Feeding for
Confidence
Horse Confidence
Faye Low
Equestrian Performance Coach
This document is to help you think about what you are feeding your
horses and whether they have excess energy from their feed that
they are using as output which manifests in ‘bad behaviour’.
It makes sense to look at what we are putting in so that we can
analyse what is coming out in terms of behaviour and energy.
Unfortunately as with everything there are multiple feed companies
all trying to sell us their brilliant new products. They understand how
humans work, it is their job after all. Usually they make the feed look
appetising to us so that we will form an emotional connection and
then buy it for our horses. The fancy packaging, the lovely sweet
smell, the appealing look.
I worked in the advertising industry for 10 years and I am fully aware
of how manufacturers use the human senses to their advantage.
Saying that though, there are some great feeds about we just need
to look beyond the packaging and their “advertising speak” to see if
it is really what our horses need. Therefore I am hoping to give you a
little bit of insight to enable you to think differently.
It was unravelled in the pet food industry some years ago that they
use the off cuts and rubbish of meats not fit for human consumption
to grind it up then add a bulk filler and pass this on as pet food. This
could be a reason why nowadays so many more pets are suffering
from food allergies compared to many years previously.
Horse feeds are similar, some companies use cheap bulk products
that are mixed in molasses to make it look and smell great.
These are usually the cheaper horse feeds that are on the market
and their quality is reflected in their price. Remember whatever the
sale price it will cost them less than a 1/3rd of that to produce it! That
should give you an indication on the quality of the ingredients.
However, I am not saying this to the detriment of the feed
companies, everyone has to make a living, but I urge you that if you
have a problem manifesting in behaviour then do check what you are
putting in your horse as it could be the feed does not agree with him.
So let’s kick off with some basic biology
A quick breakdown of the gastro-intestinal tract
As you can see from the image above. Food is taken in through the
mouth moves down the oesophagus and into the stomach. The entry
way into the stomach is very small and can get blocked easily,
therefore it is recommended to wet feed to help it move easily.
NB. Horses only have a one way digestive system and cannot vomit!
Hard feed is processed in the stomach and takes about an hour to be
digested. Remember though that the stomach is very small
compared to the hind gut, its about the size of a rugby ball!
Therefore it is important not to over feed hard concentrated feed
(remember also that hard feed in pelleted form swells up!).
It is better to feed 3 small meals than 2 large ones to allow the
stomach to process and digest the food.
The hindgut comprises of the small and large colon. Here is where
forage is broken down and digested. So things like chaff, grass, hay
and haylage.
It is really important to have good quality forage as this is what will
naturally provide energy for your horse. The fantastic thing about
horses is that they were made to graze. It can take up to 6 hours for
forage to pass through the hind gut, be broken down and digested
and then passed out.
Why is this so fabulous and so important? Because this chewing and
breaking down procedure ensures that your horse has a constant
production of saliva through its system, but also the fermentation
and digestion of forage produces slow burning energy as heat. This
keeps your horses warm and regulating their body temperature.
Forage is extremely important in a horse’s diet. 75% of your feed
should be found in forage with only an absolute maximum of 25% in
hard feeds. That is dependent on the amount of work your horse is
doing.
If it’s cold instead of feeding more concentrates, increase the hay as
it is stored and used by the body more efficiently than hard feed.
The importance of saliva and chewing action helps to neutralise acids
in the gut. Ideally you want your horse to be chewing for at least 1820 hours. The ideal is starvation for no longer than 6 hours.
So to recap – The stomach will digest sugars and starches, the Hind
Gut will digest forage.
The deadly sugars
Sugars and starches are absorbed into the body as glucose. Glucose
can then convert to fat. Glucose is needed for brain function and is
stored as energy in the muscles.
However we need to find a balance. It’s a bit like kids have too many
sweets! and all about finding a balance with how much is enough. So
I am not saying cut out sugars completely but do check to see that
you are not over feeding sugar. Your horse could be getting enough
sugar from the hay content and need less in his hard feed.
Sugars are used for short bursts of energy and are rapidly absorbed
through the stomach.
Forage on the other hand are digested slowly and are a slow release
energy.
Fructans are found in grass and are digested much faster than other
forage which therefore explains why horses are very energetic in
with the Spring grass. It’s like a sugar overload!
