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What should I feed him?
Q: Can you please give me a good basic diet for a ten-year-old, 16hh thoroughbred horse, who is an average keeper, and who is going to be doing a little bit of low-level competition, schooling and hacking, around five days a week? He is going to be living out 24-7 in reasonable pasture with two other horses in a 5-acre paddock.
I would like to know what I should feed him, how often and in what sort of quantities. He has no special health problems that I know of.
Lucy J, Bay of Plenty
A: It’s hard for me to give diet recommendations without seeing the horse ‘in person’; however, there are some simple rules you can follow to make sure you are covering the basics. Firstly, always make sure at least half of his daily intake (by weight) of feed is in the form of grass or conserved forage. It sounds as though he has enough grassland for his needs (a basic guide is 1 horse per acre, depending on soil and grass quality). During lush growth periods, it is important to feed out fibrous forage to keep his fibre levels up and make sure he doesn’t experience any diarrhoea symptoms due to gastric disturbances. I always apply the ‘keep it simple’ rule when feeding, as this minimises the potential for problems! Condition-score him weekly to monitor any weight changes, and look to feed a ready-balanced diet to make sure he is getting everything he needs. The amounts you need to feed are based on his bodyweight (probably about 550kg?) and will be on the back of the bag, depending on how it’s formulated. For low level work, this should be fine, but monitor him and change the amount you feed accordingly. He will probably need more in the winter to maintain his weight. Invest in a good cover too, as many thoroughbreds lose condition in winter due to the cold. Maybe a fibre-based cool feed would be easiest? Many thoroughbreds get a bit fizzy on high-grain diets. Do not be tempted to add extra supplements to this unless you have a very definite reason to do so, as this may unbalance the complete diet.
PKE ok?
Q: I just wanted to know if it’s okay for horses to eat palm kernel, also known as PKE.
The vets here don’t seem to know much about feeding it to horses, but as we buy it by the truck- and trailer-load to feed to the dairy cows, I wondered if it was safe for horses to eat, and in what amounts?
I have been feeding/adding palm kernel to my horses feed for some time now but is it “safe”? The horses do love the stuff!
Shannon and Puzzles, New Plymouth
A: The main problem with palm kernel meal is that it is a waste product of the palm oil industry, produced in developing countries with little quality control over the ‘waste’ product that gets fed to animals. As a feed source, it is high in fibre and sometimes other nutrients (depending on the extraction technique), which also can be useful. Knowing how much to feed depends on the nutrients present in the batch – which will need testing as it is so highly variable. However, the main problem is its production, storage, handling and the quality of the final feed product. Due to the high oil levels in some batches, it can become rancid. It is also very prone to fungal contamination, resulting in high levels of toxins being present in the final feed. Some batches that have been stored outdoors have such heavy fungal growth on them they have to be broken up with pickaxes before being used! As you can imagine, this is a major safety issue when it comes to using such materials in animal feeds. If you are buying in bulk from a reputable supplier, always ask for a quality specification sheet before feeding palm kernel meal to any animals – including a mycotoxin screening. This is the only way to tell if the material is safe to feed or not. Remember, that if you are feeding dairy cows, you should always be testing feed material for toxins anyway, as some of these are transferred in the milk to humans, and are carcinogenic.
Copra query
Q: Can you please tell me about the nutritional values and any other information you have about feeding copra meal to horses? I understand it is a coconut extract, and personally think it seems a bit unnatural for horses to eat coconuts!
Wondering, Auckland
A: This is a very similar issue to the palm kernel meal, as both are by-products of the oil industry, mostly originating in developing countries. Copra is used in animal feed primarily as a source of fibre. Some of the less extracted forms also contain high levels of oil, although coconut oil is very saturated fat and can reduce the functioning of the gut bacteria. As with palm kernel meal, the main issue for copra is the contamination commonly present within this feedstuff.
Fungal growth leads to the production of toxins that have major health implications for animals. It is a reasonable request to make to any feed supplier to provide nutrient and safety data regarding feedstuffs for animals. Ask them for the toxin screening data on the copra before you feed it, to make sure there is no contamination.
Also find out if they have analysed it for nutrient levels, and if they blend it to ensure consistent quality between batches, as this will help work out what to feed, based on its energy content. It is common practice in the feed industry to ask such questions, so any reputable supplier of quality products should be able to give you this information.
Making up for poor nutrition
Q: I recently adopted an 18-year-old miniature mare. She was very motheaten-looking, partly as a result of terrible teeth. Her dental issues have been resolved and I have a good farrier sorting her hooves out.
The farrier said there is evidence of laminitis in the past but she is not overweight at the moment. She had a high faecal egg count and that has also been resolved. The mare had been running with a stallion but I don’t know yet if she is in foal.
I would love some advice on what to feed her to make up for poor nutrition in the past, without the risk of the laminitis coming back. Her appetite has increased since an equine dentist sorted her teeth out so no doubt I will have to watch her weight now.
Many thanks.
Mini Mare Mum.
A: First of all, very well done on your work with your miniature mare to date! It sounds as though you have covered the basics that will have certainly been affecting her ability to digest and use feed. It may be that, if she was in bad condition, she may not have conceived, or would have re-absorbed any conception anyway, as this is a common ‘survival trait’ in horses in poor condition. It would be best to scan her to check this out and make sure that, if in foal, she isn’t carrying twins. Then you can decide whether to feed her as a broodmare or not.
If she is not in foal, you will need to build her up by feeding her a good supply of digestible protein plus all her vitamins and minerals. If her condition is still poor, then by all means feed her some extra energy. For these small horses, energy is best supplied as small regular meals of fibre, so you could use a fibre-based cool feed or forage plus a balancer (a concentrated feed which is low energy with no grain, but contains all the protein, vitamins and minerals in a complete form). This will help her restore her weight and body reserves whilst allowing you to control her weight and prevent the laminitis. Keep away from grain and sugar (eg. molasses) and lush grass (high fructan sugars) which will bring on the laminitis again. Condition-score her on a regular basis to monitor her weight-gain.
If she is in foal, then you will need to make sure she is on what nutritionists call a ‘rising plane of nutrition’ ie. the amount of nutrients increases as the pregnancy progresses, especially in the final three months when the foal is growing most rapidly and she is preparing to produce milk. Try to find out how far along she is in the pregnancy, as this will help you work out how much feed she needs. As she has been in such a poor condition, but is still pregnant anyway, do make sure you are giving her a well balanced diet formulated to higher broodmare levels of nutrients. Some of the fibre-rich youngstock feeds allow you to do this without huge amounts of grain or molasses in the diet. This is important for the health and vitality of the foal as well as its dam.
Very good luck with her.
