FEEDING MYTHS…BUSTED  

We tend to spend lots of time learning about horses. We take lessons, go to clinics, watch YouTube videos, and talk with each other. One topic that we don’t spend a lot of time researching is feeding. It’s okay to admit it- we are likely to take advice from our trainer, farrier, or riding buddy but we don’t tend to check the facts. The science of feeding horses has changed a lot over the past couple decades, but we haven’t all stayed up to date. Many of our past practices were actually detrimental to our horses. Here are some, but not all, of the most common myths we’ve all heard. Take a moment to think about each heading before you read the rest of the paragraph, and then read with an open mind. Don’t believe everything you think!

1. Feeding protein makes a horse “hot.” Nope. Think of protein as building blocks. Feeding protein gives a horse the nutrients he needs to build and maintain muscle, bone, ligaments, and other structural parts of his body. If he is healthy and feeling good, he may have energy to burn, but it’s likely from sugars, not protein. Horses can use protein as an energy source but it’s an expensive process, metabolically speaking, for his body to do that.

2. Too much protein isn’t good for my horse. It turns out that horses are quite efficient at excreting extra protein, and they do this by passing it in their urine. If you have a horse whose stall smells very strongly of ammonia, that is exactly what he’s doing. His body didn’t need all the protein, so it was excreted. This is a good reason to re-examine your feed choices and have your hay analyzed. If you don’t know how much protein is in your hay, how can you determine his overall protein intake? At the other extreme, consuming too little protein is a concern. A horse that isn’t eating enough protein will show a wasting of muscle structure, poor hoof integrity, and a poor coat. You will likely see a big change in his topline. Protein is vital because it builds the horse. Exercise then conditions the horse.

3. Sweet feed makes my horse hot. Not exactly. He could be eating pellets and be just as hot. The likely reason is that he is eating more sugars and starches than he needs. Sugars and starches equal energy, and when fed in concentrated rations, can elevate a horse’s glucose level, leading to a need to release that extra energy. Horses release energy by moving- it’s what they are meant to do! But you should not swing too far the other way and try to eliminate sugars and starches. Horses need energy for basic body functions and to perform as we ask them to. The more performance we demand, the higher the level of energy they need to consume. Whether a feed is textured or pelleted isn’t the deciding factor, as some pelleted feeds contain more sugars and starches than some textured feeds. The fact that your sweet or textured feed contains molasses doesn’t mean that it contains a high level of sugar either. Gone are the days when molasses was mixed into feed; now it is sprayed on instead. To help you manage your horse’s energy level, there are feeds on the market that release carbs at a slower rate and over a longer period of time to help minimize that “sugar rush.”

4. Horses should be on a low carb diet. Again, not exactly. This is a misunderstanding of terms. Carbs are more than just sugars and starches. Fiber also is a carbohydrate and is one of the most important parts of a horse’s diet. It should be the largest part of his diet, in fact. When we talk of a low carb diet, we are usually referring to a low NSC or non-structural carbohydrate diet, and this means sugars and starches. Low NSC diets are recommended for horses with metabolic issues, such as Cushing’s, Insulin Resistance, and Metabolic Syndrome. Remember though, he still needs NSCs for energy. You can’t cut them out completely or his body will start to use protein and burn muscle mass to fuel his movements. In a nutshell, a horse with certain metabolic issues needs a low NSC diet but not a non-NSC diet. All horses need carbs in their diet. What matters is their health, their work level, and the type of carbs you are feeding. Do your research when comparing feeds. There is no legal definition of “low NSC” or “low carb” feed, so a feed with an NSC of 20% can be promoted as low carb as can one with a measurement of 10%. When comparing feeds, always compare the numbers, not just the wording, to get a better picture. Although not all feed companies use the same methods for determining nutrient levels, it’s the best we have at present.

5. Concentrated feeds should be the main part of a horse’s diet, with hay being secondary. FALSE! It should be the other way around. Hay and/or forage should be the largest part of your horse’s diet. The purpose of commercial or concentrated feeds is to fill in the nutritional gaps that your hay and forage can’t supply due to their composition. Again, having your hay analyzed will help you determine whether your horse needs more protein, more calories, and more vitamins and minerals. Maybe you need to add a high calorie feed, maybe you need to increase protein, maybe you just need to add a ration balancer. Since hay/forage should be the largest part of his diet, it makes sense to have it analyzed. If your horse can’t eat forages because of dental issues, you could consider a high fiber complete feed (not just a senior feed) and feed it according to recommendations on the bag. And remember…feeding as recommended means by the pound, not the coffee can.

6. I don’t need to feed as much as the bag recommends, a handful is fine. Solid FALSE on this! There are recommendations on the bag for a reason: to make sure that you are feeding your horse properly. If you read the previous article about “Feed Math”, then you will remember that we talked about feeding by the pound (not by the coffee can) and how to determine how many pounds your horse needs. Many feed bags use a 1000-lb horse (or “per 250 pounds”) as their starting point so you need to determine your horse’s weight and adjust up or down accordingly. If you feed according to the bag’s recommendation and your horse is getting fat, then he is getting more calories than he is using and you should exercise him more or switch to a lower calorie feed. Frequently a lower fat feed will remedy that problem. If you are feeding less than the recommended amount suggested for your horse’s weight, then you are shorting him on vitamins and minerals. Ration balancers can help make up the difference. Keep in mind that ration balancers are an ideal solution too if you have an “air fern” and good hay. Conversely, if you find you are feeding much more than the feed bag recommends, it isn’t the right feed for him. You will be over supplementing with vitamins and minerals. Check the fat content. You may need a higher fat feed or to add supplemental calories. Of course, if you suspect that your horse’s weight problems are symptoms of a medical issue, you should consult your vet.

