Questions & Answers with Dr. Bray
Dr. Robert E. Bray, Star Milling’s Consulting Equine Nutritionist
(Permission granted for the reprinting of this material from REBray’s Equine Nutritional Management© manual for the 2010 Star Milling Web site)
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 I have a 33 year old pony in good health that needs a low starch, no molasses complete feed that he does not have to 'chew'. His molars are worn down to his gums, so he needs a feed that is soft or can be softened with water. My vet recommended no more than 13% starch. Do you have a feed for him?
 Since your pony is 33 years old and most likely a companion and not active, I would suggest the Integrity Lite without molasses which has 1.6 % starch.
There is much confusion in the horse industry about carbohydrates which is understandable because carbohydrates are a complicated class of chemicals. There are different laboratory assessments used to measure the different classes of carbohydrate chemicals. A standard to provide an understanding of starch content in horse feeds is the numerical value that represents % starch and the ethanol soluble carbohydrates (ESC). The ESC for Integrity Lite without molasses for is 5.9% thus the %Starch + %ESC for Integrity Lite without molasses is 7.5%.
Integrity Lite without molasses of course does not have molasses, does not contain any grains and the first two ingredients are beet pulp and soybean hulls which are “fiber” sources that promote gut integrity. You indicated your pony has worn-down molars and has issues with chewing so adding water to soften the feed is a practice some horse owners will use. Start with equal volume of water and the goal is to soften the feed. If your pony is an aggressive eater and tends to eat fast and not take time to chew, you can place “small rock boulders” in the feed bucket to create obstacles so that he has to navigate around the heavy objects to eat. This nutritional management practice will slow down the rate of feed consumption. Obviously, the ”small rock boulders” phrase is a bit-of-humor because the rock-obstacles must be large and heavy enough so that the pony or horse is unable to pick any up by the mouth.
The Integrity Lite contains not more than 20% crude fiber but I always recommend a fiber source such as baled-hay or pasture. If baled-hay (long-stem fiber source) is not an option then you can feed a hay pellet. Fiber is a critical part of the horse’s diet so adding the hay pellet with the Integrity Lite is a better option than a ‘complete’ feed. You will have flexibility in regulating his diet.
(Follow-up Note: Further details about the pony (see What to Feed your Horse) provided the information needed to recommend a blend of 1 lb Integrity Lite without molasses with 6.5 lbs of a hay pellet to start; adjustments would be made based on body condition score changes.)
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I attended lectures with you at Cal Poly Pomona. I have a mid-teen paint gelding who is currently on an all alfalfa diet and is maintaining a good body condition and is in overall good health but urinates excessively. He tends to have a saturated wet spot approximately 10'x10'. I am assuming that he is getting too much protein from his straight alfalfa diet. I am looking for a cost effective solution to provide the roughage and bulk he needs while lowering the amount of alfalfa/protein he is taking in. Is there any advantage to either timothy or orchard to justify paying twice the cost of Bermuda? Which would you recommend?
You are right on target with your assessment in feeding alfalfa as the only forage and the volume of urine. Feeding only alfalfa as the hay (forage) can provide 60 to 125% more protein than the horse requires. Excess protein in the diet means excess nitrogen in the diet. Proteins consist of approximately 16% nitrogen. As the protein is broken down to amino acids, carbon fragments, etc., the excess nitrogen becomes a waste product that needs to be eliminated. Nitrogen is primarily eliminated by the body through the urine. Excess dietary nitrogen translates to the horse drinking more water, which is necessary to transport the urinary waste product, and drinking more water means more urination, larger volume of the “wet-spot” and more ammonia odor as well.
Any of the three grass hays will work and remember my guidelines on feeding forages. Those guidelines can be found in the Fact Sheet section of Dr. Bray’s corner in Feeding Guidelines for Horses. I am not a big fan of cereal grain hays because the amount of seed-head can vary a great deal. Often horses will pick through the hay, eating the seed heads first and thus not consuming adequate amounts of the hay’s fiber portion. As you know from attending my seminars, I place a lot of emphasis on fiber and gut integrity. Also remember that any changes in feed must be gradual. The rate of recommended changes with hay type and amounts can also be found in Feeding Guidelines for Horses. Protein “fuels” the microbe so when there is a feed change that includes a high protein feed or hay (such as alfalfa) and a much lower protein feed (such as grass hays) the change must be gradual to allow the microbes to adjust. The bacteria that live in the gut need to adjust whether you are removing or adding a protein source.
