Horses are herbivores; they are adapted to eat exclusively plant stuff. More specifically, they do best eating grass from a good pasture. If that’s not available they can be given hay, which is basically dried grass. There are many types of hay, some with more fiber, some with more protein; choice depends on the horse’s needs. If the horse is very old, very active, or very skinny it may need a hard feed supplement to keep or increase weight; these supplements contain several grains, seeds, vegetable oils, and molasses that can be fine-tuned to suit each horse. They also need a good salt lick available at all times to provide salt and trace minerals.
Horses in a wild environment would eat a variety of feedstuffs – grasses, grains, fruits, flowers, leaves, legumes, and more – creating a balanced diet. For most domesticated horses, this is not the case. They are most likely fed the same thing day in and day out, making it especially important that all nutrients are provided to them in adequate quantities.
Show your horses some love
All horses, especially the domesticated ones need additional supplements because they do not get the essential quantity of feed like wild horses who freely roam around do. The horse supplements from Barastoc have the advantage of being pre-cooked which means no risk of fermentation. Select the right type for your horse. If it is just doing pleasure trails or light work, select something like Barastoc Calm Performer, which is higher in roughage, lower in energy, and has correctly balanced nutrients. The supplements consist of all the essential vitamins and minerals and make for the shiniest, healthiest coat and mane you’ll ever see.
Pay attention to the protein intake of your horse
Protein is predominantly the neglected nutrient in most of the horse supplements available in the market. With so much attention being paid to low-starch diets, horse owners are turning to fat to provide additional calories. Carbohydrates and fats are very important but not at the cost of proteins. If the protein intake is inadequate, one or more of these bodily tissues will suffer.
Since your horse’s priority is to stay alive, available amino acids will first be used to feed vital tissues. If there are any leftovers, fewer life-supporting tissues will be tended to – things like skin, hair, hooves, and eyes. Due to this the immune system of your beloved ride might also take a back seat, leading to a higher susceptibility to infections or the development of allergies. It is for these reasons that a horse’s diet should consist of protein not only in, adequate quantity but also in, adequate quality.
High-quality protein sources like the supplements from Barastoc consist of all the ten essential amino acids in proper proportion to one another. This supplement also works on old horses, keeps their weight in check, the coat shiny slowly releases energy, and lubricates the gut to decrease the chances of colic diseases. These work wonderfully on pregnant horses as well. They are a godsend for horses that face problems while chewing blades of grass and coarse grains. Feeding speedibeet to your horse is one of the best things you can do for the health of your beloved ride. When looking for healthy supplements to feed your horse, Barastoc is your one-stop destination. Visit their website for more information.