Expert Mare Feed Insights

Picking the right horse feed for a horse with metabolic issues is mainly about managing sugar , starch , and overall calorie intake while still supporting a balanced diet . Horses with insulin resistance or equine metabolic syndrome often do better on a well-planned forage-based diet with targeted safe feeding choices rather than rich mixes or high-intake rations. The aim is to support metabolic health , maintain a healthy body condition score ,

What’s a ration balancer in horse feed? A ration balancer is a dense type of horse feed designed to enhance horse nutrition without providing a lot of calories. Rather than serving as a full meal, it fills nutrient gaps in a forage-based diet by providing protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and trace minerals in a small daily serving. This makes a ration balancer especially useful for horses that get most of their diet from forage such as hay and pasture. If

How Much Grain to Feed a Horse Per Day: Basic Calculator Guide If you're working to calculate how much grain to feed a horse per day , a good starting point is a basic rule: grain should meet the horse’s needs, not take the place of quality forage. A practical horse feed plan starts with hay or pasture, then adds horse feed grain only as needed for extra energy, protein, or body condition support. A basic horse feeding chart is helpful, but it should never be

If you want to know what horse feed is grain free, the short answer is a horse feed made without cereal grains such as oats, barley, maize, or wheat. Such feeds are usually designed to be lower in starch , low sugar , and fibre rich , with a greater focus on forage based nutrition. This makes them a popular choice for horses that need a calmer, more controlled diet, especially where gut health or laminitis is a concern. Grain-free feeding does not mean “no

If you want to know what horse feed is grain free, the simple answer is every horse feed made without cereal grains such as oats, barley, maize, or wheat. These options are usually designed to be lower in starch , low sugar , and fibre rich , with a clearer focus on forage-led nutrition. That is why they are a popular choice for horses that need a calmer, more controlled diet, especially where digestive wellbeing or laminitis risk is a concern. Grain-free

Choosing the right horse feed for fussy eaters is not so much about finding a single “best” product and more about matching the feed to the horse’s feed intake, workload, condition, and horse feeding behaviour . A picky horse may refuse one bucket feed but happily tackle another, even when the nutritional difference seems small. That is why taste appeal , texture, smell, and consistency matter almost as much as calories and nutrient labels. The most reliable

What do native ponies truly need from horse feed? Native ponies are generally best managed with a forage-first method, because their natural efficiency can make them quite adept at gaining weight on very little. The right horse feed is not automatically the first obvious bucket feed on the shelf; frequently, the main job is to maintain a fibre-based diet and keep the digestive system working well. For many native ponies, forage does most of the heavy lifti

Who Is a Good Doer Horse? A good doer is an equine that maintains weight easily, often needing reduced energy than expected to stay in a healthy range. Many owners also call this type an easy keeper . While that may sound convenient, it can quickly become a care issue if calorie intake is not controlled carefully. A good place to begin is the body condition score , sometimes referred to as a condition score . This provides a more objective view than simply ey