You will hear in the horse circles different views of forage sources. The bottom line is that the nutritional management of the forage being fed is the key factor.
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My vet told me not to feed my senior a senior diet that has beet pulp and soy hulls because these feeds will cause gas colic; is this true?
The production of gas in the gut (gastrointestinal tract) is normal for all mammals and especially for those animals whose gut is designed to eat large quantities of plant materials. Horses are classified as non-ruminant herbivores. Their hindgut, which includes the cecum and colon, is the major site for fermentation of the plant materials that are not (or can not) be digested in the foregut through chemical and enzymatic digestion. In the fermentation process, it’s the “job” of the microorganisms to digest the plant materials and produce selective nutrients and energy that are available to the horse. “Gas” is a by-product of the fermentation process and the horse’s gut is capable of moving the gas though the colon to be released. Excess gas production which has the potential of causing a first class belly ache, that we know as colic, can result from numerous factors; these factors include inadequate fiber in the diet, inadequate exercise, inadequate consumption of water (note: fiber and exercise influence water consumption), inadequate management routine, certain drugs, specially antibiotics, over feeding starchy feeds, changes in feeds and amount fed, inconsistent daily meal frequency and amounts fed, and (perhaps the cause that will step on the toes of horse owners….) inadequate nutritional management experience and knowledge.
Beet pulp and soy hulls contain a type of fiber that is fermentable and is broken down by the microorganisms that live in the gut. The grasses that are fed via pasture and hay also have some fermentable fiber as well as the fiber that is classified as insoluble fiber. If there is inadequate forage provided, and the horse is fed a large quantity of fermentable fiber, then sure, excess gas production could occur; another scenario is if large portions of grain type feeds (in which major ingredients include corn, oats, and/or barley) are fed, then an excess gas production could occur. Any combination of factors listed in the first paragraph can cause an excess gas production, …but these scenarios are still not that simple; …because the bottom line is that nutritional management of the horse plays the most important role in his gut health. Nutritional Management does not come from what we read on the internet, it’s a result of time, experience and education.
Are there some horses whose gut may be more sensitive to fermentable fiber type feeds; sure, …BUT through my 40+ years of experiences with horses as a owner, breeder, farm manager, university professor, and nutritional consultant, I have not had one horse that could not be easily managed with a diet that includes fermentable fiber such as beet pulp and soy hulls.
Summary: Beet pulp and soy hulls…
- are important feedstuffs in the nutritional management of horses.
- are a safe source of energy in balanced concentrates to fuel the horse in what ever he does.
- are solid ingredients with other feedstuffs that are formulated for a balanced concentrate mix that will compliment the forage portion of the horse’s diet.
- have bulk laxative like properties that will assist the gut to contract with consistency and regularity as well as maintain a healthy microorganism population in the gut.
So the bottom line, …the information provided by your veterinarian is incorrect.
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Is Teff hay ok to feed my horse with the Integrity products?
Yes. Teff grass hay has been around for quite awhile but the availability of the grass hay had been inconsistent for west coast horse owners. However, the consistence in availability has changed with more being grown, hay producers recognizing the quality, and producers learning how to work through the growing nuisances of Teff. Also Teff is now available in a hay pellet in southern California. Horses sometimes need time to adjust to Teff hay from the bale because the texture is different than other grass hays.
| Teff Hay |
| Analysis |
Percent (%) |
| Crude Protein |
10.8% |
| Crude Fat |
2.2% |
| Crude Fiber |
26.8% |
| Ash |
8.8% |
| Calcium |
0.56% |
| Phosphorus |
0.23% |
| Calcium-Phosphorus Ratio |
2.4: 1 |
| Potassium |
1.26% |
| Starch (Ewers Method |
1.6% |
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Teff is native to Ethiopia and is classified as a warm season annual grass. It’s not considered a very good pasture grass because the root system is shallow and the turf is easily damaged with grazing animals.
