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Home » Diets that Work » 11 ways to improve your horse’s diet and help to keep him healthy – Your Horse

We all want to do the best by our horses, but modern management practices arent always helpful when you strive to make your horse #fitnotfat. It can be a difficult balance for many horse owners to meet their horses mental, physical and dietary needs, as well as keep an eye on their horses waistline.

There are two lifestyle areas physical and mental wellbeing, and diet that you can reassess to improve your horses quality of life.

Getting him out and moving will benefit your horse mentally and physically, but access to too much grazing can cause his waistline to expand. Grass intake needs to be regulated by type of field, size of field, number of horses grazing and use of grazing muzzles.

When turnout is not possible, alternative access to outdoor space and equine company is important.

Interaction between horses increases the amount they move when turned out.

Any field can be adapted to encourage greater movement. There are some fabulous guides to this available. Track system expert Dr Tamzin Furtado recommends this online article about grazing systems, the book Paddock Paradise by Jaime Jackson, and the Facebook group Track Systems UK.

Consider sharing your horse if you struggle to find the time yourself.

Adding variety can stop you and your horse from getting bored. Try schooling, jumping, hacking, and in-hand.

This can also make him work harder. Use your arena, but also work him on grass and roads, incorporate hill work and, if possible, in water.

This will encourage movement and your horse will expend excess calories to keep himself warm.

Safe toys and trickle-feeders, such as treat balls, can be used to increase movement and create mental stimulation in order to access food.

Where there is a need to supplement the diet with hay or concentrate feed, this can be done in a way that increases movement; for example, by dividing up rations and locating them in different parts of the field.

Only feed hard/concentrate feed if forage intake is at a maximum/ad-lib and more energy is required in order for your horse to carry out the work he does. Speak to a nutritionist for advice on this.

Where forage intake needs to be limited, try to slow the rate of feeding by using trickle feeding nets and grazing muzzles. Strip grazing (when done correctly) and track systems can slow grass intake.

Have you heard about Your Horses#FitNotFatcampaign, which is supported by Dodson & Horrell? Equine obesity is an enormous welfare problem and were on a mission to provide owners and riders with the knowledge, skills and information you need to keep your horse in tip-top health. It could be life saving! Findoutmore

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11 ways to improve your horse's diet and help to keep him healthy - Your Horse

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Home » Diets that Work » 11 ways to improve your horse’s diet and help to keep him healthy – Your Horse