Nutrition for Maximum Performance
By Eleanor Blazer
LESSON SIX
* If
you have questions while studying this lesson please send me an e-mail. elblazer@horsecoursesonline.com
*
For ease of printing this lesson is also in a PDF format. Click
here.
KNOW THE NUMBERS
Balancing
feed rations for horses requires some basic math skills. Knowing how to apply the knowledge gained
from the information on forage samples and feed tags is important.
The easiest way to learn the math is to do a feed evaluation.
Here
are the steps:
1. Examine the horse:
a.
Determine his age
b.
Activity level
c. Body
condition score
d.
Approximate current weight
c. Desired
weight
e. Height
f. List
his health problems
2. Use this information to research his daily
nutritional requirements.
The
book from the National Research Council - NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS OF HORSES, 6th
Revised Edition, contains charts which give averages for nutrient requirements
based on the above information.
If you are going to try to balance feed
rations it is highly recommended you acquire a copy of this book. It can be ordered from the National Academies Press.
3.
Try to find out what nutrients the forage is providing. A hay test is the best way.
If you cannot take a hay test you can
use the charts in the NRC book Nutrient Requirements of
Horses, or do research online.
There is a test for mature coastal Bermuda grass hay in this
lesson.
4. Locate the nutrient information for
the type of commercial mix, grain or supplements you are feeding. This information will be on the feed tag,
product label or you may have to do research online. The NRC book gives averages for most popular
grains and other feeds fed to horses.
5.
Find a calculator, a pencil and a lot of paper.
Our feed evaluation of
"Red":
Red
is a 900-pound Quarter Horse gelding. He
is 8 years old and has no health problems.
He stands about 15.2 hands. (62 inches at the withers.)
His activity level would be light.
He gets ridden and competes occasionally. His body condition score is a 4.
BODY CONDITION SCORE
The body condition score chart is used to evaluate body condition of the
horse by rating the amount of fat covering certain parts of the body.
The parts of the horse examined are the (1.) crest of the neck, (2.)
either side of the withers, (3.) behind the elbow – girth area, (4.) ribs, (5.)
loins and (6.) tailhead. The areas
should be inspected visually and felt with the hand. Click here
to see picture.
The scoring system is:
1. Poor
A
walking skeleton. The horse is emaciated
with no sign of body fat. The tops of
the vertebrae (spinous processes), ribs, tailhead, point of hip (tuber coxae),
and the point of the buttocks (ischii) project prominently. The bone structure of the withers, shoulders,
and neck is easily seen. Click here to see
picture.
2. Very
Thin
Emaciated. There is a slight covering of fat over the
base of the vertebrae. The broad flat lateral
bones projecting from the lumbar vertebrae (transverse processes) feel
rounded. Vertebrae, ribs, tailhead,
points of hips, and buttocks are prominent.
The structure of the withers, shoulders, and neck structure is faintly
discernible. Click here to see
picture.
3. Thin
There
is fat buildup about halfway on the vertebrae, but they can still be seen. The lumbar vertebrae cannot be felt. There is some fat over the ribs, but they are
still easily visible. The tailhead is
prominent, but the individual vertebrae cannot be seen. The points of the buttocks are not
distinguishable. Withers, shoulders, and
neck are accentuated. Click here to
see picture.
4. Moderately
Thin
There
is a slight ridge along the back. A
faint outline of ribs can still be seen.
Depending upon conformation the tailhead may be prominent, but some fat
can be felt around it. The points of
hips and buttocks are not discernible.
The withers, shoulders, and neck are not thin in appearance. Click here to
see picture.
5. Moderate
The
back is flat with no crease or ridge.
Ribs are not visible, but can be felt with very slight pressure. Fat around the tailhead feels somewhat
spongy. Fat along the withers and over
the top of the back vertebrae make them somewhat rounded. The shoulders and neck blend smoothly into
the body. Click here to
see picture.
6. Moderately
Fleshy
There
may be a slight crease beginning to form down the back. The fat over the ribs will feel spongy and
the fat around the tailhead will be soft.
Fat will be starting to form along the sides of the withers, behind the
shoulders, and along the sides of the neck.
Click
here to see picture.
7. Fleshy
There
may be a slight crease down the back.
