Nutrition
for Maximum Performance
By Eleanor Richards
Copyright © 2003
LESSON SIX
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.
The horse is a 1,100-pound Quarter Horse gelding. He is 8 years old and has no health
problems.
His activity level would be considered light
work. He gets ridden every other day,
lightly sweats while being ridden, and is shown on the weekends. 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.
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
approximate daily nutritional requirements for a 1,100 pound horse with a light
work load are:
Digestible Energy/Mcals: 25
Protein:
10.0%
Calcium:
25 - 30 grams (.30% of the diet)
Phosphorus:
18 grams (.25% of the diet)
Salt: 2
ounces
Copper:
20-30 ppm
Selenium: .2 ppm
Vitamin A: 22,000 I.U.
A
sample of a forage test and feed tag follows.
Our horse is receiving 20 pounds of the hay and 6 pounds of grain per
day.
Feed
& Forage Report
Your Number:
Laboratory #: 6351 Reported
on:
Account #: 111700
Ordered by: ELEANOR RICHARDS
Patron
:
Sample Type
: GRASS HAY
Identification: NORTH FIELD
Test Pack
: FORAGE BASIC
ANALYTICAL
ASSAY DRY
MATTER BASIS
AS IS
|
MOISTURE (0%) |
10.40 |
|
|
|
DRY MATTER
(%) |
|
|
89.60 |
|
PROTEIN (%) |
8.18 |
|
7.33 |
|
AVAIL. PRO.
(%) |
7.67 |
|
6.87 |
|
ADJ. CR. PRO.
(%) |
8.18 |
|
7.33 |
|
ADPROTEIN (%) |
0.51 |
|
0.46 |
|
FAT (%) |
1.98 |
|
1.77 |
|
FIBER -ADF
(%) |
37.68 |
|
33.76 |
|
FIBER - NDF
(%) |
62.03 |
|
55.58 |
|
|
4.77 |
|
4.27 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
MINERAL
ESTIMATES |
|
|
|
|
CALCIUM (%) |
0.33 |
1.4 g/lb. |
0.30 |
|
PHOSPHORUS
(%) |
0.18 |
0.8 g/lb. |
0.16 |
|
MAGNESIUM (%) |
0.19 |
0.8 g/lb. |
0.17 |
|
POTASSIUM (%) |
1.70 |
7.7 g/lb. |
1.52 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
DE, equine mcal/lb. |
0.87 |
|
0.78 |
|
TDN%, equine |
43.60 |
|
39.10 |
|
|
89.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MY 14%
PERFORMANCE
HORSE
FEED
TEXTURED CONCENTRATE FOR ACTIVE HORSES
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude
Protein, not less than………………………14.0%
Crude Fat,
not less than……………………………
5.0%
Crude Fiber, not more than………………………. 6.0%
Calcium (Ca)
not less than………………………... 0.6%
Calcium (Ca)
not more than……………………….
1.1%
Phosphorus
(P) not less than……………………… 0.65%
Salt (NaCl) not less than……………………………. 0.6%
Salt (NaCl) not more than………………………….. 1.1%
Copper (Cu)
ppm not less than….……………….. 55.0
Selenium
(Se) ppm not less than…………………. 0.6
Zinc (Zn)
ppm not less than………………………... 220
Vitamin A, I.U./lb. not less than…………………..
6500
INGREDIENTS
Steam
Crimped Oats, Heat Processed Flaked Barley,
Steamed
Rolled Corn, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Heat Processed
Soybeans, Wheat Middlings, Yeast Culture,
Cane Molasses,
Vegetable
Oil, L-Lysine, DL-Methionine, Calcium Carbonate,
Calcium
Phosphate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Sulfate,
Magnesium Sulfate,
Magnesium Oxide, Manganous Oxide,
Ferrous
Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Polysaccharide
Complexes of Iron,
Copper, Zinc, and Manganese, Cobalt, Sodium
Selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, VitaminD-3 Supplement,
Vitamin E
Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Niacin,
Biotin, d-Calcium, Pantothenate,
Vitamin B-12 Supplement,
Folic Acid,
Ascorbic Acid
FEEDING DIRECTIONS
This product is designed to be fed to active horses as the
concentrate portion of the diet. Offer
at the rate of 0.3 to 1.0% of body weight to horses along with good quality
forage, free choice salt, and fresh water.
141516
Manufactured
For:
My Feed Store
Any Town, State
Net Weight 50 lbs. (22.68 kg) 03190
CALCULATING DIGESTIBLE ENERGY
The
1,100 pound adult horse at a light work activity level requires about 25
DE/Mcal per day. The forage is providing
.87 DE/Mcal per pound. The grain is
providing 1.50 DE/Mcal per pound.
20 pounds of forage times .87 DE/Mcal
= 17.40 DE/Mcal
6 pounds of grain times 1.50 DE/Mcal = 9.00 DE/Mcal
HELPFUL CONVERSIONS
ECONOMICS
When purchasing grain, cheap usually turns out to be expensive. 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: $ 5.00 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: $9.00 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: $17.00 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: 0.10 ($5.00 divided by 50). Feed 1.5% of the horses body weight (1,100 multiplied by 1.5) = 16.5 pounds per day. 16.5 pounds times 10 cents per pound = $1.65
Cost of grain: $1.65 per day
“High Quality Horse Feed” price per pound: .18 ($9.00 divided by 50).
Feed .5% of the body weight (1,100 multiplied by .5) = 5.5 pounds per day. 5.5 pounds times 18 cents per pound = $0.99
Cost of grain: $0.99 per day
“Ration Balancer” price per pound: .34 per pound ($17.00 divided by 50). Cost of Ration Balancer: $0.51 per day. (1.5 pounds times 34 cents)
Oats price per pound: $0.11 ($5.50 divided by 50). Cost of Oats: $0.55 per day (5 pounds times 11 cents)
Cost of grain: $1.06 per day (total of balancer, $0.51 and oats, $0.55)
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.