The main principles of rationing

Galop 7Knowledge

Contents

Rationing means giving a horse what it needs, no more and no less, in a form its digestive tract can cope with. You have known its needs since Galops 4 and 6; here is how they become a ration.

In the exam programme

Describe and explain the main principles of rationing that protect the health and welfare of horses and ponies.Common module B

It all starts with digestion (Galop 5): a small stomach, made to take a little and often; a large intestine where micro-organisms digest fibre, and which copes badly with sudden changes and with too much cereal. In the wild, a horse spends fifteen hours or more a day eating. A good ration respects the way the gut works before it chases performance.

The units of rationing

UFC: The horse feed unit of the French system, which measures energy. 1 UFC is the net energy supplied by 1 kg of standard barley.
MADC: Horse digestible crude protein, measured in grams — the French system’s protein unit.
DM: Dry matter: what is left of a feed once its water is removed. Quantities of forage are worked out in kilos of DM.
BW: The horse’s body weight, measured on a weighbridge or estimated with a weigh tape: the starting point of every calculation.

To give an idea of scale, the IFCE states that a 500 kg riding mare at maintenance needs about 4.1 UFC and 296 g of MADC a day. These are her maintenance requirements; work, growth, pregnancy or lactation add production requirements on top.

Forage and water: the base, by far the largest part
Concentrates, as a supplement, split into three feeds or more
The mineral feed and the salt lick
Feeds spread through the day, at the same times, forage before concentrates

Fig. 7.4Building a ration: forage first

Eight principles to follow

Forage first. It covers most of the horse’s needs and keeps it occupied: at least 1 to 1.5 kg of dry matter per 100 kg of body weight per day, or 5 to 7.5 kg for a 500 kg horse. It takes about 40 minutes to eat 1 kg of hay, and ten or so for 1 kg of cubes.
Hard feed as a top-up. Cereals and cubes are only there to cover what forage does not supply, according to the work the horse actually does.
Little and often. At least three hard feeds a day for a stabled horse, never one big meal. Guidelines vary between sources, from 1 to 2 g of starch per kg of body weight per meal at most.
Regular times. Feed at the same times every day, forage before hard feed.
Change gradually. Over several days for a hard feed, over several weeks for a new forage or turning out onto grass: the flora of the large intestine needs time to adapt.
Water always available, and salt. A horse drinks 20 to 60 litres a day depending on its ration, the heat and its work; a salt lick covers its sodium needs.
Balance minerals and vitamins. The calcium-to-phosphorus ratio should stay between 1.5 and 1.8; a mineral feed makes up whatever the ration lacks.
Wholesome feed. No mould, as little dust as possible, stored under cover. Eating from the ground helps the horse clear the dust it breathes in.

Building a ration, then adjusting it

Estimate the weightWith a weigh tape or on a weighbridge, and note the body condition (Galop 6).
Work out the needsMaintenance plus production, in UFC and MADC, from the reference tables.
Cover with forageCalculate what the available hay or grass supplies.
Top upAdd the hard feed that is still missing, split into several meals, then a mineral feed if needed.
Watch and correctKeep an eye on weight, body condition, energy and droppings, and adjust the ration every few weeks.

Safety

On a rest day, cut the hard feed: keeping a competition-day ration invites colic and the “tying-up” you met at Galop 6. Leave at least an hour between a hard feed and work, and wait until the horse has recovered before giving it its grain.

Remember

Plenty of forage, a little hard feed at a time, slow changes, water always.

Ekidemy

The Galops^®, from the first step to Galop 7