The Complete Handbook of Horse Feed

Chapter 1: Understanding Horse Feed

Horse feed is not a single commodity, but a system of inputs designed to meet the metabolic demands of an animal that evolved to eat continuously. Understanding horse feed means understanding the equine digestive tract, the nutritional composition of different ingredients, and the practical goals of the feeding program. When a horse is fed correctly, it maintains a healthy weight, has consistent energy, and demonstrates sound hoof growth and a glossy coat. When it is fed incorrectly, the consequences appear as colic, laminitis, poor performance, and expensive veterinary bills. The choice of feed is therefore a management decision with direct health and financial consequences.

The foundation of all horse feeding is forage. In the wild, a horse spends 16 to 18 hours per day grazing on a diet of grasses and other fibrous plants. The digestive system is built for a constant trickle of low-energy, high-fiber food, not for large, infrequent meals of concentrated starch. The stomach is relatively small and empties quickly, but the hindgut, specifically the cecum and large colon, is a fermentation vat teeming with bacteria and protozoa that break down cellulose and hemicellulose into volatile fatty acids. These acids are a primary energy source for the horse. Because this fermentation process is slow and sensitive, a sudden change in the type or quantity of forage can easily disrupt the microbial population and cause digestive distress. Therefore, the role of feed in its most basic sense is to support this delicate fermentation