Feeding Grain

Feeding horses is very expensive and requires a lot of care. It is very important to make sure the horse is getting enough hay, but not too much. Grain is good, not because it is always necessary, but because the horse loves grain and makes it happy. Actually, grain is not a necessity to a horse's diet unless it has special dietary needs. The primary purpose of grain is to provide the horse with the energy it needs to perform the work that we ask of it. Many horses are fed grain even though they might be sedentary. Horses who are kept in stalls should not be fed excess amounts of grain as it is difficult for them to burn the energy and health problems may occur as a result.

Karen Briggs, B.Sc., says, "When a grain meal hits the horse's small intestine, some of the starch is digested and absorbed as glucose, but the rest, instead of passing through the system undigested, is converted by the microflora in the cecum to volatile fatty acids and lactic acid. If the production of these acids is rapid enough (as often happens when a large quantity of grain is fed at one time), cecal acidosis can result--a condition which can trigger diarrhea, colic, and laminitis."

Many horse owners feed their horses supplements to compensate for the lack of nutrients in the soil. If this is the case, then a small amount of grain may be necessary in order to feed the supplements to the horse. Of course, grain is also used to give oral medications to horses.

Take great care in feeding your horse grain. If you work the horse a lot, then more grain may be necessary. If the horse is sedentary most of the time, do not feed it grain, or feed enough to give him whichever supplements or medications that may be necessary. Of course, feeding grain may also depend on other circumstances as well. In any case, take the time to educate yourself so that you are able to provide the healthiest meals for your horse.

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Last revision: May 5, 2002