Coffee can size, other components important in horse feed rations

By MANDY SPIKES | Central Texas Edition

January 22, 2004 -- Nutritional guidelines are an important aspect of a horse's nutrition, especially when dealing with a mare and her young foal. Horse breeders need to know the do's and don'ts when handling this subject.

Dr. Pete Gibbs, Extension horse specialist, gave horse breeders insight into this topic during his presentation during the Horse Breeder's Workshop that took place last month in College Station.

"There is more confusion and misunderstanding about nutrition when feeding a horse," Gibbs began on the topic of nutrition for mares and their young, growing offspring.

The specialist pointed out that feeding a horse involves an important product in the life of some people.

"If we stop drinking coffee, horses will begin to starve," he joked. "Seriously, a coffee can is a great way to measure feed for a horse. Remember, though, that if you find a different feed for your horse, you need to measure how much (protein/nutrients) you are feeding them."

Other pointers Gibbs gave were to look at the horse's size and body condition. "You can't feed a mare and a foal the same way. You need to balance the nutrients that are needed in a young horse. Mares and foals have different needs when it comes to the amount of nutrients." He added the same type of feed can be fed to both horses, but they can't be fed the same way.

Most horse's weight can be measured by the body scoring system, he explained. The scores run from 1 to 9 - 1 being in poor condition and 9 being obese. "You hardly ever see a horse scoring a 1 or a 9. The problem that we have is that mares are becoming too thin. I would rather see a heavier horse than a horse that is too thin."

Moderate to fat mares, or those that score between a 7 and 8, are beneficial because they cycle earlier, have fewer cycles between conception, and have a higher percentage of pregnancy.

Mares need a "good mixture of protein, fat, and fiber" in their feed, he said.

A feed program for young, growing horses should be different than the one for mares, Gibbs stressed.

When dealing with protein quality, if you have junky feed, you will raise junky horses, he said. "It's essential that young horses get the amino acids they need.

"A foal nurses on a mare almost 70 times a day. That means that foals will feed on many small meals many times a day. When you feed them only two times a day, that's when you start having problems."

A suggestion Gibbs made is to construct a creep feeder. A creep feeder is a trough with a low roof so only foals can reach the feed. "Build creep feeders for more than one place," he cautioned. "That way a dominate foal won't overtake all the feed."