Individual ribs can be felt, but there is a noticeable filling of fat
between them. The fat around the
tailhead is soft. There are deposits of
fat along the withers, behind the shoulders, and along the neck. Click here to
see picture.
8. Fat
There
is a crease down the back. It is
difficult to feel ribs. The fat around
the tailhead is very soft. The withers
and area behind the shoulders are filled in with fat. The neck is thick with fat and fat deposits
are along the inner thighs. Click here to
see picture.
9. Extremely
Fat
There
is an obvious crease down the back.
Patches of fat cover the ribs.
There is bulging fat around the tailhead, along the withers, behind the
shoulders, and along the neck. The inner
thighs may rub together and the flank will be filled with fat. Click here to
see picture.
(Body Condition Score pictures courtesy of
Buckeye Nutrition.)
DETERMINING BODY WEIGHT
The formula for determining a horse’s body
weight is:
Adult horses:
Heart girth measurement in inches,
squared (the number multiplied by itself) times his length divided by 330.
(The
heart girth measurement is taken just behind the elbow, around the barrel, and
up over the withers. Keep the tape snug,
but not tight. The length measurement is
taken from the point of the shoulder blade to the point of the buttocks.)
Foals
one to 6 weeks of age:
Heart girth measurement in inches
subtract 25.1 divide by .07
Locations for using the formula
Weight tapes are not accurate
and can be off by as much as 100 pounds.
A scale designed for weighing horses is the most accurate method used to
weigh a horse, but availability is limited.
THE FORAGE
Red is receiving 12 pounds of hay each
day. Click
here to see a copy of the hay test.
He is being given the standard two flakes
in the morning and two flakes at night.
The flakes weigh about three pounds each.
This hay test is for coastal Bermuda
grass cut late in the season. It is
mature and coarse. The relative feed
value is 79, which makes it poor as far as digestibility. Unfortunately it is pretty close to the type
of hay many horses are receiving.
If you do not want to test your hay or
you get hay in small amounts from different suppliers this hay test will work
for most mature coarse grass hays.
The book from the National Research
Council - NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS OF HORSES, 6th Revised Edition, contains charts
which give averages for nutrient composition of different feeds used for
horses. These charts list types of
forages at different maturity levels and their average nutrient values. It can work as a guideline if the hay cannot
be tested.
If you are going to try to balance feed
rations it is highly recommended you acquire a copy of this book. It can be ordered from the National Academies Press.
THE GRAIN
Our horse is receiving four pounds of a commercial mix (Buckeye Supreme
Horse Pellets) each day.
Red is being given the standard one scoop in the morning and one scoop
at night. The scoop holds two pounds of
this feed.
(If you cannot get the links to load
please e-mail me at elblazer@horsecoursesonline.com)
Our
goal for Red is to make sure he is getting the nutrients he requires each
day. He is slightly thin for a horse
that stands 15.2 hands and has a body condition score of 4. We would like him to weigh 1,100 pounds.
The
approximate daily nutritional requirements for a mature 1,100-pound horse with
a light work load are:
Digestible Energy/Mcal: 20
Crude
Protein: 699 grams (10%)
Calcium: 35 grams (.30% of the
diet)
Phosphorus: 18 grams (.25% of the diet)
Sodium
(Na): 13.9 grams
Copper:
100.0 mg (milligrams)
Zinc: 400.0 mg
Selenium: 1.00 mg
Vitamin
A: 22,000 I.U.
Vitamin
D: 3,300 I.U.
Vitamin E: 800 I.U.
These daily nutrient requirements are
taken from the National Research Council's book – NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS OF
HORSES, 6th Revised Edition, 2007.
There are other minerals and vitamins
horses require. I only listed these
because they are the easiest on which to find information. The following formulas will help you calculate
the other vitamins and minerals should you decide to delve deeper into the
balancing feed rations. If you decide to
do that – you will need the NRC book "Nutrient Requirements of
Horses".
So
let's see what the current feed is providing.
We are going to base our calculations on what we would like Red to weigh
– 1,100 pounds. You want to feed a horse
according to what he should weigh – not what he currently weighs.
We
will use the dry matter nutrient levels on the hay test.
CALCULATING DIGESTIBLE ENERGY
The 1,100 pound adult horse at
a light work activity level requires about 20 DE/Mcal per day.
