Without a doubt, it’s one of the most common questions that feed reps get asked, whether on the farm or over the counter at your favourite feed store. Sometimes it’s a person with their first horse but it may be a veteran owner who has a horse with that little oddity that makes it unique. It’s that uniqueness, the reality that horses are individual in their requirements that makes the question more difficult to answer than you might think.

First of all let me say unequivocally that conscientious feed representatives are pleased to hear the question asked. It is proof positive that the horse owner a/ wants to ensure that their horse is properly fed and b/ is not afraid to seek educated advice. Hopefully persons representing the feed industry are able to offer advice based on some research rather than folklore.

Twenty years ago computer programs designed to analyze rations for horses were pretty well non-existent. In fact I remember the first semblance of a computer I had for rations was a palm sized sort of cash register thing which ran off of a tape recorder that had to be rewound all the time. It only did very simple dairy rations and usually didn’t work at all. Nevertheless I found it a grand toy and spent many hours rewinding the thing just to print off another ration somewhat the way the debit machine spits out your bill at Wal Mart today.

Now of course most feed representatives are equipped with computers, some with laptops that will fire off a sure fire super ration right over the feed cart. Before he /she leaves you will know exactly how much to feed right down to the ounce (gram in the case of those who insist on using that foreign language) But how accurate is it? What is it telling you?

Ration balancing programs make calculations by categorizing the subject animals. What is the weight of the animal(s)? What activity level are they engaged in? Are they growing horses, broodmares, performance horse or pasture ornaments? This method of categorizing animals is meant to provide amounts required of each nutrient. How much energy, protein, fibre, different minerals, vitamins and so on. This combined with known analysis’ of the feeds available and the computer can calculate how much feed the horse needs. Simple right?

This approach of categorizing works well for farm animals, such as dairy cows, pigs and so on. The animals are fairly uniform genetically and the desired outcome is measurable and similar. I think allowing the computer to decide how much to feed the horse however has some limitations.

First of all horses are far from uniform genetically, even within the same breed. I’ve seen horses of a particular breed who look like the Goodyear blimp on little or no grain and others who look like a kitchen chair with a hairy blanket over it after a bucket full. Secondly the expected outcome or result of the feeding program is variable. Is an endurance horse similar in requirements to a Standardbred? Is a jumper similar to a reining horse? No of course not and that uniqueness is what makes the feeding of horses so interesting and challenging.

OK at this point I’ve probably completely ticked off a lot of my colleagues in the feed business who have a lot of faith in their computer programs. Meanwhile you’re sitting there still asking the same question. How much do I feed my horse?

First of all let me be very clear that I am a great believer in analyzing and balancing your rations. A lot of information is provided necessary to ensure that there is enough protein, adequate minerals in the proper balance and that there are no important deficiencies. The one thing the computer cannot tell you definitively however, is how much to feed. It can only give you an estimate as a starting point.

The best indicator of how much to feed is standing in front of you on four legs. Is the horse too fat, is it too thin, does it have enough energy to do what you ask of it, does the coat look healthy, are the feet firm or are they cracking, does the horse seem alert, interested in life or does it act like its dog friend died? All of these indicators may be a result of your horse‘s diet.

Well ok, the answer to one of these questions isn’t a positive one otherwise you wouldn’t be asking for advice. So start with an evaluation of the horse. Then measure how much the horse is consuming right now. That means actually weighing the feed it gets including the hay. Then the computer can calculate what is in the ration now. Once you have that information the ration can be adjusted to accomplish your goal. Put on some weight, lose some weight, more energy, less energy, faster growth, slower growth. Two things mainly determine how much to feed and what to feed. Total calories (energy) and where do the calories come from. That’s is a topic for another day.

So please all you feed reps out there. Don’t throw your computers away. Just be aware of their limitations.