The composition of Teff hay is a good fit with the Integrity product line. As with any grass forage that is processed for hay, there are many factors that will influence the composition. Over the years hay produced for horses on the west coast usually is a more mature hay to increase the yield from the field and thus is often on the lower to average end on analysis. The Teff hay assessments that I have seen in the past year have been better than most grass hays usually fed on the west coast. I have included a recent report analysis of Teff hay from a source in southern California.
Teff hay is available at Star Milling Dealers
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Could you tell me the reason why it is recommended not to feed your horse more than 5 lbs of horse feed from a bag per feeding?
The stomach of the horse has limited capacity since the horse evolved as a continuous grazer. The horse’s stomach capacity is relative to the horse’s size but ranges from 2.0 – 3.5 gallons. Their gastrointestinal tract is designed to eat grass continuously or at least for long periods of time during the day. Feeds vary in water content. Grass is about 80% water compared to typical grass hays which are approximately 10% water; most “bag” feeds are about 10% water. With balance concentrates (an example of a “bag” feed) that consist of small particle size feeds (such as pellet-feedstuffs, grains, processed grains, feedstuff by-products) a horse, if allowed, could eat large quantities in one meal in a short period of time. Thus relative to the stomach capacity if the horse consumes a large volume of “bag” feed in one meal, the increase in gut fill will stimulate the gastrointestinal tract to contract with more vigor; the increase in contraction of the gastrointestinal tract translates that the food will pass through the gut at a faster rate. A faster rate reduces the time the food is exposed to chemical and enzymatic digestion in the foregut (foregut consist of the stomach and small intestine). An important note is that the horse’s stomach will begin to empty when it’s at 60% of capacity and the stomach is an important site for chemical digestion.
When feeding balance concentrates (or bag feeds), the nutritional management goal is to provide an optimum opportunity for chemical and enzymatic digestion to take place in the foregut; the prevalent types of digestion that takes place in the foregut are different then that of the hindgut. Digestion that is prevalent in the hindgut (cecum and large intestine) is microbial, hence a fermentation digestion, and is the primary site where fiber is digested. Any food containing starches, fats and protein that escaped enzymatic digestion will be digested microbially.
In general, the major site for chemical digestion is the stomach, the major site for enzymatic digestion is the small intestine, and the major site for microbial digestion is the hindgut; this summation is a bit over-simplified but hopefully helps with the basic goal to nutritionally management our feeding program relative to the horse’s gut design.
Thus the general rule for most “bag” feeds or grain mixes is that not more than 5 pounds is fed per meal. The amount of fiber and starch in the “bag” feed really influences this generalization. This recommendation actually evolved when balance feeds were primarily a mixture of corn, oats, barley and soybean meal and there is a threshold in which microbial digestion of grain feed mixes will precipitate a belly ache we know as colic. Today more “bag” feeds have higher fiber and fat content and include feed ingredients such as beet pulp, soy hulls, grass hays, oils (fat) or brans; …so that the amounts fed per meal can vary.
The Integrity feed products contain high levels of beet pulp and/or soy hulls and are considered safe feeds to feed larger quantities because of their high levels of soluble fiber type feedstuffs. Nevertheless, I would rather that you feed the Integrity products more frequently and use the not more than 5 pounds per meal guideline.
In many of my responses you will see the phrase nutritional management; in my 40-plus years working with horses as a horseman, manager, consultant, and professor, most of the nutritional issues boiled down to how the horse is nutritionally management; …which is why the 250-page manual I developed for my equine nutrition class at the university is called Equine Nutritional Management©.
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Is beet pulp really full of sugar like they say? How much protein is in beet pulp? What is the maximum I should feed a day?
Composition
Beet pulp is the residue or by-product that remains after sugar beet processing. Dried beet pulp contains approximately 9 to 10% crude protein, approximately 18% crude fiber, 0.75% calcium and 0.09% phosphorus. Beet pulp has bulk laxative like properties; these properties include an affinity for water and a combination of the fiber composition and fiber digestion which promote the gut to contract with more vigor.