The
forage is providing .86 DE/Mcal per pound.
The
grain is providing 1.50 DE/Mcal per pound.
12 pounds of forage times .86 DE/Mcal =
10.32 DE/Mcal
4 pounds of grain times 1.50 DE/Mcal = 6.00 DE/Mcal
Digestible
Energy/Mcals:
20
Crude
Protein: 699 grams (10%)
Calcium:
35 grams (.30% of the diet)
Phosphorus:
18 grams (.25% of the diet)
Sodium: 13.9 grams
Copper:
100.0 mg (milligrams)
Zinc: 400.0 mg
Selenium:
1.00 mg
Vitamin
A: 22,000 I.U.
Vitamin
D: 3,300 I.U.
Vitamin
E: 800 I.U.
Digestible
Energy/Mcals:
16.32
Crude
Protein: 818 grams (11.3%)
Calcium:
37.33 grams (0.52% of the diet)
Phosphorus:
23.0 grams (0.33% of the diet)
Sodium:
0.816 grams
Copper:
136.0 mg (milligrams)
Zinc: 448.0 mg
Selenium:
1.00 mg
Vitamin
A: 20,000 I.U.
Vitamin
D: 2,000 I.U.
Vitamin
E: 360 I.U.
Calcium
to phosphorus ratio: 1.65
: 1
Zinc
to copper ratio: 3.3 : 1
HELPFUL CONVERSIONS
ECONOMICS
When purchasing grain, "cheap" usually turns out to be
expensive. With cheap grains, amount fed
per head per day, poor performance, poor growth, cost of supplements, and
possible veterinarian bills can add to the debit side of the ledger sheet.
Let’s look at three examples of
horse concentrates.
“Economy
Horse Feed” Retail Price: $ 10.00 per 50
pounds
Feeding directions: Feed horses in light training 1.5 – 2% of their body weight per day, along with adequate forage, free choice salt, and water.
“High
Quality Horse Feed” Retail Price: $15.00 per 50 pounds
Feeding directions: Feed horses in light training .5 – 1% of their body weight per day, along with adequate forage, free choice salt, and water.
“Ration
Balancer” Retail Price: $22.00 per 50
pounds
Feeding directions: Feed horses weighing 1,100 pounds in light training 1.5 pounds with 5 pounds of oats per day, adequate forage, free choice salt, and water.
Now let’s do the math. We are feeding an adult performance horse weighing 1,100 pounds.
“Economy Horse Feed” price per pound: 0.20 ($10.00 divided by 50). Feed 1.5% of the horses body weight (1,100 multiplied by .015) = 16.5 pounds per day. 16.5 pounds times 20 cents per pound = $3.30
Cost of grain: $3.30 per day
“High Quality Horse Feed” price per pound: 0.30 (15.00 divided by 50).
Feed .5% of the body weight (1,100 multiplied by 0.005) = 5.5 pounds per day. 5.5 pounds times 30 cents per pound = $1.65
Cost of grain: $1.65 per day
“Ration Balancer” price per pound: .44 per pound ($22.00 divided by 50). Feed horses weighing 1,100 pounds in light training 1.5 pounds each day. (1.5 pounds times 44 cents) Cost of Ration Balancer: $0.66 per day.
The ration balancer provides the protein, vitamins and minerals needed by a 1,100-pound adult horse at maintenance for one day.
To add mega calories oats can be added to the ration balancer:
Oats price per pound: $0.24 ($12.00 divided by 50). Cost of Oats: $1.20 per day (5 pounds times 24 cents)
Cost of ration balancer and oats: $1.86 per day (total of balancer, $0.66 and oats, $1.20)
The “Economy Horse Feed” is the most expensive to feed. Also, notice the amount needed to be fed per day: 16.5 pounds. An 1100-pound horse should never be fed more than 5 pounds at one feeding, so this means the amount needs to be divided into 3 feedings.
I can almost guarantee if a person fed the economy horse feed to a performance horse the feed room will be stacked with various types of expensive supplements.
When feeding horses cheap is not cheap…cheap can be very expensive.
Digestible
Energy/Mcals:
Crude
Protein:
Calcium:
Phosphorus:
Copper:
Sodium:
Zinc:
Calcium
to phosphorus ratio:
Zinc
to copper ratio: