[minilove]

Out of general curiosity do you feed your horse grain, why or why not? At my farm only 4 horses are given grain, a pair of older mares and two privately owned horses. None of our other horses are given any grain, our vet told us horses are better off with just hay. It’s good for their digestion and I someone on HGS mentioned that eating grain forces the horse to chew differently then when they eat hay and this is bad for there teeth.

So are your horses given any grain and for what purpose? Why would you want or not want to feed grain?

[cassidy]

neither of my too currently get grain

simply beacuse they do not need it they are doing wel off just grass ( an a little hay)

i only feed grain when they need it for either weight or for riding purposes

[ejforrest]

I strongly believe horse "dont" need grains. Research has shown grains/starch causes colic, ulcers, cribbing, tying up, founder, diarrhea and other health problems. I had two of my three horses colic all the time and when I read this 7 years ago, I stopped all grains. Not once have they colicked in the 7 years they have been off grains.
All the reading I have done on this subject does say horses do better when their diets are kept simple. Simple is what the wild horses ate and there was no grains in their diets. Man is the one who thought to add grains to the diet to help make the horse faster and bigger. Even horses who are being asked to work hard such as race horses, polo, endurance, and eventing horses are benig fed better energy feeds with out the grains or half the grains.
Fiber is the most important part of a horses diet and when fiber is of good quality and plentiful supply, horses sufer fewer digestive problems and health problems. Most people feed grains out of ignorance. Feeding grain for weight, energy, or added calories is due to not knowing there are safer, healthier feeds available.
"Traditionally, horse owners and feed manufactures have used starch-rich cereal grains such as oats and corn, to provide added calories. But that practice has increasingly fallen into disfavor as research shows that too much starch can cause health problems.".....To quote one of many articles on the subject of feeding grains.
There is plenty of good information on equine nutrition, you just have to take the time to read it.
"The Horse" health care magazine 1-800-582-5605
Understanding Equine Nutrition 1-800-582-5605
Storey's Guide To Feeding Horses 1-800-441-5700
To name a few...........

[No1Dazy]

My mare only gets a little grain--just enough to cover the taste of the supplements she doesn't like to eat.

[EmazingCasper]

My horse gets grain. The vet told us to feed him so. He gets a grain that won't make him hot called Complete Advantage. We've never had a problem with it. It also has beet pulp in all that good stuff in it. He gets 4 pounds a day. He is getting it to build weight up along his topline, the hay was only providing him with a hay belly, so the vet told us to give him grain as well.

[loosie]

Yes, from what I've studied, cereal grain isn't good for horse's teeth, but it's also not great for the rest of the horse's digestive system either. For one it's full of starch, which is very difficult for them to digest, and can often lead to discomfort or the actual pain of colic.

Problems are enhanced when grain is only fed 2-3 times per day or less. The way a horse's system works, it needs near constant food going thru it. But the type of food matters too to a degree, as there are bacteria that do a lot of the work & they just don't work very well if it's a new feed or one fed infrequently enough. Thats a major reason that new feeds should be introduced slowly & if hard feeding, meals need to be little & often.

Generally speaking, a natural diet is far healthier for the horse. With this statement tho, we need to keep in mind that a horse confined to a paddock is unlikely to get the necessary nutrients that a free one would, browsing on different plants & soils. Mixed grass hay is the best, but it usually needs supplimenting with nutrients. I beleive here, too, the natural alternatives - such as seaweed meal, Apple Cider Vinegar, garlic, etc - are the safest options.

Because of all the above, and the fact that there are better alternatives, I don't feed grain. I can't afford the time to look after a hard-fed horse, generally only getting to the paddock once every day or 2. My riding horse doesn't get worked really hard often(& is fat as butter on good pasture.). If he was in hard work I'd feed him copra or soy meal or such for extra beans. My other 2 30yo+ beasts who don't cope well just on pasture anymore get easily digested suppliments, including pelletted 'old hoss' feed & copra meal to help them keep the weight on.

Of course, as history has shown, managed properly, grain can be fed to most horses without obvious problems. Just because something has become 'traditional' or 'general practice' doesn't mean it's the best option tho. 'Natural' with regard to any issue(feeding, hoofcare, training...) doesn't automatically mean 'good' or 'best practice' either. But I think it's very important to study a horse's natural habits etc & compare the non-natural options, so that we can make an *informed* decision when weighing the pros & cons of what we do with/for/to the beasts that depend on us.

[aqh88]

Most of mine get just enough sunflower seeds(BOSS) to get them in the stable at night. Only one 22year old mare that has trouble keeping weight on gets a bit more BOSS and some senior feed. I never feed over 4lbs of grain in a day to any horse. They never need it and it is likely to cause digestive tract problems especially if you are only feeding once per day. There are usually better things to use.

[Circle C]

I feed oats, an oil (Cocosoya oil), a trace mineral (Iron Horse) and salt...all mixed together. A mixed grass hay as well and at least 20hrs of pasture per week.

[minilove]

Mmmmm Thank you for the replies. It's always interesting to read.

[PeggySue]

Mine get pelleted feed because they are spoiled and with my good pasture they need the vits and such from the feed I give them.. they get about 3 lbs a day for three of them and the foundered mare gets half that just to stop her from tearing the barn down while the others eat... but they really don't need it they get it because I like to spend that time with them while they are eating to check everybody over and just love on them...