Feeding Amounts & Recommendations
The maximum that can be fed depends on the body weight of the horse, the activity of the horse, and of course what else is being fed. If a horse owner wants to add beet pulp to the diet, my general recommendation has been not more than 0.25% of body weight per day. In other words, for a 900 lb horse, that’s up to 2.25 lbs of beet pulp per day; for a 1000 lb horse, up to 2.5 lbs of beet pulp; and for an 1100 lb horse, up to 2.75 lbs of beet pulp. If you are adding beet pulp to the diet, you must feed by weight, not volume, and if you choose to soak the beet pulp the recommendations are before you add water.
An important consideration is that every time you add an individual feedstuff to a ration, there is a good chance you will distort the balance of some nutrients. A ration of hay and beet pulp is not considered balance. I have fed beet pulp at much higher levels than my recommendation but I know my nutritional management skills. I often comment that “ones nutritional management skill is the guide to feeding, not some general sound byte”; …which is why I often provide conservative recommendations on feeding because nutritional management skills come with time, experience with many horses, and education.
A side bar note: today’s small coffee can is not 16 oz of coffee and a coffee can of shredded beet pulp does not weigh 1 lb. The last time I checked, shredded beet pulp in a 16 oz container weighed approximately 0.6 lbs. Remember recommendations for feeding beet pulp is based on the weight before you add water.
If you are feeding Integrity products, beet pulp and soy hulls are major ingredients; in several products they are the first and second ingredients, so feeding additional “soluble fiber sources” such as beet pulp would not be needed. For a maintenance or less active horse you may want to consider feeding a balance concentrate such as the Integrity Lite without molasses; the Integrity Lite (as with all Integrity Products) is balanced with all the nutrients the horse requires and is formulated to compliment the forage portion of the horse’s diet.
Sugar / Starch Content
The panic in the horse industry with sugar and starch content in feeds has created a lot of confusion. My concerns have been the comparison of just numbers by horse owners and not knowing if the numbers represent sugar content, starch content, non structural carbohydrates (NSC), non fiber carbohydrates (NFC), water soluble carbohydrates (WSC), ethanol soluble carbohydrates (ESC) or a combination. I receive questions about sugar and starch content quite often but when I query ration goals or which analysis they are referencing as a concern, most do not know or are understandably confused by the terminology.
Below is a table of sugar and starch values for beet pulp and a few other feedstuffs; this information can be found on the Equi Analytical Laboratories website, a feed laboratory assessment company.
| Analysis |
*% Water Soluble Carbohydrates (WSC) |
* % Ethanol Soluble Carbohydrates (ESC) |
* % Starch |
* % Non Structural Carbohydrates (NSC) |
* % Non Fiber Carbohydrates (NFC) |
| Beet Pulp |
10.3 |
7.9 |
1.2 |
11.8 |
44.9 |
| Oats |
3.2 |
2.0 |
44.3 |
48.7 |
52.3 |
| Soybean Hulls |
3.5 |
2.5 |
1.5 |
5.1 |
19.2 |
| Wheat Bran |
8.3 |
5.3 |
22.2 |
29.8 |
35.4 |
| Wheat Mids |
8.0 |
4.7 |
26.5 |
32.9 |
37.2 |
* Source of values are from Equi Analytical Laboratories website; http://www.equi-analytical.com/CommonFeedProfiles
Beet pulp is in the low range for starch content and is considered a safe feed; there is sugar residue remaining after the processing of beets but one needs to consider the total carbohydrates in the feedstuff. Soy hulls are a really good low WSC & ESC by-product that I have used for years in many formulations.
ESC includes the monosaccharides, disaccharides, and the short chain fructans; WSC contains sugars and fructans of all molecular sizes. NSC is often confused with NFC and NSC does not provide a solid profile on sugar and starch content; …so, NSC has been eliminated by many as an evaluation assessment.
