Horse Life Stages and Feeding Quiz

Feeding Weanlings

• Minimize stress and post-weanling slump by feeding 1.5-2.5lbs of grain and 0.7-1.0lb of hay per 100lbs of body weight
• Monitor feed and water intake, and ensure Ca>P ratio

Feeding Yearlings

• For sales and show, feed high-quality concentrate at 0.075lb/100lb body weight
• For growth, feed 1.0-2.0lb/100lb body weight
• Turn out for 1-3 months, and then provide forage and concentrate in a 1:1 ratio

Nutrition for Lactating Mares

• Milk production requires 3% of body weight in energy and 2% in protein
• Increase energy and protein requirements by 90% and 50% respectively
• Provide a minimum of 1.3% protein and 1.2Mcal/lb of digestible energy from forage
• Ensure Ca:P ratio of 2:1

Nutrition for Breeding Stallions

• Primary concern is providing nutrients for fetal growth and development
• Feed 0.5% concentrate and 1.75-2.0% hay of body weight
• Provide vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent decreased kidney and liver function

Geriatric Horses

• Maintenance energy requirements are met with 70% of horses over 20 years old
• Feed 1.75-2.0% of body weight in forage and 0.5-0.75% in concentrate
• Provide vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent pituitary and thyroid tumors
• Ensure 11% CP, 1.0Mcal/lb of digestible energy, and 0.45% Ca and 0.34% P

Fat Supplementation

• Provide highly palatable and easy-to-chew fat sources
• Increase energy from fat, which is 90% utilizable
• Ensure fat sources are clean and dust-free

Horse and Pasture

• A grass-legume pasture can meet the maintenance requirements of most adult horses
• Horses prefer grasses over legumes and tend to be destructive to pasture

Selection of Feed for Geriatric Horses

• Choose feeds with high digestible energy, protein, and fiber
• Increase iron, vitamins A, D, and E
• Ensure fat sources are highly digestible and aid in digestion

Horsekeeping Facilities

• Design facilities to prevent dominant horses from trapping subordinates
• Use round-off corners and tilt tensioned wire fences to resist inward forces
• Ensure fences are highly visible, withstand impacts, and have no openings that can trap head or foot

Planning Fencing

• Allow easy access to pastures and do not limit performance of stable chores
• Ensure gates are easy to open with one hand and allow easy movement of groups of horses
• Use double fencing for stallions and valuable stock to eliminate social and antisocial activity

Life-Stage Feeding

• Feed according to life stage, level of activity, and individual digestive and metabolic efficiency
• Ensure dry matter intake is 1.5-2.0% of body weight, and most horses meet energy requirements with forage alone

Test your knowledge on different life stages of horses, their levels of activity, digestive system, and feeding requirements. Learn about the varying levels of performance and work for horses based on their activity levels.