Hood on horseback – doses and principles. The digestive system of the horse

A well balanced diet determines the health and health of the horses. At the same time, a lack of knowledge regarding the nutrition of these wonderful animals leads to diseases and health problems, such as ulcer, colic and even laminated. Read the article and find out what the horses eat, how much they often have to be nourished and what are the most common errors in their diet.

The natural diet of horses

What do wild horses eat? The question we ask is wrong, because, as scientists show, unfortunately there are no wild animals. We can only meet wild species such as the American Przewalski or Mustang horse. The horses appeared on Earth long before us, that is about 50 million years ago. They did very well without people and were perfectly able to face their diet.

Therefore, to find out how an adequate diet should appear, it is worth leaving the box and moving on green and steppe meadows, because they like the largest number of horses. However, before starting our journey, we agree that for the purposes of this article, we will refer to wild horses as wild or free horses. Wild horses are those that descend from domestic horses, but who have fled under the protection of people, do not belong to anyone and live in nature.

Horses love movement and plants, but …

Horses that live in nature move constantly. Day after day, they wander and cross large areas, snoring grass and other plants. So, grass is what he likes most. In the diet of free horses you will also find leaves, muscles, young or shrubs. The free horses will not despise the bark of the tree, which will grip occasionally. So, if you see the gems based on Herbe Ronic, think that his free ancestors have done so.

Toxic plants for horses

However, just because they are herbivores, this does not mean that they can eat all plants.

There are many plants that hurt our friends, such as MacRię or Ranunculus. Horses recognize poisonous foods based on taste and smell. The appearance of the plant is less important. At the same time, it is worth knowing that domestic horses can be less sensitive to harmful substances, among others, due to poor nutrition or growth errors, therefore it controls what grows on the pasture before letting the horse feed on.

If you invite your horses in the home garden, check if there is a fabric, a poisonous plant for horses. In this case, it is worth removing it, as well as Tuia. Gardening tools will support you in making your garden suitable for horses.

Juicy grass for horse

Some horses of horses are pleased to let their pets enter the gardens at home to grind the grass. It is worth taking care of it by splashing. It will be more lush and more succulent. If you don’t want to invite the horses in your garden, take the chopped grass (only then forget the artificial fertilizers!). To keep the lawn in good condition after winter, use a rake to remove the leaves last year and sow the new grass where there are so -called patches.

Horse nutrition – doses

Wild horses eat between 12 and 16 hours a day – and during this period they consume the equivalent from 11 to 14 kg of dry food. However, horses that live in nature have a different lifestyle and move constantly. Your friend, on the other hand, must eat frequently in small quantities: we will tell you immediately why. The quantity of food depends, among other things, on the weight of the animal. A horse that weighs 450 kg should consume about 7-8 kg of hay per day, which is divided into at least 3 portions. This is an approximate value, because the horse diet is determined by many factors.

It is better to divide the food into 5 portions. It is a big mistake to feed your horse rarely and in larger quantities. This type of nutrition violates the nature of this wonderful animal and risks serious diseases or even death.

The digestive system and the horse diet

The horse diet and diet are determined by anatomy, more precisely by the structure of the digestive system. The digestive system of the horse consists of:

– mouth
– pharynx
– esophagus
– stomach
– thin intestine
– the large intestine and the rectum

Horses have a small stomach, reminiscent of a rough ball. Its capacity is between 12 and 15 liters. The horse stomach is not very elastic, so feeding it with too large portions is at the expense of his health.

The length of the thin tonte of the horse is between 15 and 30 meters. The constant supply of the food content prevents the twist, curling and overlapping of the folds of the intestine and protects from the ulcer. Due to the structure of the digestive system, horses cannot vomit. Therefore, digestive disorders in the form of retention, fermentation of food in the stomach can lead to the breakage of the stomach and the death of the horse.

Principles of Nutrition of Horses

A suitable diet for horses has an adequate amount of:

– food fiber
– proteins
– minerals
– vitamins
– Calories

At the same time, you must know that there is no single diet suitable for horses, because the correct choice of nutrients depends, among others, on the following aspects:

– training intensity
– body weight
– temperament
– Metabolic rate
– age

The most precious herbs for horses are the so -called «green», that is, the herbs on the pasture (see wild horses). When horses graze on a lawn, the location should be chosen with care, since some herbs can contain heavy metals and pesticides. The base of domestic horses’ power is the hay or the so -called big feed. These are dry herbs with meadows.

