Expert Mare Feed Insights

What exactly is a Good Doer Horse? A good doer is a horse or pony that keeps condition easily and needs surprisingly little feed to keep in healthy shape. Many owners also call this type an easy keeper . These animals tend to make effective use of calories, so they can put on weight quickly if their ration is too generous or too calorie-dense. The best way to judge whether a horse is a good doer is by using a body condition score alongside visual checks. A

This type of horse feed is a form of horse feed made with a mix of manufactured ingredients that usually includes grain ingredients, added vitamins and minerals, and often a sweetener such as molasses. The result is a feed that appears and feels more varied than a uniform pellet. Many horse owners choose textured horse feed because it can be appealing, easy to scoop, and useful as part of a balanced ration for horses that need additional energy, weight gain support, or a mo

Might an overweight horse need less feed, or another horse feed? With overweight horses , the answer is often both: they may need reduced total horse feed , but they may also need a different combination of nutrients. The goal is not simply to cut every bucket meal in half. A safer approach is to review the whole diet, including forage , turnout, exercise, and the types of horse feed being offered. Good horse feeding rules start with understanding why weig

What Is Horse Feed and What Makes It Chewy? Horse feed is a prepared ration designed to support a horse’s forage intake and aid equine nutrition. Most horses still need forage as the foundation of the diet, but horse feed is often used to provide calories, protein, fat content, vitamins, and minerals that hay alone may not supply. Within the broader category of horse feed, chewy horse feed usually refers to blends with a softer texture and stronger palatability, of

What stalled horses need from their diet Stalled horses need a roughage-first diet built around regular access to forage , because their digestive system is designed to process roughage for long periods rather than large meals of rich feed. The foundation should usually be forage hay or fermented hay , depending on what suits the horse and the quality available. The aim is to support digestive health , maintain healthy fibre intake, and reduce the risk

What a Fiber-Rich Horse Feed Ration Means A fibre-rich ration begins with forage as the base and uses horse feed only to fill the gaps that hay, haylage, and grass cannot cover on their own. The aim is to support digestive health , steady energy release , and a more normal pattern of eating. For most horses, this means prioritising forage first and choosing feeds that work with the digestive system rather than against it. In practical terms, a fibre-

Picking the right horse feed for hoof health is not simply choosing a miracle product and more about creating a balanced diet that promotes growth from the inside out. Hooves are made of keratin, and the strength of that keratin depends on key nutrients, consistent intake, and a digestive system that can absorb what the horse needs. If the ration is short of key nutrients, the hoof wall may grow slowly, become brittle, or show poor horn quality over time. The most effect

What horse feed works and why balanced nutrition counts Horse feed represents any supplementary feed used alongside forage to help meet a horse’s feeding needs. For most horses, forage such as hay and haylage should stay the foundation of the diet, because it promotes the digestive system , encourages chewing, and helps maintain healthy gut health . A forage-led feeding regime is usually the most reliable starting point, but it does not always provide enough