If you want to know what horses eat, read all the information in this article until the end to avoid doubts about their diet.
Their feeding
In country houses and on farms it is very common to find a wide variety of horses, they are animals that are very useful for moving in very large areas, for walks, for racing competitions and more, so their diet should be Being an essential factor for their owners and caregivers, neglecting this element could be a mistake of great magnitude.
Your diet should be based on the continuous strengthening of your immune system, since, if it is healthy, there is a lower probability that it will obtain harmful microorganisms or some type of parasite that causes damage and later death.
Likewise, if your horse has a strong immune system, it will be able to overcome more quickly any disease that may break out at any moment.
The horse will enjoy excellent health if it can follow its instinct, that is, this is an animal that does not eat meat, therefore, feeding it with any type of meat should be avoided, since the horse's body is not prepared for this, you won't be able to digest it.
The most correct for consumption are the different types of herbs, some fruits and flowers, as can be seen in the following video:
El best horse feed may consist of the following products:
- Garlic powder: This food is useful to prevent them from suffering from parasites, which also does not have any secondary effect on the horse, so it can be consumed frequently.
- Oats: This is an excellent breath as it contains fat, starch and protein giving the horse a lot of energy.
- Wheat bran: one kilogram a day will suffice.
- Flax: This element contains protein and is also stimulating.
- Fruits and roots: These generate minerals and vitamins for the horse.
- Corn: This is a good food since it provides great energy, however, because it has almost no protein, it could cause indigestion in the horse.
- Minerals: This type of food is not mandatory to be given, however, it can be supplied as a supplement.
- Hay: Unlike the previous one, this one is mandatory since it will generate all the necessary energy.
What kind of animal is the horse?
This animal falls within the classification of ungulate mammals, which means that it has hooves. According to this, the horse cannot hunt, thus becoming an animal that can easily be a prey, being caught quickly and without being able to defend itself with great feat.
Knowing what kind of animal the horse is is essential to know what the horse feed best suited to maintain your health and prolong your life as long as possible.
Another relevant factor is that its jaws were naturally made to eat grass, but it is not prepared for the consumption of meat like the Bengal tiger.
Their digestive system is not the same as the human being, the main difference is that in people it is characterized by being omnivores while they are herbivores.
This system, in horses, begins through the mouth, in which it chews its food, mixes it with saliva and then passes it through the esophagus. The esophagus ends in the cardia, a valve that these animals have, which is open only to the stomach.
Due to this functionality, this animal, unlike people, can neither vomit nor belch. But if you can suffer from colic and even gastric distention. The stomach has a division, on one side, there is the glandular part while on the other is the non-glandular part.
Its Ph reaches 1.5, that is, it is quite acidic and its capacity is fifteen liters. The high level of acidity is due to the fact that it must be that way in order to absorb the protein consumed.
After these organs is the small intestine, in which it has an ileum, the jejunum and the duodenum, through which fats and carbohydrates are absorbed.
Its Ph is quite lower, it is between 2.5 and 3.5.
Finally, there is the large intestine that can measure about seven meters in length, which is subdivided into three, on the one hand there is the colon, then there is the cecum and finally the rectum and in this the different fibers that the horse eat.
It is important to note that in all this procedure that the horse performs in its digestion, from the moment the food is introduced into its mouth until it is expelled through the rectum, it can take almost a whole day, but there are even times when it is delayed. up to forty-eight hours.
How many kilos of food should be given?
It is one of the most common questions asked by people who acquire a horse for the first time and it is that feeding this type of animal requires prior knowledge.
Since they cannot be given too little, because they can get sick and die, nor can they be given in excess, since diseases are also generated and they can be very unwell for a long period of time.
These animals eat several times in the course of a day, but in small amounts on each occasion since their stomachs are not large.
On each occasion that it is fed, it should not exceed two kilograms, even the most recommended is that the exact amount is one kilo eight hundred grams, distributed three or four times during the day, avoiding giving three kilos in a single opportunity.
However, it is necessary to take into account that if the horse spends the day eating grass there is no need to give it another type of food, since it can spend fifteen hours a day consuming this natural food.
Do you have to be careful with some foods?
When feeding any animal, you must always be very careful, since giving it food improperly can cause serious damage that can even be irreversible.
One of the foods that should be taken into account for precaution in horse feeding is alfalfa since it contains a high level of protein and has a strong relationship between calcium and phosphorus that is very high or at least more than what this animal really needs.
If it eats this type of food, in the long term the horse could suffer from stones in the area of the intestines and also from excess calcium.
Another food with which precautions should be taken are the different cereals that are on the market, since if they consume an excess of this food it could generate ulcers.
When owning a horse for the first time, it is best to ask the specialists what do horses eat, since some recommend some inputs while others have different food preferences.
If you like horses and want to get to know their various species, we recommend that you take into account the Percheron horse a majestic species of excellent lineage.