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| Feeding Recommendations Apart from the feeds (listed in italics), which should probably be given to every horse, this table is a "pick and mix", so use it to select feeds appropriate for your horse's work-load and condition. The volumes given here for daily feed is what I give my own horses, you'll have to work out what is best for your own horses according to thier needs. Items in bold italics provide essential minerals and nutrients, and (unless your horse has perfect feet and you are sure that all of your forage is mineral balanced) should form part of the diet even for good doers who need no additional energy or protein. | Feed | Use | Suppliers | Seaweed 50-100g daily | Broad spectrum minerals and trace elements
Seaweed is rich in trace elements, bio-stimulants and alginic acid. There are over 60 essential elements in seaweed including Zinc, Phosphorus, Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium, Iron, Copper etc. providing healthier coats and hooves, and the reduction of stress associated with mineral imbalances. | Agricultural Feed Stores
Local Suppliers: Norvite, Harbro
Guide Price: £18 for 20Kg | Brewers yeast 25-100g daily | Chromium, B vitamins, Biotin, Selenium, provides high quality amino acids encourage a healthy population of gut flora, ensuring better hindgut digestion. Also provides copper and zinc. Horses enjoy the taste of brewer's yeast - but some owners can have a slight allergic reaction to it - it certainly makes me sneeze! | Local Suppliers Norvite, Millers etc.
Guide Price: Norvite pack their own Brewers yeast for £3.50/Kg. | | Linseed (cooked micronized meal) 100-500g daily | Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids and proteins. Useful source of copper, selenium and phosphate. Very low starch levels so safer for working horses prone to tying up, laminitic horses and veterans. Great for coats, hooves etc. The meal contains the oil and is better absorbed than liquid oils on their own. Also the meal provides mucilage which soothes the digestive tract, and may be good for horses with ulcer. | Charnwood Mills
Local Suppliers: Norvite, Millers Guide Price: Simple Systems £44 for 20Kg, Charnwood £25 for 20Kg (Norvite) | | Magnesium 25g day | Should be broadly balanced with Calcium in a 2:1 ratio. If feeding Alfalfa this is usually not an issue. Horse's diets are generally high in calcium.
Common forms: · Calcined Magnesite (CalMag, contained in many hoof and calming supplements. Regarded as poorly absorbed by horses, generally used in ruminant feeds) · Magnesium Oxide (Fine food grade recommended) · Magnesium Aspartate (possibly best avoided until neurotoxin status is determined by further research)
Feed up to 25g MgO per day (typically 50g MgO in CalMag form) if you are feeding higher quantities of sugar beet, alfalfa or other high calcium forage Important for feet, brain, gut, muscles. Expect to see improvements in hoof quality, diminishing of crests and pads, improvements in coat quality etc. Will take about 6-8 weeks for effects to be visible. Magnesium supplementation can sometimes help headshakers. | Agricultural feed stores (CalMag) Pharmacy wholesalers (MgO pure form – recommended)
Guide Price: £15 per 1 Kg MgO, £10 for 25Kg CalMag
MgO may also be available from your trimmer, or available from this site. | | Alfalfa Unmolassed | Protein, minerals, high in calcium Feed no more than 1% body weight per day Good for horses in moderate/hard work
Some alfalfa mixes contain mould inhibitors and antifungal agents – it is recommended that these are avoided as some very sensitive horses are affected. Insulin-resistant horses prone to laminitis may be sensitive to alfalfa. The cause isn’t entirely clear, but it may be related to alfalfa having more sugar in the form of glucose, and higher starch.
Alfalfa provides a lot of calcium. Calcium is important to developing bone, but so is phosphorus, magnesium, protein, and the trace minerals. Adequate mineral levels, in correct proportions, is the key.
| Dengie alfalfa pellets Simple System Lucie Hayley Greengold | | Sugar beet Unmolassed | High in fibre, some energy and minerals Relatively high in Calcium Quite palatable, and encourages fluid uptake
Beet pulp is ideal for good doers as it gives bulk and “satisfies” . Unmollassed sugar beet is still 5% sugar - so if you have a laminitic or sensitive horse then it is probably best to rinse the soaking water off and strain out the pulp. | SpeediBeet PuraBeet Equi-Beet
Guide Price £9 for 25Kg | | Coconut Meal (Copra Meal) | High in Oil – 8-10% Low in starch Slow release energy Good source of protein, copper and magnesium, but low in calcium Highly palatable Best for horses that are in hard work or needing extra condition. | Coolstance | | Grass Nuts | Energy, protein Variable energy levels depends on type NOT for horses that have a history of laminitis, LGL, cushings, or are in any way sensitive to grass | Any feed supplier | Crushed Oats |
Quick release energy, and probably the safest grain to feed if you feel the need to feed grains. Feed no more than 0.5% body weight per day (i.e. 2.5kg max for a 500kg horse) NOT recommended for laminitic, cushings or insulin resistant horses.
| Any feed supplier, |
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