FORAGE, FEED QUALITY AND YOUR HORSE

1. FORAGE, FEED QUALITY AND YOUR HORSE CRAIG SANDMIRE EQUI-SHINE SUPPLEMENTS

2. Ration Balancing • Although we would like ration balancing to be easy, there are many components necessary to obtain the correct balance of nutrients • A considerable number of calculations must be performed, or a computer program used. • The information presented here will give you the background needed to decide on the best ration for your horse.

3. Brood Mare, early pregnancy Brood Mare, late pregnancy Lactation, early Lactation, late Suckling Foal Weanling Yearling 2-yr. old Mature, light work Mature, medium work Mature, heavy work Maintenance Geriatric Miniature Draft The horse’s requirements must be based on the “class of the horse”

4. Is your horse an “easy keeper” or a “hard keeper”? • Different breeds tend to have different metabolic rates. • Even horses within the same breed may have different metabolic rates.

5. How much protein is needed in the diet? • Protein levels are important, but are not the only important element in the diet. • Quality of protein is just as important as quantity of protein. • Dietary protein of both forage and grain determine the TOTAL protein level. 20# of 8% protein grass hay + 4# of a 14% protein grain = total protein of about 9%

6. Protein % • Who knows the protein content of your grain that you are feeding? • Who knows the protein content of the hay you are feeding? • What does your horse eat more of? Grain or Forage

7. Management Ideas • Watch out for poor quality forages!!!! (Least cost is not always best cost) • Get a forage analysis done so your hay quality is KNOWN!

15. Recommended Total Dietary Crude Protein Levels • Mature (maintenance and light work) 8-10% • Early Gestation (1-7 mon) 8-10% • Late Gestation (8-11 mon) 11-12% • Early Lactation (1-3 mon) 12-14% • Late Lactation (4-5 mon) 11-12% • Creep Feeding 16-18% • 2-yr. old in training 12-14% • Yearlings 12-14 % • Weanlings 14-16% • Mature performance 10-12% • Aged horses 20 yrs.+ 14-16%

16. How much energy is needed in the diet? • Carbohydrates are the main source of energy, but fats and proteins can be utilized for energy. • Growing horses must have adequate carbohydrates or fat so protein can be used for growth • Fats can increase the number of calories without the addition of potentially unsafe amounts of simple carbohydrates • Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance can cause growth problems in young horses and health problems in older horses • Current rations for growing horses contain about 6% total dietary fat. • Liquid oil or rice bran are common additions; oil is 98% fat and rice bran is typically 20% fat • Need to feed fat for a minimum of 30 days to see benefit

17. What about water? • It is undeniable that horses need a constant source of fresh water. • Amount of water needed is affected by air temperature, humidity, exercise, stage of lactation and dry matter intake to name just a few. • Water needs can increase 3 to 4 times with exercise in hot weather • Foals will begin to drink water at 1 to 2 weeks • Daily water needs in “normal” conditions are 10-15 gallons/day. • Horses cannot meet their water needs with snow. To get 10 gallons of water a day, a horse would need to consume 100 gallons of snow/day. • Horses prefer water between 45 and 65 degrees F. • It is OK to water to a horse right after exercise as long as the horse’s breathing has returned to normal. • However, never allow a horse to consume more than 2 gallons of water at one time immediately after intense exercise. • Consider force feeding salt on your grain

18. What is the current weight of your mature horse? DETERMINING WEIGHT BASED ON GIRTH SIZE GIRTH (INCHES) WEIGHT 30 100 40 200 45.5 300 50.5 400 55 500 58.5 600 61.5 700 64.5 800 67.5 900 70.5 1000 73 1100 75.5 1200 77.5 1300

19. What is the expected daily gain of your growing horse? Age of foalEstimated Mature Weight 900 pounds1100 pounds1320 pounds 1-3 months 3 lbs/day 4 months 1.87lbs/day 6 months rapid 1.5 lbs/day 1.9 lbs/day moderate 1.2 lbs/day 1.4 lbs/day 1.6 lbs/day 12 months rapid 1.1 lbs/day 1.4 lbs/day moderate .9 lbs/day 1.1 lbs/day 1.4 lbs/day 18 months moderate .5 lbs/day .8 lbs/day 1.0 lbs/day 2 years .44 lbs/day

20. Begin formulating your ration with forage • Utilize high quality forage. • Alfalfa hay is high in energy, protein and calcium. Your grain feeding rates will be lower because of higher quality forage. Caution as idle horses can become overweight very easy if not fed a limited amount. • Grass hay is lower in nutrients and may be the perfect hay for your mature, basically, idle horse. • A mixed grass/alfalfa hay is the basic hay for all types of horses. • A forage test will provide accurate values of nutrients

21. Should you top dress with vitamins and minerals? • To maintain the level of vitamins and minerals necessary, regardless of the amount of concentrate fed, top dressing is useful. • Because horses have different metabolism rates, we feed every horse different amounts of grain. We vary the rate of grain based on body condition. However the horses mineral and vitamin requirement stay the same. Topdressing a mineral and vitamin supplement allows you to treat each horse individually. • A “trace mineral block” will not supply all the supplements the horse needs. It is basically only a source of salt.

22. What about probiotics and electrolytes • Probiotics are beneficial gut bacteria that assist the horse in obtaining the maximum nutrients from feed, improving growth, production, performance and resistance to disease • Every horse in every class can benefit from the use of a probiotic • Electrolytes are specific minerals lost in sweat • Only in extremely hot weather, with hard work are electrolytes necessary

23. Some practical suggestions about rations • Feed by weight not volume - a 3 lb. coffee can will equal approximately 4 lbs of mixed grain (corn and oats). • Do not use scoops for grain, it is too easy to over or under estimate amounts. • Effects of the ration should be evaluated every few weeks • Individuals are affected differently, a normal or average horse may not be the one you are feeding. • Avoid sudden changes. Make feeding changes over 7 to 10 day period. • Decreasing components of the diet slowly are as important as increasing slowly. • Make no more than one half pound increase or decrease per day.

24. Other factors that will influence the nutrition of your horse • Deworm regularly • Offer the horse ample and consistent exercise • Have a clean, well-ventilated environment • Provide good dental health

25. Management Ideas • Look at all feed inputs on a $/# basis • $200/ton = $.10/# • $240/ton = $.12/# • $280/ton = $.14/# • $300/ton = $.15/#

26. Management Ideas • $340/ton = $.17/# • $400/ton = $.20/# • $500/ton = $.25/# • $600/ton = $.30/#

27. Management Ideas • If grain prices are: • $14.00/50# bag = $.28/# • $18.00/50# bag = $.36/# • $22.00/50# bag = $.44/# • $24.00/50# bag = $.48/#

28. Pricing Prospective • Less yearly out of pocket expense to maintain a healthy horse instead of exposing it to compromising situations • More cost effective to buy better quality forage then to purchase cheap forage and feed more grain.

29. They depend on you… You can depend on us!