It seems like there is an array of ‘gut balancing’ supplements and feeds available to horse owners. But what should you be feeding if your horse has a gut issue and how?

What and how to feed?

There are many pre and probiotic supplements available that can support the equine gut and re-balance good and bad bacteria. However, there are some simple feeding tips and methods that can help to prevent and re-balance alongside additional supplements and veterinary care.

Feed a high fibre diet, little and often

Fibre rich foods are easily digested and can provide the majority of the horse’s energy Alfalfa, grass chop or chaff, high fibre cubes and hay make great fibre foods.

As the well-known rule goes, feed little and often. This not only helps to keep the horse occupied, it also helps maintain a healthy stomach acid balance and suits the horse’s digestive system.

Graze or feed hay up to 18 hours a day – the ‘trickle feed’ method

‘Trickle’ feeding is the key. When horses chew, they produce saliva, this in turn keeps stomach acid levels neutral. By trickle feeding fibre, a horse will always have food in his stomach, so the acids that initiate the breakdown of food remain within normal, healthy levels.

Feed low amounts of concentrate or starchy food

A horse that is trickle fed is unlikely to be very hungry and less likely to bolt down food. The more quickly a horse eats, the faster food moves from the stomach and small intestine. The result is twofold: a horse won’t be able to properly digest all that is on offer nutritionally, and undigested starch reaches the hindgut. Starch in the hindgut interferes with the digestive processes and imbalances the natural digestive cycle.

Performance horses and those in hard work often require some kind of processed feed in their diet to provide the nutrition and energy required for performance that they can’t get from forage alone. However, some of these feeds are difficult to digest.

Ultimately horses may suffer from gut issues for all sorts of reasons and if you have concerns you should always seek a vet’s advice. However, following these simple rules will help your horse to maximise their digestion and means the money you invest in feeds isn’t wasted.

Although horses will gain minerals and vitamins from mixes, straights, forage and grass, at times they may need an extra ‘boost’ in the form of a balancer. In this blog we look at why and when you might feed a balancer.

Essentially a balancer is designed to ‘balance’ your horse’s feed nutritionally in terms of their vitamin, mineral and protein intake. Balancers are specially formulated for the equine diet and can offer additional benefits, such digestive support. Some are also low-calorie, low starch formulas so ideal for good doers or those prone to laminitis.

Why and when?
Balancers are useful for grass kept horses, especially when the grass is poor and they are being fed a forage based diet (e.g. hay, pony nuts, sugar beet). By adding in a balancer, you can ‘top up’ any missing nutrients and support general health and wellbeing.

If a horse is on rest or recovering from injury, you may need to feed a smaller amount of mix or cubes. If this is the case, feeding a balancer will literally ‘balance’ out your horse’s dietary needs, without adding unwanted calories. The quality protein also provides the essential amino acids required to build and repair muscles and other tissues. Sick horses may also have limited appetites, and feed balancers can help to stimulate intake and provide a great range of nutrition in a small amount of feed.

Balancers are ideal for horses or ponies that need to lose weight. A balancer can be fed alongside a fibre rich diet e.g. soaked hay. By doing this the horse can trickle feed, which will keep them occupied, but they will also be getting all the nutrients they require to maintain their health.

Some very sharp or ‘fizzy’ horses that are unmanageable to ride on mix or cubes can be fed a mixture of hay or grass chop, a simple grass nut and a balancer. This way they are able to trickle feed which is great for gut health, but they are also getting all the nutrients they need to perform and flourish. Competition horses can also benefit as a balancer can help provide the essential dietary elements to those with limited appetites or reduced fibre intakes.

Horses that are fed ‘straight’ feeds e.g. rolled oats, peas or barley, also benefit from balancers as they provide additional levels of calcium, vitamin E and other micronutrients.

How should I feed a balancer?

Balancers are added to the horse’s daily feed. Like all new feeds, a balancer should be slowly introduced into the diet and spread out between feeds. Feed balancers are not meant to add bulk to a feed; they are fed in very small quantities so always read the packaging carefully. Always check with an equine nutritionist if you are feeding a concentrated feed or other supplement as it is as bad to overfeed vitamins and minerals as it is to under feed. Many brands have specialist help at the end of the phone or online so it is always worth discussing your horse’s needs before making a purchase.

We often use or hear feed terms and don’t always understand exactly what they mean or relate to. ‘Forage’ is one such term that has been growing in popularity since the many owners have become more concerned with their horse’s digestion and possible gut discomfort.

A horse’s digestive tract is designed to have small amounts of feed ‘trickling’ through it at all times. This is where the phrase ‘trickle feed’ originates. By feeding forage, we can ensure this happens. This in turn supports digestive health, a general sense of wellbeing and helps prevent boredom.

When owners think of forage, they tend to think of hay or grass, but forage feedstuffs can also include:

Sugar beet pulp
Alfalfa cubes
Grass hay cubes
Chopped bagged hay or straw (sometimes known as chop or chaff)

The great thing about feeding forage is that it will keep a horse occupied for far longer than a cereal feed. By nature, horses spend about 75% of their day chewing and have a psychological need to chew. It is important to acknowledge this as in some cases unoccupied horses can start to show behaviours such as weaving, crib biting or general aggravation to humans and other horses.

How much forage should you feed?
In simple terms, horses need a minimum of 1% of their body weight in hay or grass each day. However, this is a minimum and a figure of around 1.5 to 2% is advisable for horses in work. So for a 500kg horse you would look towards feeding 10kg of forage a day.

An ideal situation is to feed hay (or let the horse graze) ad lib. However, with good doers and overweight horses, this isn’t always practical and restricted grazing, soaked or older (but not dusty or mouldy) hay can be a suitable alternative low calorie forage.

As a weight reference it is useful to buy or borrow a hanging scale and get used to weighing or understanding just how heavy your haynets or feed scoops are. This way it’s easy to get to grips with the amount of hay or forage you are feeding. It is then easy to monitor and adjust as spring grass begins to flourish or winter grass begins to drop off. If it’s possible, also consider feeding little and often or via small holed haynets so greedier horses ‘pace’ themselves and don’t gobble down their rations quickly.

What are the health benefits of feeding forage?
Feeding long fibre forage based feeds that your horse has to chew will stimulate his saliva production. A lack of saliva is associated with choke but can also lead to other gut complications.

If a horse is also being fed cereal, then adding fibre to his feed or feeding hay first will stimulate saliva which, in turn, can act as a buffer to the acidity caused by feeding cereal. Excess acid can lead to gastric ulcers, so feeding forage is an affordable way to support your horse’s health. Feeding a small amount of forage before exercise also follows the same theory and is now a widely accepted way to protect an over acidic gut.

Forage is also great for veterans or grass kept ponies and horses as the fermentation of forage in the large intestine produces a lot of heat, and this helps to maintain correct body temperature, particularly in winter. It is like an internal radiator!

Lastly, many forage based feeds are affordable and usually cheaper than cereal feeds. They can be purchased in bulk and used for many different types of horses on a yard, so there is little waste and feeding routines are easier to manage.

In sum, feeding forage supports health and nutrition, well-being and your pocket!