Equine Nutrition/Nutritional supplements

Nutritional supplements will depend on the age and workload of the animal in question. All diets start at maintenance and other stuff is added depending on the horse's needs.

Types of nutritional supplements'

Cereal grains, beet pulp, soybean meal, high temperature dried alfalfa and oil are all useful nutritional supplements. Vitamin/mineral supplements and oil seed meal are also important resources for formulating a diet.

Breeding horses

Pregnant mares major nutritional supplement will need to be a good quality protein feed and oils. She will also require a broad spectrum vitamin/mineral supplement. During lactation she will little or no nutritional supplementation excepting vitamin/mineral. Breeding stallions will have an increased mineral and vitamin need as well higher protein requirements. During the "off" season the stallion can be fed at maintenance.

Working horses

There are four basic types of working horses, light,moderate, hard and very hard. As the work gets harder the energy requirements increase. Oil, cereal grains, high temperature dried alfalfa, sugar beet pulp and soybean meal. Good quality forage and vitamin/mineral supplements are the basis for all working horses diets.

Growing horses

Growing horses are from 6 months-2 years. Before that their mothers feed them milk during the lactation faze. During the first year the foal's only nutritional supplement will need to be a good quality protein feed and vitamin/mineral balancer. During the next year the horse will need little or no nutritional supplementation except mineral/vitamin. Some horses with weight gaining issues may need some supplementary grain or young stock pellets.