The horse industry appears to have a cycle with some hot topic and sugar / starch feeding levels are that topic today. The positive outlook of this concern is that horse owners are revisiting what they feed their horses and perhaps learning more about what provides a balance ration. The feed industry has benefited by revisiting and updating formulations if needed. I do have concerns with the internet diagnosis, owner diagnosis or friend diagnosis that a horse is insulin resistant, or has Cushing’s disease, or is a candidate for one of the myopathies. Horse owners are encouraged to visit with their veterinarians for a clinical diagnosis. If there are logical clinical concerns then nutritional management may need to be addressed; which is why Star Milling has a consulting equine nutritionist to provide guidance to their customers.
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The alfalfa we are feeding our horses has 17%+ protein (DM basis) and has a calcium - phosphorus ratio of 6:1. These are both way over current NRC guidelines. What do you recommend to help get these levels down? If we change forage, I would be thinking of cubes?
I do not recommend feeding 100% alfalfa as the forage portion of the horse’s diet. Granted there are issues that are and have been associated with alfalfa forage diets including intestinal stones, developmental orthopedic disease, blister beetle toxicity, photosensitization, high potassium levels, protein content that can be 75 – 125% more protein than the horse requires, and excess calcium concentration. However my concerns are about fiber intake. If the forage portion of the diet is 100% alfalfa and there is not any other source of fiber being fed, then this alfalfa base diet is inadequate in fiber intake. Granted, there are not any studies that clearly identify the amount of fiber a horse requires to promote and maintain gut integrity; however, without boring you with calculations, if alfalfa is the only forage source fed then relative to my recommended dietary goals, it provides appropriately 15% less dietary fiber. Key point in feeding horses is to understand that the forage portion of the horse’s diet is fundamental to promoting and maintaining gut integrity.
My recommendations for feeding dry forages:
For most adult horses not grazing pasture, feed a minimum of 1.5% of body weight per day of forage (hay); for example, a 1000 lb horse would be fed a minimum of 15.0 lb of hay per day;
• long-stem hay (from the bale) should be at least 50% of the total forage consumed per day; horses consume more water with long stem hay than they would with hay cubes or hay pellets
• processed hay (pellets or cubes) should not exceed more than 50% of the total forage consumed per day;
• alfalfa hay (bale & processed), a popular hay for west coast horse owners, should not exceed more than 50% of the total forage consumed per day;
• cereal grain hays (oat, barley, wheat) should not exceed more than 50% of the total forage consumed per day;
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I have a very old idle horse with worn molars and loss teeth that cannot eat hay. Can I feed him only a senior formula and how much do I feed? He weighs about 1000 pounds.
NO, because there is inadequate fiber in that diet. Unfortunately, there is no industry standard for senior diets relative to guarantee analysis or “must-have” ingredients. For example, if you look at the senior formulas on the market today, the crude fiber content will range from 8 – 22%; fiber is a dietary component, not a required nutrient. Star Milling’s Integrity Adult/Senior contains 16% crude fiber and equally important is that the first two ingredients are beet pulp and soy-hulls. Integrity Adult/Senior was formulated to compliment the forage portion of the horse’s diet for energy, nutrients and fiber.
Horse owners know a horse needs fiber in their diet. Depending on where you live, the fiber source may be from pasture grazing, baled hay, hay cubes, or hay pellets. Fiber is critical for “Gut Integrity”! Microorganisms that live in the gut depend on fiber and the horse depends on micros to supply a source of energy and a few selective nutrients. Fiber is also critical for gut motility. Remember the gut is a muscle and contraction with consistency is vital for a healthy gut.
So how much fiber does the horse require? The recently published NRC (6th ed.) only addresses issues associated with inadequate fiber intake but does reference the 1989 NRC report of “no less than 1% of BW as forage (DM) per day.” There is no study that states a horse requires X grams of crude fiber per pound of body weight. When we eventually take the step to identify fiber requirement then most likely fiber requirements will be identified as ADF (acid detergent fiber) which is a laboratory assessment that represents certain fiber components. Other fiber assessments that may be considered are NDF (neutral detergent fiber) and TDF (total dietary fiber).
