The horse is a large mammal. It can be said that they are among the largest animals on the planet. Its imposing beauty leaves many breathless, this is a noble animal and has contributed to the development of human beings throughout history. Its size makes it important that we consider the Horse Nutritional Requirements.
To keep a horse in good condition you need a number of elements such as
- A suitable space for your rest
- Open space to play and graze
- Veterinary control frequently
- Of course the Horse Nutritional Requirements, the latter is where we will focus on this article.
It should be noted that the horse must have a balanced diet according to its age, weight, gestation, activity that performs among others.
Each horse: a particular need in its diet – Horse Nutritional Requirements
Animals must remain in good health and must comply with the Horse Nutritional Requirements.
In this sense these horses warrant vitamins and minerals to keep the immune system strengthened. This results in good horse health.
The Horse Nutritional Requirements must be monitored by the veterinary physician, as this will determine the amount and type of grass or fodding that the horse must consume.
In this sense the horse’s race and the activity it performs are paramount to design a balanced diet for the horse. Well, it’s not the same to feed a miniature horse that is a pet to a thoroughbred horse that participates in equestrian competitions.
With this example we can understand a little about the Horse Nutritional Requirements.
Most horses have a hay, grass or compositional fodder feed with a grain mixture.
Proper choice of horse feeding
To make a good choice of horse feeding it is necessary to ask the veterinary doctor who is in control of the animals.
To do this, the needs of the horses must be taken into account. In addition to pasture reserves, availability, cost of grain food or commercial preparations.
Nutrients should be offered in the quantity, form and method that ensures that they meet the needs of these animals.
On the other hand the hydration of the animal must be constant and with clean and fresh water.
Aspects to be taken into account in the Horse Nutritional Requirements
It is important to note that the horse is a herbivorous gastric monkey.
As for the characteristics of his stomach is small. For this reason the blind and the colon act as a unit to process the grass or fodding with which they feed
This organ is vitally important for your digestive system to function properly.
The well-being of the horse as well as its performance in the activities it performs will depend on its diet. This is a reason to be careful with the Horse Nutritional Requirements.
The nutritional needs of horses will depend on the following variables:
Horse size, body condition or condition, activity it performs, appetite, age.
In addition other elements to be taken into account are the following: reproductive status, health, environment among others.
Food Types – Horse Nutritional Requirements
Among the fodder that are indicated for the feeding of the horses we have the following:
Hay: legumes, such as alfalfa, clover and grasses.
Pastures: legumes, alfalfa is ideal for its high protein content.
Silo: To use it requires an optimal state of conservation
Grains: Oats, barley, corn and wheat bran.
Protein: Animal protein supplements in this case soybean meal, this is ideal for horse growth.
Molasses: sugar byproduct with a high nutritional value for horses.
As we can see there is a great variety of feeds. However, we must take into account which is best for horses according to the variables mentioned above.
Other factors in horse feeding
Water: It is indispensable for the life of the animal, as it must be kept hydrated. This serves as a liquid medium for digestion.
Energy: Food energy includes carbohydrates, fats and proteins in horse feed
Fats: These contain 2.5 times more energy than carbohydrates, these are stored in the body and used when needed.
Proteins: lysine, methionine, and tryptophan are vital in the feeding of equines.
The elements mentioned are important in the Horse Nutritional Requirements.
Nutrition in horses, something not to leave to chance
We can see the importance of giving a thorough fulfillment to the nutritional requirements of the horse. Well, a balanced diet should be given based on a good source of forage, energy supplements, protein, vitamins and minerals.
What is sought to comply with a healthy diet in horses is that they have good health and performance in the activities that these animals perform
The welfare of the horse should be the north of the owners, caregivers, trainers, veterinarians and the team that cares for these beautiful animals.
In the case of Gustavo Mirabal he was very attentive to the smallest details related to horses. In addition this horse-loving man is empowered from all the topics related to these loyal and noble animals.
Finally we leave him an equestrian jumping video of Gustavo Mirabal’s horses for that moment.
Source:
https://esc.rutgers.edu/fact_sheet/the-basics-of-equine-nutrition/
https://gustavomirabalcastro.online/caballos/tipos-de-pastos-para-caballos/
If you want to visit Gustavo Mirabal’s video and photo gallery visit:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQhFw2dwQZrOXE7ysqQunvg/videos
https://www.flickr.com/people/gustavomirabalcastro/