According to the 2019 National Equestrian Survey “the estimated horse population in Britain stands at 847,000”. That is a lot of horse-fanatics! But how many of these do you think have nailed-it when it comes to choosing the right feed for their horse?
Here at Naylors we know how difficult, time consuming and expensive it can be to find the perfect feed for your horse. Whether they need more energy, weight gain or improved condition, feeding can be a daunting task.
Below, we have broken-down a list of horse types and which feed to choose for your horse.
Feed for: The Good Doer
Feeding horses and ponies prone to weight gain can be a real struggle. The key when choosing feed for a 'good doer' is to look for something which is:
- High Fibre
- Low Starch & Sugar
- Molasses free
- Minimum
Baileys Fibre Plus Nuggets 20kg
About: Whether your horse is in work or at rest, Baileys Fibre Plus Nuggets are the perfect way to introduce additional fibre and protein to their diet. Thinking off adding it to their current feed? No problem! Not only is it low in starch and energy, it has no additional vitamins or minerals so it can safely be fed alongside other feeds and supplements.
How To Feed: Ideally, Baileys Fibre Nuggets should be fed in small quantities throughout the day. This encourages a steady intake of fibre, promoting healthy digestion. In practice, this means they're great for treat balls/drip feeders but they can also be added in small amounts to their current feeds.
About: Designed to be suitable for leisure horses in light to medium levels of work. Dengie Hi-Fi Molasses Free is low energy, low sugar and low starch. It is considered as a 'straight feed', meaning that you are able to feed as much or as little as you like, depending on your horses workload and body condition. Interestingly, it provides 1.5% starch and 2.5% sugar, which is approximately 1/5 of the sugar found in hay. A s a result, it is approved by the Laminitus Trust.
Ingredients included in this feed include real mint, fenugreek and alfalfa pellets to give it a palatable taste even fussy eaters can't resist!
How to Feed:
About: This feed is designed specifically for horses and ponies in light to medium work that are 'good doers'. When fed correctly, it's ideal for horses that are over weight, requiring a strict calorie controlled diet. Non-heating, the formula is cereal-grain-free, with low levels of starch and sugar. Expertly balanced, it contains anti-oxidants including vitamins A, E, C and selenium. Lite Balancer also contains biotin, methionine, cysteine, calcium, zinc, copper and iodine to improve hoof quality as well as encouraging supple skin and a exceptionally shiny coat.
How to Feed: Fully balanced and complete, this should be fed alongside forage. No additional supplements should be required unless to address existing issues such as joint health or behaviour.
Feed For: Weight Gain
Building weight on your horse can be a real struggle for many reasons such as the age, the season, the breed or simply the metabolism of your horse. The key to choosing the right feed for Weight Gain is to look for the following properties:
- High Fibre and Protein
- Essential Amino Acids
- High Fat and Calories
- Molasses
- High Omega
- High in Wheat
Allen and Page Calm & Condition 20kg
About: Calm & Condition is formulated to suit poor doers that struggle to maintain weight. High calorie, high fibre, low starch and low sugar. The combination of fibre and linseed oil provides controlled energy release, helping you to avoid excitable behaviour associated with high starch diets.
How to Feed: Before serving add twice the amount of water to soak the feed for 5-10 minutes. Avoid feeding your horse molasses or barley beforehand, A recommended serving is 0.25 - 5.0kg depending on size, type, workload and condition of your horse.
About: A great feed option for horses seeking weight gain and a fabulous condition. Ideal for those horses in regular exercise or young horses needing condition and top-line. A non-heating feed packed-full with quality protein and soya oil. Baileys No.4 is extremely versatile and will benefit any horse needing an effective weight gain feed.
How to Feed: For horses with poor dentition or younger horses: use warm water to soak the feed before serving for easy digestion. Use appropriately to the condition, age and exercise of your horse. (Refer to the directions on the feed bag).
About: High in protein, Pegasus Conditioning Cubes encourage muscle development whilst the added rapeseed oil provides non-heating calories, slow release energy and great coat condition. These conditioning cubes are balanced with a mix of essential vitamins and minerals.
How to Feed: The Pegasus Conditioning Cubes can be fed alone or as part of their hard feed ration.
Feed For: Sensitive Stomachs
The most common cause of a Sensitive Stomachs can be caused by gastric ulcers (EGUS), which is gastric acid on the lining of the stomach. However, many horses can be easily affected to their feed that do not suffer with stomach ulcers, and so it is imperative to look out for the signs of a sensitive stomach. To help prevent or manage your horses stomach, or to simply help with your horses digestion, the key ingredients to look out for are:
- High Fibre
- Calcium Properties
- Liquorice Roots
- Magnesium
- pH Balancer
Dengie Healthy Tummy Complete Fibre 15kg
About: This feed is designed specifically for horses with sensitive stomachs! Providing high fibre, calories and prebiotics, this feed is a great option to improve your horse's digestion and gut health. The Healthy Tummy Feed is specially formulated with little sugar and starch and no molasses to reduce the risk of any digestion problems. An all round fab-feed to keep your horse both happy and healthy!
Formulated with a light oil to encourage a healthier coat and slow release energy. High in vitamins and minerals for optimal health.
How to Feed: For horses at rest / light work. There is no need to add any other feed, mix, cubes or supplements as long as you are feeding the recommended levels for your horse. For horses in moderate / hard work - can be fed alongside other mixes, cubes and supplements.