I frequently emphasize the importance of fiber for adult horses by recommending dried forage (hay of some type) at a minimum of 1.5% of body weight (as-fed) and then I further add my Forage Feeding Rules: not more than 50% of the forage can be alfalfa; not more than 50% of the forage can be from a cereal grain hay; 50% of the forage must be a long stem source (baled not cube or pellet); not more than 50% of the forage can be from process hay (pellets, cubes) and so on. These guidelines emphasize the importance of fiber and the source of that fiber. Granted there is not any research that states the number of grams of crude fiber or ADF a horse requires but practical knowledge tells us a certain amount is needed for gut integrity. If we look at moderate quality grass hay and how much that horse needs to consume to sustain body weight and gut integrity, one can mathematically estimate the amount of fiber consumed per day and then how much fiber is required per pound of body weight.
Let’s use an 1100 pound horse as an example and let’s just look at protein and fiber intakes from a senior formula that has 16% crude fiber and 14% crude protein. Energetically if this horse is fed for maintenance, he will need approximately 16.7 Mcal of digestible energy (DE) per day. If this senior feed contains 1.3 Mcal of DE/pound (and most likely that energy information is not on the label or bag) then you would feed about12.8 pound per day just to maintain the body weight of the horse. So how much protein and crude fiber is that horse consuming per day from the 12.8 pounds of senior feed? He is consuming 933 grams of crude fiber and 813 grams of crude protein. The horse’s protein requirement, according to NRC (6th ed.), is 656 grams and as stated above they do not provide a crude fiber or ADF requirement. My estimated fiber requirement for this horse would be approximately 1,930 grams of crude fiber or 2,375 gram of ADF. (I’m not going to bore you with my calculations for now) So compare my estimated fiber requirement of 1,930 grams to 933 grams provided by a diet of just senior feed; in other words the requirement is at least twice that which is provided in this diet example.
Remember, fiber intake is a critical consideration in feeding horses! The first items on the list with feeding a horse: What is the fiber source and how much do I feed?
Answer: So for your horse, a diet consisting of 4 pounds of Integrity Senior, 10 pound of a grass hay pellet mixed with water in a gruel (oatmeal consistency) along with access to a flake of grass hay will meet his energy protein, fiber & other nutrient requirements. You still need to provide him long stem hay to nibble and with this recommendation he only needs to consume a pound of that long stem hay. Now if you notice, the fiber sources are not “meeting the rule” that 50% of the fiber must be from long-stem fiber sources; but this horse is not the average adult and yes we need to make adjustments; …which is why Integrity Senior is fed because the first two ingredients are beet pulp and soy-hulls, fiber sources with bulk-laxative like properties.
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I have an 18 year old Arabian gelding who is just my pet. He is a little overweight and I want to know should I feed him the Integrity Lite or Integrity Senior?
Since he is not active and is your companion, the Integrity Lite will be ideal. This formula does not have any starch-containing grains so it’s very low starch; Integrity Lite without molasses ESC (ethanol soluble carbohydrates) is 5.9% and the %starch is 1.6%; thus the %starch
+ %ESC = 7.5%.
Other attributes of Integrity Lite are that the first two ingredients in the formula are beet pulp and soy-hulls which contribute to gut integrity; contains 22% crude fiber and is low in energy; equally important Integrity Lite is balance for all the required nutrients to compliment the forage portion of his diet. For an average size Arabian gelding that is not active, I would suggest feeding 1 1/2 to 2 pounds per day.
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I have a horse that turns two this month and we have been feeding her Integrity Adult/Senior but just noticed you have one that is for younger horses called Integrity Growth. Should we be feeding her that instead? We also supplement with extra whole oats and hay.
Yes, you want to feed the Integrity Growth to the two year old but do not cut the diet with oats. Integrity Growth is a balance formula for growing horses and by adding a feed such as oats will alter that balance of nutrients with energy. Grass hay is fine; ...I do not recommend 100% alfalfa as the only hay.
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Why do you not recommend feeding 100% alfalfa hay to horses?
There are not many other choices in California.
