horses

Question
Hi,
I have two horses, and a miniature pony. I give them a bucket of sweet feed every morning and put them up most days to keep them from gaining weight. I have always wondered if giving them sweet feed with vitamins in it already is a good food to give them everyday. Or should I be feeding them a different kind of food, that I would have to put my own vitamins in it?
Also every spring I buy a seven in one shot to give to them myself. And I worm them every three months with different brands of wormer each time. Is there any other shots I should be giving them that the vet would have to do?
Anything you think i should know about keeping my horses healthy please load me up with good information.

Answer
Hi Hannah,

Thank you for your questions.  How much feed you should give your horses, if any, will really depend on their condition.  A horses diet should be based on pasture and/or hay with grain fed only to round out what is missing from the forage portion of their diet.  Forage quality is determined by what types of grasses and legumes it contains, and the growing season/soil quality it is grown in.  So, for some horses who have nutrient rich forages there is little need to feed grain.  But, for horses eating forages that are less nutrient dense (for whatever reason) may need to consume grain of some sort to round out a healthy diet.  And of course the more a horse works then the less likely it is to get enough nutrients from forages alone and some grain may need to be supplied to meet the extra dietary requirements of exercise.  Always make sure your horse has access to pasture and/or hay at all times as it is essential to their digestive health.

Beyond deciding whether or not you need to feed grain, comes the decision about what type of grain to feed.  I believe that sweet feed can serve a purpose for some horses...but for the most part prefer to feed fat/fiber based feeds to most classes of horses.  I am especially reluctant to feed sweet feed to miniature horses and ponies as they can develop metabolic disorders similar to diabetes in people, when fed diets rich in starch like sweet feed.  If you find that your horses and pony can not keep an ideal body condition on forages alone then select a high fat/ high fiber grain to go with their forage. If you are working your horses and they need to maintain and build muscle, choose a high fat/high fiber feed that is higher in protein...as protein helps build muscle in the growing or exercising horse.  

I am always a fan of including a mineral/vitamin supplement in the diet...especially when horses are not receiving a lot of grain.  Most complete feeds (grain) are fortified with mineral/vitamin packs but the amount included in the company mix is calculated on the company's  estimated feeding rates. If your horse doesn't get as much grain as is suggested on the bag then they are not getting as much mineral/vitamin as they should.  If your horses are in good body condition and have good muscle tone, and you don't need to feed grain, I would suggest that you continue to feed the mineral/vitamin supplement that you currently use.  If your mineral is in a powder form and you need to mix it with something then perhaps you could feed a little beet pulp and add the mineral to it.  Otherwise, consider a pelleted mineral that the horses will eat readily.

Every region has a set of vaccines that are recommended for the local horses, as the specific risk of disease varies throughout the country.  In trying to decide what to vaccinate to use in your area, its a good idea to at consult your local veterinarian or local agricultural extension office.  They can give you a good idea of the greatest disease risks in your area that you should vaccinate against.

Thanks, Corlena