barley only 1/2kg

Question
Hello ma'am. at our local racetrack, trainers feed 1/2 kg cooked barley in the evenings along with oats, bran and supplements. may i know why such small ratio? why not the same amount of oats?

Answer
Hello Caine,

Thank you for your question.  Horse's do not have a daily requirement for a kind of feed, they have daily requirements for nutrients.  So the choice to feed specific ingredients should be based on what nutrients they bring to the diet and how much of each nutrient the horse needs.  I can only assume that the trainers' decision to feed these ingredients is based on meeting horses' dietary needs.  There is no other mandatory feeding regime that dictates the diet you've provided.

Thanks, Corlena