So tallying everything up you can see that sugar is good in
moderation and should be fed according to exercise, weight of your
horse, as well as body condition.
It is these things that we must take into account to see if our horse’s
behaviour could be based on a sugar overload.
Ok now we have a basic understanding of what is going on inside the
horse let us look at what we are putting in the horse.
Forage
Grass – There are many different types of grasses. Good pasture
land should include lots of different types. Although nowadays most
fields are more abundant in rye grass. Grass at certain types of the
year can be very rich and this causes it to ferment in the horses gut
which will produce gas. It is this gas that can show as that big round
pot belly that you can see in some horses, its not fat! Its gas!
(stinky!!)
Sugar content in grass is usually very high in the afternoon as the sun
has been encouraging fructan growth through photosynthesis
throughout the day. Advice is to turn out in the early hours and
bring in early afternoon to avoid the high sugar development in the
grass during the daylight hours.
High times around spring and again flash weather
Haylage – Hay cut at the time of its highest peak and then wrapped
to maintain moisture content. This causes fermentation which leads
to high levels of acidity. Not great for horses with ulcers! Sugar
content is usually quite high.
Alfafa – is classed as a legume and is alkaline therefore it neutralises
acid and is good for horses suffering from ulcers. Although alfalfa is
high in energy content in proteins and fibre it is low in sugars,
starches and fructans which makes it a great alternative.
Chaff - cheaper varieties are made from the shavings of chopped hay
and straw and covered in molasses so that it can be sold on. The
more expensive types of chaff usually include added ingredients to
increase palatability like oil, apple, mint etc. But again with the oil
content you are feeding energy so be aware.
Chaffs vary from 30% sugar content! to around 7% for the light
versions and 4-5% for the molasses free types. Check your feed bag.
Concentrates:
Here we have things likes mix, pony nuts, and balancers. Again you
need to check your feed bags to see what the ingredients are but
usually they all contain high amounts of sugar. If you are feeding
adequate amounts of concentrate you don’t need a balancer.
Balancers were designed as a shortfall of vitamins and minerals
between hard feed and forage.
Exercise:
How much actual work/exercise is your horse getting? We tend to
split into no work, light work, medium work and hard work but you
really need to define what each of these means to the horse, and not
you!
A horse who is out grazing and being ridden only twice a week would
probably still be classed as no work. Remember horses naturally
would cover 15 miles per day!
Advice:
Not many of us really work our horses to the requirement of light,
medium or hard work. Therefore the conclusion is that we don’t
really need a lot of high energy feed as input into our horses.
So if the maximum ratio is 75% forage and 25% hard feed for a horse
in hard work we can see that actually we can change these levels for
a horse in no work or very light work.
For my own horses I prefer to feed ad-lib hay so that they are being
provided with enough energy on a slow release to meet their needs
and to keep their guts moving all the time.
I only feed a very small amount of concentrate and that is as a
complete mix in a powder form mixed with plenty of meadow chaff
which is a blend of grasses and herbs so fills the gaps on what they
are missing in the field.
Many people now opt to feed hay/haylage plus chaff and balancer
and that is it, and to be honest that is probably adequate!
So let’s do an analysis chart for your particular horse so that you can
see very clearly in front of you what you are putting into your horse.
I’ll show you an example below for Sidney and then attach a blank
sheet so you can have a go for your own horses.
Breed:
Thoroughbred
Age:
8
Weight:
475kg
Body Score:
Good
Is he a good do’er/poor do’er?
Poor do’er
What is his exercise programme?
Ridden 4 times per week for about 40 minutes. 3 sessions flat work
schooling, plus 1 session jumping.
How many hours turned out?
7 hours
How many hours in a stable?
14 hours
Feed Analysis:
Hay: Ad-lib during the 14 hours stabled
Feed: Meadow chaff containing 7% sugar;
Build up base mix 2.8% sugar
Feed as 3 small meals per day
I hope that this short document has allowed you to think differently
about what you are feeding and the implications on your horse’s
behaviour. It certainly makes you think differently 
Horse Name:
Breed:
Age:
Weight:
Body score:
Good do’er or Poor do’er:
Exercise programme:
Hours turned out?
Hours stabled?
Feed Analysis:
Forage (type and amount):
Concentrates (type and amount):
Do you think your horse has too much energy in the form of sugar for
his lifestyle?