We believe feeding top-quality hay and grain with high-fat supplements makes a difference in our horses. Thoroughbreds need a consistent feeding program delivered at the same time every day. Horses will worry weight off themselves wondering when, or if, they will be fed. We feed our horses at the same time every day - three times per day.
Another thing to remember high-quality hay is more important than feed. Use an alfalfa, alfalfa/grass mix hay if you can't get weight on your horse.
You can also increase the calories with fat supplements. Fat contains 2.5 times the calories of grain. If your horse is thin, speak with your vet, test for worms, and make sure your hay is top quality and you are feeding a quality feed in the correct amount specified by the manufacturer.
If you compare the amount specified on a low-cost feed vs. a premium feed, you will find you need to feed a lot more of the low-cost feed and you still will not be getting the quality ingredients in the premium feed. You might even find that it costs less to feed a premium feed or just a little more. But it will make a world of difference in your horses' body condition. Don't just feed a scoop or two. READ the directions and get a scale!
AFTER: Queen's Rowdy Lad after just SIX weeks and being wormed with two classes of wormer and being on our feeding program.Our pantry of products include:
- Triple Crown Senior feed
- To this we add high-fat supplements including calcium-balanced rice bran and ground flax seed
- Triple Crown 30% Ration Balancer provides additional pre and probiotics, vitamins, and minerals. Each horse also gets about 2 tablespoons of white table salt.
- Garlic can be added to the food in the warmer months. Garlic is best known for its health-protective properties. It is one of the world’s most powerful antioxidant foods and has been used for centuries as an insect repellent and is thought to stimulate the body's immune system. We find it keeps the fly population down. It is suggested to promotes friendly bacteria in the digestive tract and it contains natural MSM. Even if it does none of these things, it makes our feed room smell like an Italian kitchen! Click here for more information on the benefits of garlic. You find lots of recommended garlic reading at the bottom of the page.
- The older horses and newer horses off-the-track benefit from shredded beet pulp to put on or maintain their weight. It is also given to all the horses as a good source of fiber and calories that will not make them hot. If you are trying to stretch your hay, beet pulp will help you get the fiber your horse needs into his diet.
- We also use the beet pulp with the Triple Crown 30% for our mini horse and any easy keepers like Quarterhorses. Those horses still need vitamins and minerals but they don't need the calories in the grain. We cut down the amount of grain and supplement with Triple Crown 30% Ration Balancer. The beet pulp makes them feel like they got a big meal without having the calories. They really don't need a lot of feed because our hay and grass are good.
- When there is a weather front moving through or a sudden change in temperature the horses receive a warm mash at the 10 PM feeding.
BEFORE: Queen's Rowdy Lad needed a good worming and some groceries.
Each horse has a grain bucket where their own special "recipe" is listed on the side along with any additional supplements the owners choose to be beneficial for their horse. Elizabeth personally mixes each horses' food after each feeding to prepare for the next feeding. The feed is adjusted for workload or layups. When traveling away from the farm the feed is pre-mixed so that the consistency of the feed is maintained while traveling.
For older horses with bad teeth, the grain is wet down with warm water before it is placed in the horse's stall bucket. Some of the older horses get a soup mixture for easy digestion. Some horses get three feedings if they need weight put on. Each horse has a feeding program specially designed for them and it is adjusted as needed. Read more about putting weight on Thoroughbreds.
The horses love peppermint treats and these are used to disguise medicines in the feed as well as to reward them for good behavior. We use peppermints and horse treats to do our daily chiropractic stretches.