[Dawn]

I completely agree that horses are individuals. And the exact same diet will not work for each and every horse.

But what I'm getting from what you're saying is that the wild horses do fine on just what they find, so why worry about what you feed your horses? And that is a completely unbased comparison.

Many of the feed related issues horses have are caused by humans. Which is why you (not you, but a collective you) need to educate yourself as to what causes those issues and how to avoid them.

[Blistering Winds]

Originally Posted by me and morgan

Do you think the horses in th wild worry about where their protein meal is comin from..when the farrier will be coming next....whos gonna clean out my bean....should I eat this ..tree...sometimes humans make it MORE complicted than what it REALLY is..No all horses are not fed the same...but some of the prettiest horses Ive seen are wild ones....naturaly chipped feet and perfect muscled bodies.....just my O...

HUH? What wild horses are you looking at???

http://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...b821e&ei=UTF-8

http://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...ei=UTF-8&src=p

http://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...ei=UTF-8&src=p


It all depends on what is available in the area of certain herd's territories.

Those in rocky areas seem to have harder body scores, but better trimmed feet than those in grassy areas who are nice and healthy nutrition wise, but CRAPPY feet due to the lack of rocks and hard terrain to help break off.

[Blistering Winds]

and as dawn said, we have taken the "natural" out of horses by closing them off, providing them with safety and shelter where they do not have to roam to find food. So because of that, it is up to us to be sure their needs are met.

Wild horses are not always the most healthy nutritional wise, depending on what time of year it is, what is currently available, and what they can find. They vary from day to day, year to year. and definitely season to season.


and since we ask them to do WAY more than a wild horse EVER does on a constant basis, we must be responsible to continue to meet those needs and account for the excess we ask their bodies to do.

[Dawn]

I do have to agree with that bw. And from looking through various photos of wild horses (from different continents, not just different areas), how 'nice' they look is completely dependent upon what time of year it is and what kind of year it's been.

[Blistering Winds]

and out of all the "wild" horses I've observed, I have yet to see one "MUSCULAR" like the domestic riding horses. I have seen "FAT" wild horses, but not well muscled.

[sorrell]

Originally Posted by Dawn

Carbs are sugars.

The three main energy sources (okay the only 3 energy sources) are fats, proteins, and carbs (which include sugars).

Okay, I am awful at retaining info.
So, the question here is, do horses need protein or do they need high protein, or that carbs and fats are more important?
Now I am totally confused. Will have to go back and read.

[Dawn]

As far as levels they require in their diet, they need carbs (the most), protein (middle), and fat (the least). But all three are important.

More so than the amount of protein (though it must be adequate of course), is the quality of the protein (meaning how many/much/type of essential amino acids does it contain). Protein isn't really 'important' in the horses body because of the calories it provides, but rather the nutrition that comes in the package with it. But no matter 'why' you're providing it, it still brings calories along with it.

It's like feeding a fat source for the fatty acids and/or fat soluable vitamins. Just because that's the reason you're feeding it and not for calories does not mean that calories don't come with it as well.

[me and morgan]

We all have our own opinions..if people would get educated on what to feed and how....certain people would not have so many problems....you can show me all the pictures you pull off the internet...it just goes to show..we are all human ..and EVERYONE...including people here...have feeding and health issues...

[Dawn]

You're very right. But what exactly is your point? This post was made to help educate (which is what you're proclaiming should be done, even if there is some skewed info in the post), and yet you're basically bashing the post for being made.

[sorrell]

Okay, this is the chart I was thinking of, with fat having more calories than carbs and proteins so being more efficient at putting on weight.
So, what exactly are we saying about protein and horses?



"MacronutrientCaloriesKilojoulesProtein416.7Fat937 .7Carbohydrate416.7
Yes, each gram of fat you consume provides more than twice as many calories as a gram of protein or carbohydrate!
As an example of how these numbers are used, imagine a food containing 10 grams of protein, 10 grams of fat, and 10 grams of carbohydrates. That would total 170 calories:

(10 g protein x 4) + (10 g fat x 9) + (10 g carbs x 4) = 170
In this imaginary food 40 calories come from protein, 90 calories come from fat, and 40 calories come from carbohydrates.
Technical Notes

The Numbers Don't Always Add Up

If you check a food label you may find that the total number of calories listed doesn't match the number you arrive at using the 4-9-4 method described above. The reason for the discrepancy may be that the figure for carbohydrates includes insoluble fiber, and the food manufacturer has accounted for this in their figure for calories.
Insoluble fiber passes through your body without being converted to a form that provides energy, or calories. Knowing this, the manufacturer may subtract the caloric value of the insoluble fiber (4 calories per gram) from the total calories figure. When they do this, the 4-9-4 method will give you a higher figure for total calories than the one you find on the food label.
You might think that you could subtract the figure for fiber from the figure for carbohydrates to correct the discrepancy. But the figure for fiber will likely include both soluble and insoluble fiber, and you'd only want to subtract the insoluble fiber. Unfortunately you have no way of knowing how much of the fiber is soluble, and how much is insoluble."