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Feeding in winter

From: Mary Jo Krueger

Dear Jessica, This may be a really stupid question but I've searched the net and have come up empty on information for feeding your horse. We just bought a 40 acre hobby farm and I fianally have my horses here with me instead of at someone elses place. I am looking for information on how much hay and grain is needed on a daily basis in wisconsin for the winter. I want to make sure I have enough in the hayloft to carry my 2 pregnant mares and 1 long yearling for the winter. I am so confused because I have seen some articles with mention of pounds of hay or grain. I have been feeding them sweet grain and hay so far. Do they need a bale a day, or half a bale or what? And how much grain? Should I mix in some oats with the sweetgrain. Maybe you could suggest some good net pages with the information I need if it is too involved an answer for your forum. Sincerely, Mary Jo


Hi Mary Jo! First, let me say once again that there is no such thing as a stupid question -- the only stupid question is the one you don't ask!

Feeding is an art and a science, and your best friend in this matter is going to be your own veterinarian. He knows you, your horses, your situation, the conditions in which your horses are kept, the weather in your area, the type of hay that's most readily available, etc. TALK TO YOUR VET. He'll be able to help you fine-tune your feeding program. And if you have pregnant mares, he's coming out regularly to give them shots anyway -- ask him to spend a little extra time talking to you about feeds and feeding.

In the meantime, though, I can give you some ideas -- and a few absolutes.

Hay is the basic horse feed for horses not in work, and for some horses IN work! If your horses always have access to good-quality hay, fresh cool water, and a mineralized salt block, they won't suffer.

If you are feeding a commercial sweet-feed mix, look at the bag for feeding instructions. It should give you a clear idea of how much sweet feed AND HOW MUCH HAY would be suitable for an average horse in light, moderate, or hard work. Your vet will be able to help you more, but this will at least give you an idea of what amounts are suitable.

Feed IS measured in pounds -- just like your cereal (read the box!) "this food is measured by weight not by volume." Volume can be VERY deceptive. If you can buy a small feed scale -- there are inexpensive hanging ones available, with hooks that can easily hold a bucket or a tied flake or two -- you can measure and weigh all your feed, and you'll quickly learn to think in terms of weight rather than volume. With hay, for instance, depending on the type, the cutting, the quality, and the way it was baled, some flakes may weigh ten pounds, some may weigh two pounds. "Two flakes in the morning" might mean twenty pounds of hay -- or four. There's an ENORMOUS difference!

Grain is measured the same way. Not all grains are equal -- cheap oats, for instance, will be very light; good oats will be much heavier. "Racehorse oats" might weigh 35 or more pounds per bushel, the same volume of cheap oats might weigh 15 or 20 pounds. Again, if you're feeding your horse by the coffee can instead of by the pound, the difference in nutrition can be enormous.

Different grains have different weights, as well. Compare the weight of your coffee can when it's filled with oats, when it's filled with corn, and when it's filled with sweet feed. If you don't know how much feed your horse is getting, or what the quality of that feed is, you can't know whether his nutritional needs are being met. More and more horse-owners are beginning to understand just how important this is. There's even a new grain scoop on the market that incorporates a scale, so that you can see what each scoop of feed actually weighs!

Now, just to make matters more complicated, the point of feeding horses is not just to fill their tummies and make them happy, but to provide them with the correct balance of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals that will let them grow (if they are young), maintain their healthy condition (if they are mature), or provide the nutrients necessary to the health of a developing foal (if they are broodmares -- and you have TWO broodmares!). All of these nurtrients need to be provided in specific daily amounts... but fortunately there are nutritionists and veterinarians whose job it is to design mixed feeds that provide the necessary nutrients! Horse-owners simply need to buy those feeds and follow the directions and their own vets' advice.

As a general rule, you shouldn't mix oats in with your sweetfeed. That feed has been formulated to provide a balanced diet for horses (when fed as suggested and in combination with the recommended amounts of hay); when you begin mixing it with any single element such as oats, you change the balance of the nutrients, and the diet becomes UNbalanced. You may simply need to feed MORE -- again, you must talk to your vet about this. You want your horses to be healthy, and if you have two foals on the way, you have a wonderful chance to get them off to the best possible start by feeding their mothers appropriately. And speaking of foals, you'll want to talk to your vet about setting up a creep-feed area for your foals, because you'll want to have it ready BEFORE they arrive!

Mary Jo, I can't tell you how much food any one of your horses would need on a daily basis in a Wisconsin winter. But your vet WILL be able to tell you that, and he'll be able to show you how to evaluate your horses' condition, which is something else you need to do on a daily basis. Get your hands UNDER those long fuzzy coats and FEEL what's happening with your horses -- a long coat can disguise a major weight loss, and it's hard to put weight ON a horse in the winter. Get some help from your vet, start weighing your feeds, use your own good judgement, and you should have five healthy horses by summer.

In the meantime, for your winter reading, let me recommend a great book on feeding. It's by Lon D. Lewis, and the title is FEEDING AND CARE OF THE HORSE (second edition). It's a big paperback, and the ISBN is 0-683-04967-4. It will seem intimidating at first, but read a little at a time, and make notes of questions to ask your own vet. It will be VERY much worthwhile!

Jessica

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