7. Alfalfa hay is too rich / alfalfa hay is all a horse needs. We can’t have it both ways though, can we? This seems to be a myth based on geography. Here in the east, people are nervous about alfalfa, thinking that it is “too rich,” but we don’t have a good definition of what that means. Horses in the mid-west happily eat alfalfa and do well with it. Instead of making a judgement, let’s look at the facts. Alfalfa tends to be higher in protein than our grass hays, which can lead to increased thirst, increased urination, and a strong-smelling stall. Most healthy horses have no trouble excreting the excess protein. Alfalfa also has a higher calcium content. It tends to have more calories, which can lead to weight gain, so it needs to be fed carefully. Interestingly, it tends to have a lower NSC than some of our cool-grass hays. Again- I can’t say it enough- have your hay analyzed so you know the nutrient levels! Alfalfa also tends to be leafier, and those leaves can “shatter” if they are too dry, leading to increased coughing due to the resulting dust. The take-away here is that alfalfa isn’t scary. It can be a great choice for your horse if it meets his needs, but you should understand what those needs are. You should consult with your vet to decide if it is a suitable forage for your horse. From your horse’s point of view, alfalfa tastes delicious!

8. Beet pulp must be soaked before feeding. Urban horsey legend has it that your horse will explode once the beet pulp hits the liquids in his stomach, or that he will choke because it is so dry, or that it will suck all the moisture out of his digestive track and cause impaction. None of these are true. Beet pulp can be fed dry, although most horses prefer it wet. For proof, look at the bags of complete feeds. Many are beet pulp based. Feeding directions say that they CAN be soaked for increased ease of eating, but none of them say that they MUST be soaked. Beet pulp is actually not a concentrate like other grains. It is closer to being a forage and is an excellent source of fiber, especially for horses that can’t chew forage due to poor teeth. Having written all of the above though, there are good reasons for soaking beet pulp. It is great way to get more water into your horse and most horses seem to prefer it that way. Soaking also brings out a pleasant nutty scent. Beet pulp pellets can be very hard and soaking makes them easier for old teeth to manage. For horses that tend to bolt their feed (and have a risk of choking), soaking will help to slow them down.

9. Beet pulp has too much sugar. Big solid FALSE on this! Beet pulp is what is left AFTER the sugar is extracted from the sugar beets. It is not sugar free, but the amount left in it is lower than concentrated feeds. Even if you buy the beet pulp with molasses, it still has a low NSC value because the molasses is sprayed on, not mixed in. It is a great ingredient for horses with metabolic issues such as Insulin Resistance and Cushing’s disease. Its low NSC levels and high fiber content are what make it such a prevalent ingredient in complete feeds and senior feeds. At roughly 1000 kCal/dry pound, it is a safe way to add calories as it is digested easier than hay. If you are still worried about sugar though, you can soak the beet pulp and then rinse it to remove any residual sugars.

10. It’s okay to feed bran mashes on a regular basis. This is a hard one to debunk because it’s such an old, feel-good myth. We love the idea of giving our horses a warm bran mash on a cold winter night, perhaps with peppermints or carrot pieces mixed in. In truth, bran is very high in phosphorus and very low in calcium, which is the opposite of what we want in our horse’s diet. Giving a bran mash once a week won’t seriously endanger his calcium levels but feeding bran every day is not a good idea if you haven’t taken this into consideration. Giving a bran mash once a week can be upsetting to his digestive system because the flora in his tract haven’t had time to adjust to it. People fondly believed that it was a good laxative, but now we know why it promotes loose manure. So, is there anything good about bran? Horses seem to love it. If you have a horse that isn’t well and is off his feed, a bit of bran may be useful to encourage his appetite. If you want to give a warm mash to your horse so that you feel good, there are safer alternatives such as making a mash with hay pellets.

11. Pellets can cause choke. It’s actually not the pellets. Horses choke because they eat too quickly, or their teeth are in such poor condition that they can’t properly grind their food. He may eat quickly because he has been without food, is food- aggressive, or he feels threatened. If you need to slow down his eating, you could try putting smooth clean rocks, larger than your fist, into his feed bucket. You could also put in broken salt blocks. Another method is to feed out of a larger, shallower pan, so he has to chase the pellets around a bit. You can add rocks and salt bricks to shallow pans too, but you’ll want to have it anchored in a safe manner so he doesn’t flip the pan in frustration and end up eating off the ground. If he eats quickly because he feels threatened, feed him away from others. If you’re nervous about using pellets, water can be added to break them down. And, of course, make sure he has his teeth examined and maintained on a regular schedule. In addition to lessening the chance of choke, it will help him to digest his feed better.

12. My horse needs extra corn in the winter to help keep him warm. Hay is a better choice. Corn is high in starch and should be fed carefully, and it doesn’t increase the horse’s metabolic temperature. The digestion of hay will keep your horse warmer than any cereal grains. Corn is a popular ingredient in many horse feeds because it is a cheap grain, and it does provide energy due to its starch content. It is low in protein though and is thought to amplify some metabolic issues, so it isn’t always the best choice. While there is a place in the horse’s diet for corn, using it for body heat isn’t one of those reasons. If you have concerns about corn, there are corn-free feeds on the market.

So where does one get safe, current, up-to-date info on feeding horses? Talk with your vet and your local feed store. Remember that your feed store has access to equine nutritionists and will be happy to put you in touch with them. Do your research with reputable sources, such as science-based horse magazines, universities, and published studies. And finally, don’t believe everything you’ve been told in the past, and don’t believe everything you think!