • Decreases with age • Reproduction 1.5 – 3% • Highest in early lactation • Exercising horses 1.5 – 3% • Increases with increasing exercise intensity

20. What to feed the maintenance horse?

21. Maintenance

22. Growth

23. Weanling, 6 months old

24. Reproduction

25. Broodmare, 9th month of gestation

26. Broodmare, 1st month lactation

27. Mcals of DE supplied by grass and alfalfa hay of varying quality at an intake of 2% BW in DM relative to requirements 1st month of lactation Gestation, Mo. 9 Conception - 5 mos gestation

28. Grams of CP supplied by grass and alfalfa hay of varying quality at an intake of 2% BW in DM relative to requirements 1st month of lactation Gestation, Mo. 9 Conception - 5 mos gestation

29. Exercise

30. What defines performance??

31. Exercise • Amount of energy used? • Must know in order to determine amount of energy required • DURATION • Easy to measure… • INTENSITY • Many factors at play • Other factors?

32. Energy Requirements - Performance Defined • Light Work • Heart rate = 80 bpm • 1-3 hours per week • 40% walk • 50% trot • 10% canter • Examples: • Trail riding • Beginning of training • Occasional show horses

33. Energy Requirements - Performance Defined • Moderate Work • Heart rate = 90 bpm • 3-5 hours/week • 30% walk • 55% trot • 10% canter • 5% low jumping, cutting and other skill work • Examples: • School horses, trail riding, breaking/training, frequent show horses, polo, ranch work http://www.rettingerranch.com http://www.reddemeade.com http://www.polo-nz.co.nz

34. Energy Requirements - Performance Defined • Heavy • Heart rate = 110 bpm • 4-5 hours per week • 20% walk • 50% trot • 15% canter • 15% gallop, jumping, other skill work • Examples: • Ranch work, polo, show horses (frequent/ strenuous), low-medium eventing, race training (middle stages)

35. Energy Requirements - Performance Defined • Very Heavy • Heart rate = 110-150 bmp • Duration varies  1 hr/week speed work to 6-12 hr/week slow work • Examples: • Racing (QH, TB, STB, Endurance) • Elite 3-Day Event

36. Moderate Intensity Exercise

37. The problems with excess protein • Makes my horse “hot” • Truth or fiction? • Excess protein  increase water intake  increase in urination  increase in ammonia in stable • Protein is EXPEN$IVE!!

38. Which Hay should you choose? • Maintenance  ANY • No supplements* • Growth  Alfalfa or Mix for weanlings, high quality grass or mix for older • DE and/or CP supplementation • Vitamin/mineral • Reproduction  High quality grass or mix for late gestation, mix or alfalfa for lactation • DE and/or CP supplementation • Vitamin/mineral • Exercising horse  High quality grass or mix • DE and/or CP supplementation • Vitamin/mineral

39. Choosing the right concentrate • Base it on your hay! FORAGE FIRST • Have a great hay? • That 10% CP fortified sweetfeed may be all your horse needs! • Better yet, maybe just a forage balancer • Not so good hay? • Higher quality, higher protein feed may be needed in larger amounts!

40. Example: 6 mo old weanling $3.35/day

41. Example: 6 mo old weanling $2.63/day $2.98/day

42. Questions?