There is a wider variety of horse feeds available than ever before, with scientifically prepared mixtures and compounds, and specially treated grain. These can provide a healthy diet, and make feeding easier for horse owners, but the simplest solution is not always the best one for a particular horse. Most of them are fussy feeders. The questions of what to feed, how much, and when, are best answered by the horse himself, by his appetite and his well-being.
Horse feed consists of roughage, such as grass and hay, for bulk and essential fibre to aid the digestion process; and concentrates, which provide energy.
The skill of good feeding lies in finding the correct balance of roughage and concentrates to suit the needs of each individual horse or pony, according to his type, size, age, temperament, physical condition, and the work required of him. It wifl also depend on whether he is stabled all the time, some of the time, or kept out in a field, as well as the time of year, the amount of grass available, and whether he is clipped and rugged.
Just as it is difficult for experts to agree about the best human diets, there will always be arguments about how to feed a horse. This book sets out the choices, makes recommendations, and points out the dangers, based on the important principles of good feeding, which are the same as they have always been. image.