Galop 4Knowledge
Contents
- 01WelcomeOverview
- 02Domestic lifeKnowledge
- 03Identifying a horseKnowledge
- 04The passportKnowledge
- 05Routine careCaring for the horse
- 06Vital signs and illnessCaring for the horse
- 07Needs and feedsKnowledge
- 08Feeds to avoidKnowledge
- 09How the canter worksKnowledge
- 10The aids, flexion and bendKnowledge
- 11Boots and legsCaring for the horse
- 12Snaffle bitsKnowledge
- 13The contactIn the saddle
- 14The jumping positionIn the saddle
- 15Position and strideIn the saddle
- 16Canter from walk, quarter turnsIn the saddle
- 17GroundworkOn foot
- 18Safety and hackingKnowledge
- 19Tests and revisionRevision
Feeding needs and the feed groups
Feeding a horse is not filling a manger: it is meeting his needs with three groups of feed — forage, concentrates, mineral supplements — not forgetting water.
In the exam programme
- Describe the horse’s needs for forage, concentrates and minerals.Common module B
- Recognise the main families of feed: forage, concentrates and mineral supplements.Common module B
In Galop 2 you learnt to recognise grass, hay, straw, cereals and cubes, and saw that the horse is a herbivore with a small stomach, made to eat little and often. In Galop 4 you sort these feeds into groups and explain what each one is for.
Forage
The basis of the ration, rich in fibre.
- Grass
- Bale of hay
- Bale of straw
- Wrapped haylage bale
Concentrates
A lot of energy in a small volume.
- Oats
- Barley
- Maize
- Pellets
- Flaked feed
Mineral supplements
Salt, calcium, phosphorus, trace elements.
- Salt lick
- Lick bucket
- Mineral and vitamin supplement
Group 1
Forage
Grazing, hay, straw, haylage, alfalfa. Rich in fibre, forage is the basis of the diet: it feeds the horse, keeps the gut moving, wears down the teeth and keeps him busy for hours.
Group 2
Concentrates
Cereals — oats, barley, maize — and commercial compound feeds, as cubes or flaked mixes. In a small volume they provide a lot of energy, and sometimes protein, for the working horse.
Group 3
Mineral supplements
A salt lick, a mineral block or lick bucket, a vitamin and mineral supplement as powder or pellets. They supply the salt, calcium, phosphorus and trace elements the diet does not provide enough of.
Forage needs
Forage is the one feed a horse can never do without. In the wild he eats for 15 to 16 hours a day; in a stable we come close by leaving him hay for most of the day. Remember that he needs at least 1 to 1.5 kg of dry forage per 100 kg of bodyweight a day, which is 5 to 7.5 kg of hay for a 500 kg horse. Good hay is often enough on its own for a horse at rest or in light work.
Concentrate needs
Concentrates are only needed if forage does not cover the horse’s energy needs, mainly those of work. Rich and quickly eaten, they are given in several small feeds spread through the day, at regular times, and the horse is not worked in the hour afterwards. One big feed in one go is a classic cause of colic.
Mineral and water needs
Calcium and phosphorus build bones. The sodium in salt is lost in sweat: a working horse needs two to three times as much as one at rest, and a salt lick on free access lets him regulate his own intake. Because cereals are low in calcium, a diet rich in grain is balanced with a vitamin and mineral supplement. As for water, clean and always available, he drinks 20 to 60 litres a day depending on the heat, his work and his diet.
Remember
Forage first, and plenty of it; concentrates only if the work calls for them, in small feeds; salt and minerals as a supplement; clean water at all times.
Tip
A litre is not a kilo: a litre of cubes weighs well under a kilogram, and a litre of oats even less. Weigh the yard’s scoop once, so you know what you are really feeding.
Did you know?
Needs vary with weight, age, work and season: in Galop 6 you will see how they change, and in Galop 7 how a diet is put together.