Note that hay is not just hay. The quality of the hay depends, among other things, on the quality of the soil, on the climate, the drying or the age method. The hay that is more than a year is less precious and less pleasant to taste. In addition, the old hay is often full of dust, mites and, several times, mold mushrooms develop. This mixture damages our friends, because it causes allergies and respiratory problems.

The hay with a high alfalfa content is appreciated, while hay with many acid herbs is less nourishing. It is an error to give hay horses from an undeclared source, as it can contain chemicals. It is also wrong to graze horses on the meadows near the agricultural fields, which are often sprinkled.

Food and concentrated for horse

In addition to the hay, also commercial nutrition, such as cut fodder, are part of the category of coarse feed. The latter are standardized and give us the guarantee that each ration contains the same amount of nutrients. In pet shops you will find straw and alfalfa grass. Lucene straws are very precious because they are rich in proteins, calcium and vitamins. In addition, the ground grass allows the horse to absorb better food. Due to the structure, the horse chews the food longer and produces more saliva, which contributes to good digestion.

Of concentrated feed, we distinguish between complete and balanced feed. Among the complete feed, you will find fodder with high energy content, fodder with a low energy content and feed to help your horse become beautiful.

The balance has more focused nutrients. Both the sales and the complete power supply are powered together with large feed (hay), which make up the base of the food. It is an error to give priority to the big feed and serve before coarse diet. Coarse diet neutralizes gastric acid and causes better ingredients to be absorbed with concentrates.

Horse food – oats

Often, horse owners integrate their horses with oats. Oat has both opponents and its supporters. However, it is important to remember that it is a food with many carbohydrates. You don’t have to give it to the horses that:

– are subject to pathologies for peptic ulcer
– They need a low -level food in the blood sugar
– They are hyperactive horses
– are exposed to the risk of suffering from cushing disease

Is milk suitable for nourishing horses?

Horses drink milk, but until the age of nine months. About twenty minutes after birth, the mushroom develops the reflection of suction. In the first 24 hours, a young horse can drink up to 8 liters of milk (colostro) per day. Subsequently, this figure increases up to 15 liters.

The chicks eat up to 30 times a day, so it is very important to take care of the health and diet that breastfeeds them. It is not without the reason that the diet of rabbits that breastfeed is similar to that of the horses that train intensely. Pregnancy and breastfeeding are a great effort for the horse. An adequate diet influences the health of the mother and foal and adequate milk production. The mare must nourish the mushroom and itself. It is important to feed the horse with high protein and calcium feed. We also enrich the diet with flax seeds and bran. Let’s not forget electrolytes and vitamins.

Feed the sportsmen

The sports horse diet is also made up of coarse (basic) and concentrated feed. In addition, it is essential to take into account the intensity of training when setting the horse diet. For the sports horse, the quality and amount of protein intake are also important, because during the training there are micro -derteriare of muscle tissue and proteins accelerate muscle regeneration. The electrolytes are also important in foods: sodium, potassium, magnesium, chlorine and vitamins, including vitamin E. The diet of a sports horse should also contain selenium.

Reactive horses, with a high temperament, will better accept the fodder with a low blood sugar level and energy feed along the release.

Summary of the nourishment of the horses

Horses are extremely beautiful and sensitive animals, for which food, immediately after guaranteeing survival, represents a basic need. The feeding of a horse is based on coarse feed with the addition of concentrated feed and determines the health of the animal.

Note that there is no single horse diet. What influences the choice of food and nutrients is, among other things, the lifestyle, the weight, temperament, conditions and general conditions of the horse. Any change in the diet should be introduced slowly.

In addition, horses like rituals and a fixed program, then feed it at certain hours. Otherwise they can be restless. Do not forget the water: horses need constant access to clean and airy water, between 29 and 38 liters of water per day.

Dominika Tarnacka

Photo: Canva.com