Feeding Horses
Feeding horses as naturally as possible will contribute to their optimal health and well being.
I hope the following articles will guide you to make the best choice of what, why and when to feed, or how to solve behaviour problems caused by feeding.
You can also find more advice on feeding on the Nutrition and Slow Feeding pages.
Natural Feeding Articles
Which mineral supplement is best for my horse? - Rather than offering a smorgasbord of nutrients in tiny amounts per serve (the ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ approach), Balanced Equine mineral mixes target what is most likely too low in the diet. Balanced Equine use premium mineral sources backed by research, and in quantities that make a difference. All the mixes contain significant amounts [...]
The Art and Science of Feeding Horses with Carol Layton - Feeding horses is both an art and science so Carol Layton of Balanced Equine explains how common mineral deficiencies can be solved with Balanced Equine Minerals available in our store here. In this video presentation, Carol looks at two common horse nutrition problems: Faded or sunbleached coats, and dry cracked hooves.
You are training when feeding - You may not have ever thought of it this way, but every time you feed your horses, you are either training them or reinforcing that training. It’s also a great way to train new behaviours and leaves your horse respectful around feed and keen to offer you something to get their feed. Or, you can [...]Over Feeding and Over Weight Equines - Learn more about the dangers of over-feeding your horse and how to tell if your equines are over-weight. Click this link to Fran Jurga’s Hoofblog to read more about how we inadvertently overfeed our horses, with cases of laminitis rising as a consequence. The videos are each about 7-9 minutes long and well worth taking [...]
Feeding Frenzy - With winter approaching and the drought conditions we’ve recently experienced in some areas, hand feeding our horses becomes necessary. Here’s a few tips and tricks that can make it safe for you and fun for your horse during this daily interaction. In fact playing games at feeding time is vital to maintaining or gaining ‘alpha’ [...]
Huge Hay Bags To Make - Have you ever been annoyed at how much hay your horses waste when you throw it out on the ground for them? After all, it is the most natural way for them to eat but some horses don’t have the best of manners and will poo and wee in it after taking their fill. Or [...]
Making the Feed Go Further - by Cynthia Cooper With many parts of the world affected by weather extremes, feed for horses is getting more expensive and less readily available, so it makes sense to stretch what you can get as far as possible. So how do we do that without compromising our horse’s health and well-being? It’s a question I’ve [...]‘Ask Cynthia’ – Aggressive Feeding Behaviour - “I’ve had my new mare at home now for just over a week and she is terribly aggressive at feeding times. I have been walking into the paddock with either a lead rope or stick/string and swinging it at her as she approaches so that she doesn’t rush forward at you. In response to this, [...]
Paddock Pillows a real success! - ‘Paddock Pillows’ are simply made from the plastic garden trellis you can buy from your local hardware/gardeing store. They are quick and easy to make – just fold a 2m length in half and ‘sew’ the sides together with baling twine or use cable ties. You can also lace the top closed with twine when [...]
Hay Feeders = less gorging and waste - While doing a spot of web surfing, I found the site of Swedish hoof trimmer, Ove Lind who has put together an interesting selection of hay feeding options to enable 24/7 hay and to reduce gorging and wastage. He says “I have found that as long as there is a limited supply of hay the [...]Putting horses on hay paddocks can cause problems. - With the hay season in full swing in most areas, some of you will be lucky enough to cut your own paddocks. Once the hay is baled and stored, it’s a great opportunity to put your horses on the pasture to clean up left over grass around the edges. But beware! If you have a [...]
