The basic ingredient of any diet should be fibre and by that I mean quality fibre such as good hay, alfalfa or mixtures of dried grasses and measured amounts of chopped straw. Fibre should make up between 50% and 100% of the daily feed intake and even the horse in the hardest of work should not need more than 50% of the diet in hard feed. The hard feed element is then supplied by the addition of commercial cubes and mixtures tailored to the workload of the horse in question.

There are many very talented nutritionists employed by the leading horse feed companies who are experts in the design and implementation of compound horse feeds. These companies have balanced their feeds and provide a wide selection so you can feed just the right micronutrients in accordance with the work rate of your horse. There are of course times when specialists feeds should be used such as breeding, weaning and rearing and for the older horse there are many top quality veteran diets available. Also during times of illness or convalescent special care must be taken with the diet and particular caution must be observed when considering the diet of laminitic ponies.

On the market today are some extremely effective supplements and additives to help you with your horses diet and condition.
Don't be afraid to try some of these out you may well be suprised at just how good some of them are, remembering that all animals are different and results are not always going to be the the same. If in doubt ask your supplier and if they don't know about what they are selling you then I recommend you go elsewhere.

Feeding has indeed become a science but you do not need to be a scientist to feed your horse correctly. All you need is a telephone to ring one of the many feed helplines or stoke up your browser and click on HorsefeedsUK.  Let them do the hard work use their knowledge and enjoy a happy and rewarding time with your horse.

To find out how to contact the manufacturers go to your feed merchant or check out the feed finder