About: Providing your horse with the right ingredients is essential for horses with sensitive stomachs. The Thunderbrook Micronized Linseed Plus brings an effective feed to improve a horses gut. Jam-packed with pure goodness, the feed includes; Omega 3, Vitamin E, B6, B12, calcium and fatty acids with low level sugar and starch to provide a balanced diet for your horse. A feed that not only targets the digestive system of your horse, but the outside too, with properties to improve a healthier skin and coat.
How to Use: A feed suitable for horses of all ages and disciplines. Can be fed alone or paired with other feeds / supplements.
Feed For: Competition Horses
When it comes to feeding your competition horse choosing the right feed can be very beneficial for your results! That could be from slow-release energy providing stamina and presence. High-oil feeds to improve your horse's coat condition. Or top-line properties to give your horse extra definition. When searching for the perfect competition feed, here are some key ingredients to look out for:
- High in Linseed and Soya Oil
- Vitamin E and C
- High Protein
- Omega 3 & 6
About: 'Oat-based Mix for Sparkle and Presence.' Featuring a highly digestible, nutrient dense mix, the All Round Competition Mix provides a variety of energy sources from fibre to oil, and a variety of cereals ensuring your horse's energy levels can be met at all times. The added oils help to provide a non-heating, long lasting energy, perfect for providing stamina. The oils also help to provide superb coat and skin condition whilst the added quality protein helps build and repair muscles and tissues.
How to Feed: Can be fed alongside other feeds / supplements if desired.
About: Baileys Outshine is a tasty high-oil, nugget feed perfect for slow release energy, stamina, top line and a shiny, healthy coat! Rich in Soya and Linseed Oil and combined with supporting nutrients, important antioxidants, plus super fibres and Digest Plus Prebiotic to create the perfect all round tasty feed with no-cereal calories. A non-heating feed perfect for providing your horse with slow-release energy boost and a glorious coat - perfect for competing!
How to Feed: Recommended serving of 225g. Use daily to see fast results and maintain your horses health and coat condition.
About: Perfect for horses and ponies in a high levels of work, Spillers Competition Mix provides all the nutrition they need to stay fit and healthy. Containing controlled starch for extra energy, high quality protein for building and maintaining muscle tone and the topline and a balanced blend of omega 3 & 6 for a beautiful shiny coat and healthy skin.
How to Feed: between 3.5 - 6kg daily consumption, with a maximum of 2kg per serving. Refer to the back of the bag for specific recommendations. Can be fed alongside other feeds / supplements.
Feed For: Veterans / Retired Horses
For the horses that have now reached their veteran years (typically 16 years+) or for those with reduced exercise, you would typically seek feed that provides little energy, an easily palatable feed to improve digestion and condition. Here are some ingredients to seek when looking for the perfect feed for your veteran:
- Soya & Linseed Oil
- Calcium
- Biotin & Yeast
- Dried Alfalfa
About: Made with a delicious mix of dried grass, dried alfalfa and oat straw with a light dressing of linseed, soya oil and molasses, Mollichaff Veteran contains all the vitamins and minerals your horse requires for a healthy diet. Mollichaff Veteran features linseed oil for a rich supply in fatty acids, limestone to increase calcium uptake for stronger bones, salt for added electrolytes and biotin to encourage strong and healthy hoof growth.
How to Feed: Can be fed either by itself or mixed with other feeds and supplements. Carefully follow recommended serving sizes - refer to the back of the feed bag.
About: Silvermoore Veteran Haylage has been chopped into finer pieces, making them short stemmed and easier for those that struggle to eat long, courser hay.
Not only is it delicious but it is packed full nutrition and made with the highest quality ryegrass leys and has been process controlled to that Silvermoore know exactly where it been and they know exactly what goes into each bag.
How to Feed: Once opened, the haylage will last for approximately 5 days and unopened have a shelf life of 12 months.
All-Round Great Supplements For Any Horse
Whether you're looking for a highly-effective supplement or a pure-goodness boost for your horse, these supplements are a perfect added extra to your horses diet. These are a concentrated supplement that will target all areas of your horses health. Below are our top three general supplements perfect for any horse:
NAF Haylage Balancer
About: By helping to maximise the digestion, the horses gut is able to maximise the nutrients gained from forage. Haylage Balancer also contains a range of vitamins and minerals to ensure your horse receives a healthy diet for continued health.
How to Feed:
| Horses | g per day | Scoops per day |
|---|---|---|
| >600kg | 80 | 4 |
| 400 - 600kg | 60 | 3 |
| Ponies | 40 | 2 |
About: Perfect for horses in light to moderate work, NAF General Purpose Supplement offers a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals perfect for keeping your four legged friends happy and healthy. With a broad range of vitamins and minerals available, NAF General Purpose Supplement is designed to complement the high fibre, low concentrate diet or those receiving less then the manufacturers recommended rates of hard feed.
How to Feed:
| Horses | g per day | Scoops per day |
|---|---|---|
| Active | 60 - 75 | 2 - 2.5 |
| Resting | 45 - 60 | 1.5 -2 |
| Ponies | g per day | Scoops per day |
|---|---|---|
| Active | 30 - 60 | 1- 2 |
| Resting | 30 | 1 |
About: Global Herbs GlobalVite offers a high specification vitamin and mineral supplement to help maintain top condition and improve the immune system. Global Herbs is packed full of highly absorbable protein bound mineral allowing your horse to receive maximum goodness.
How to Feed: Feed 3 x 25ml level scoops daily for an average 500kg horse . Reduce to half the amount for maintaince. Can be fed throughout the year.
We know choosing a feed can be difficult, and so we hope that you have found this information helpful. If you have any question please leave a comment or contact our customer service team. Seen something you'd like to try for your horse? Don't forget to let us know how you get on!
