Ten Common Feeding Mistakes To be Avoided

Feeding is the most usual but very sensitive process to be concerned for horses by their owners. Most of the horse owners enjoy feeding their horse. It's good to see your horse enjoy its meal and coming running to you when it sees you coming with the feed bucket. But it's easy to make a mistake when planning your horse's dietary needs. For the healthy life of your horse, avoid following 10 most common feeding mistakes.

1. Overfeeding

As horses are loved by their owners, they usually get overfed.  As horse owners, we usually enjoy looking after our horses and that often means providing them with the best feeds possible. However, it's often we provide our horse with excess food. Overfeeding can lead to problems of obesity including equine metabolic syndrome and can lead to laminitis. If you become a major chef for your horse that does not have unusual or specific food requirements, then you can risk your horse at a high risk. Most horses need a very simple diet of good pasture or hay and only need supplements or concentrate if there is a shortfall in nutrition. There's no need to be mixing and cooking bran mashes, slicing carrots, and serving up extravagant meals. Having hay tested is a good idea, as it indicates what types of supplements you might add to your horse's diet. Overfeeding is a specific problem in a young horse. While it's tempting to keep your weanling or yearling pleasingly plump, too rapid growth can cause joint malformations. Your young horses will benefit from a slow steady growth, regular parasite control medications and ample exercise that keep it lean and fit.

2. Underfeeding

Underfeeding can be a problem with senior horses. Usually, horses working hard also remain underfed. While hard-working horses can be expected to look lean, they shouldn't look gaunt. If hay or pasture won't keep your working horse in good condition, look to concentrates to make up the shortfall. However, keep in mind that the bulk of your horse's diet should be made up of grass or hay.  Underfeeding hay or pasture, and overfeeding grains and concentrates can lead to colic. Senior horses lose the ability to digest food efficiently and may need a little extra help in the form of supplements and concentrates. Look for feeds specially developed for senior horses.

3. Scanty Pasture Grass

It's easy to look at a pasture from the distance and think it's lush and green. But closer inspection may reveal that your pasture is being overhauled by undesirable weeds. This means horses find difficult to have pasture grass. And consequently, horses may start eating the less nutritional and sometimes toxic weeds. You should look after pastures so your horse may end up with good grazing for the day.


4. Bad Quality Hay

Good quality hay can be rarely found for horses. Poor hay, when ingested by your horse, may cause all types of problems. Hay may be nutritionally deficient. Some hays are not suitable for horses and can cause colic. Colic eventually takes the life of your horse. Dusty and mildewed hay may be injurious to the lungs of your horse.


5. Weighing your Horse's Feeding rather than To Volume

Weighing your horse feed before giving is good practice. It is wrong practice to calculate your horse feed by volume. One should feed his horse both hay and concentrates by weight not by volume. Although it will be difficult to determine the weight of the hay your horse eats if it is eating free choice from a round bale, you can estimate the weight of the hay your horse is eating if you are using small square bales. Generally, owners allow their horses a 'few flakes' of hay for each meal. But not all small squares are of equal weight. Weighing grain concentrates is important too. Most caretakers use the scoop method. But horse feed companies recommend feeding by weight and calculate recommended portions by body weight. If you just go by eye, you may be under or over-feeding your horse. At least weigh the portions to calculate the amount, then mark your scoop so you are feeding the same amount each time.