Balancing Digestible Energy (DE) in the Equine Diet

The horse’s Body Condition Score (BCS) always trumps what our daily “Digestible Energy” requirement suggests. Horses are unique individuals that have different calorie requirements & we need to feed as such:

Example: an “above ideal” BCS horse should not be given added calories, even if their calculation suggests that they require more calories. Conversely, if a performance type horse is considered “below ideal” BCS we need to add additional calories to the diet, regardless of the calculation results.

 Daily Digestible Energy (DE) Requirements of the average 1,100 lb horse:

Maintenance Type Horse                          16,500 kcal/day        

Gestation- Final Trimester                        21,000 kcal/day     

Moderate Work                                           23,000 kcal/day        

Lactation- 1^st month                                  32,000 kcal/day

Heavy Work                                                  27,000 kcal/day     

Yearling-2 year old                                     19,000 kcal/day

     Example- Balancing forage DE in the diet:

                  1,100- Moderate Work level Horse =                  23,000 kcal/day

                  The average “Grass Hay” contains = 909 kcal/lb

                  1.5-2% of Body Weight in forage =                       16.5-22 lbs of hay/day

**This horse will require 25.3 lbs of this hay, per day to meet its caloric requirements without the addition of a grain or supplement. This amount exceeds the horses’ daily recommended amount of forage & no consideration for protein and/or vitamins & minerals has been given. In this example it is necessary to supplement the horse’s diet with a grain/concentrate to meet the daily caloric requirements.

We also must remember that caloric recommendations are just that- recommendations. These give us a baseline to work from, but each horse is an individual & we need to feed them according to what their body condition is suggesting they need. Your local equine veterinarian or equine nutritionist can help you determine your horse’s current Body Condition Score (BCS) and what would be considered ideal for their age, breed & working class.

Balancing Protein in the Equine Diet

 It is important to balance protein in the TOTAL DIET, not just protein in your forage or concentrate. It is also very important to remember that while protein is important in the diet, it is amino acids that the horse requires. Amino acids are essential in nutrient absorption & utilization. Verifying guaranteed levels of Lysine, Methionine and Threonine (first 3 limiting amino acids) on your horse’s feed tag ensures the best utilization of protein for muscle maintenance, muscle repair, hair coat, hoof quality and overall topline strength.

To calculate the percentage of protein in your horse’s TOTAL DIET, follow this simple calculation:

( (Lbs Hay x % Protein in Hay) + (Lbs Grain x % Protein in Grain) ) / Total Lbs Fed (hay + grain) = Protein in TOTAL DIET

The average maintenance type horse’s protein requirement is typically met when the horse is consuming 1.5-2% of their body weight in good quality forage.

      Equine Protein Recommendations (in the TOTAL DIET):

           

      Foals:           16-18%          Weanlings:            14-16%    Yearlings:        12-14%        

      Mature Horse:  10-12%          Lactating Mares:  12-14%

     Example Balancing Protein in the Weanling diet:

             

            Weanling daily/protein recommendation     14-16% Protein (total diet)

            1-2% of Body Weight in Hay             6-12 lbs/day

            Feeding an Average Grass Hay                     10.8% Crude Protein

            Grain                                                   2lbs/day of a 16% concentrate

           

((12 lbs X 10.8%) + (2 lbs X 16%)) / (12 + 2) =   11.54% Protein in the TOTAL DIET                                                                                     (deficient in protein)

Increase the lbs of concentrate in the diet (7lbs), and decreasing forage (6 lbs):

((6 lbs X 10.8%) + (7 lbs X 16%)) / (12 + 6) =            14.73% Protein in the TOTAL DIET

                                                                        (meets Protein Requirement**)

**NOTE: Just because we have met the horse’s protein requirement does not mean that we have ALSO met the vitamin & mineral requirements of the horse.

Balancing Vitamin & Minerals in the Equine Diet

Horses fed strictly forage diets (hay or pasture) are almost always found to be deficient in their recommended vitamins & minerals. Most forages exhibit peaks & valleys in their vitamin & mineral content leaving the horse with the same peaks & valleys in their TOTAL diet. These “valleys” or deficiencies will typically manifest themselves in poor-hair quality, poor hoof quality or a general lack of condition in the horse. These might be good indications that your horse has a vitamin/mineral deficiency or imbalance within their diet, but deficiencies can often go visually unnoticed for months or even years.

Over time, deficiencies left unaddressed can contribute or cause your horse to be more susceptible to serious diseases, health conditions and/or decreased longevity.

It is important to remember that horses require a concentrate or supplement in addition to their hay to ensure the diet is balanced. The challenge lies in finding the right product fit whether it be SafeChoice (a concentrate); providing additional calories and the necessary vitamins and minerals, OR Empower Balance (supplement/balancer); which provides minimal calories but all the necessary vitamins and minerals, balancing the diet of the “easy keeper” or strictly forage diet. Concentrates & supplements should be fed at no less than the minimum recommended feeding rate based on your horse’s age and activity level to ensure that they are receiving the proper nutrients.  

Lastly, all horses should have free-choice access to clean water and salt.

** Want to learn more about what’s in your hay and how to balance your horse’s diet? Come to the Northwest Horse Expo March 22-25^th  at the Linn County Expo Center in Albany Oregon and visit the Nutrena booth! We’ll have hay testing with instant results and customized recommendations based on those results. For more info, including how to take a hay sample, go to www.nutrenaworld.com/hay.

Written by Tiffany Towne at Cargill