The main reason is that I believe that 100% alfalfa hay does not provide adequate fiber in the horse’s diet. Fiber is critical for gut health. From my experiences, there is a critical threshold of fiber that I want to provide a horse that is not pastured. Average quality alfalfa hay fed at 1.5% of the horse’s body weight provides only 80+% of my “fiber-intake goal”. Of course if you are feeding commercial mixes that contain good sources of fiber, such as beet pulp and soy hulls, one needs to ‘add” that fiber to the daily allotment. Most horse owners do not want to push a pencil in calculating fiber intake because there are too many variables to consider. So an easy nutritional management approach is to be sure the forage portion of the horse’s diet provides adequate fiber intake. The benefit of Integrity products is that the high levels of beet pulp and/or soy hulls provides added value to fiber intake and are sources of fiber that promote gut integrity.
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Do I need to feed electrolytes to my horse every day during the summer?
I ride him 3 days a week for about an hour?
Supplementing your horse with electrolytes will depend on several factors, including: diet, type of hay, other feeds, & supplements; is a salt block available & used; temperature and humidity; type of exercise, length and intensity; what is the horse’s fitness, etc. If your horse is on balance diet and you are riding during the cooler part of the day, then for your question, no. However for additional considerations, please read on.
Commercial electrolytes are expensive and if you are feeding a balanced commercial feed mix, like Integrity, the formula will contain a minimum of 0.5% added salt (sodium chloride) and is balanced for key nutrients, potassium, calcium & magnesium, that are electrolytes. Some performance commercial mixes may contain 1% added salt.
Electrolytes are important for a number of body functions including fluid balance, muscle function and nerve function. Where there is water loss there will be electrolyte loss which includes not just sweat but also through the urine and feces. A balanced diet will replace the electrolyte with normal water loss but horse owner are not sure when that threshold of normal water loss occurs.
If you have a horse that is worked or even stabled in a hot and/or humid climate then consider the overall nutritional management factors.
- Feed a good quality hay; alfalfa is a good source of calcium, potassium, so considering the forage feeding guidelines, alfalfa at 25% of the daily forage is workable
- Feed a commercial mix that is a balance formula, like the Integrity feeds
- Always allow free access to water
- Provide a salt block
- Provide shade and a well ventilated stall
There is a heat index scoring system that has been around that provides an empirical guideline of when temperature and humidity are too much. I could not identify the original source of this Index so I apologize for not giving credit to the source.
The empirical formula, F° + %RH > 150, is the sum of the temperature (Fahrenheit, F°) and the percent relative humidity (%RH). When the total score is greater than 150 and the % humidity contributes approximately 50% of the total than the horse may be compromised in cooling. The numerical scores and guidelines are as follows.
| Index Score |
Guideline |
| < 130 |
Heat loss should not a problem |
| > 150 |
Heat loss is compromised especially if humidity contributes more than 50% of the total score |
| 150 - 170 |
Exercise with caution and observe your horse; electrolyte supplementation should be considered |
| > 180 |
little heat dissipation can occur; look for a better time to ride |
If you decide you need to provide electrolyte supplementation, add to the feed or administer directly into the mouth in a paste form. I do not recommend adding electrolytes to water sources. Adding to the water does not allow control of the amount consumed and may adversely influence drinking. There are commercial preparations but they are expensive. A home recipe to consider is mixing 2 parts table salt and 1 part Lite salt; lite salt is a 50/50 blend of table salt and potassium chloride.
Guidelines
- If you have concerns with temperature and/or humidity then provide the electrolyte supplementation 2 hours before exercise, every 2 hours during exercise and 2 hours after exercise. Obviously you will need to use your horse experience to make the best call. The amount will vary depending on the conditions as stated above. In general, horses not sweating excessively, administer 2 ounces per day of this mixture prior to exercise. Horses that are sweating in a hot and humid condition will need more; need 3- 5 ounces of this mixture in 2 – 3 doses.
- If you are going on a trail ride for a couple of hours than administer 2 hours before and monitor the sweating and drinking to determine if an additional dose in needed a couple of hours after the ride. Be sure the horse is provided several opportunities to drink.
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