What does Floxely, the horse of our colleague Marjolijn, eat in terms of nutrition and supplements?

At HELTIE horse, we are all horse girls and each have our own horse. Talking about horses, horse health, and horse nutrition fits perfectly within our interests. We always discuss healthy food, natural food, grain-free, low in sugar, etc. But how do we apply this to our own horses? What do we feed them? In this section, Marjolijn will explain what she feeds her mare, Floxely.

Getting to know Floxely

You may have already seen Floxely in photos on social media and blogs. Floxely is an 11-year-old mare, a crossbreed of Friesian and Tinker. She stands at 1.67m tall and recently weighed over 770 kg. Floxely has been my horse since day 1, so she has been my companion for 11 years and I know her like the back of my hand. She's a true mare, so her nicknames are Milady and Tuthola. Floxely is always honest, caring, and has a great sense of humor.

When it comes to nutrition, Floxely is a bit picky. She knows exactly what she does and doesn't want. I can't feed her anything with chemicals, as she will literally walk away if given the chance. She used to be fed pre-dried hay, which caused her to have digestive issues, bloating, lack of energy, and worsening mok. She never looked and felt quite right. About 4/5 years ago, we switched her to unpackaged hay, which already made a difference, but it wasn't fully optimal due to limited feeding opportunities. Since March 2022, I moved Floxely to a fantastic place with unlimited unpackaged hay on a paddock paradise. After adjusting, she has lost weight, no longer has a bloated belly, and no longer has digestive issues. I am also getting her leg spots under control, but it's still a work in progress.

Hay, lots of Hay

Floxely is fed unlimited unpackaged hay in hay nets/slow feeders. The hay is sourced from abroad by the stable, as good hay is unfortunately scarce in the Netherlands. The hay is low in sugars, currently low in energy, and low in protein, making it perfect for unlimited feeding in a mixed herd setting. It's rich in herbs, stemmy, and the horses love it.

Many horse owners worry that unlimited feeding will make their horses overweight, but with Floxely, I notice the opposite. When I restrict her hay, she actually gains weight and bloats. With unlimited forage, she often naps or cuddles with other horses. This summer, she even lost weight significantly while being turned out on pasture. I say turned out because at our stable, horses that are allowed pasture can choose whether or not to graze. This summer, Floxely often opted to stay back and eat hay instead of grazing. This was unusual since grass was her life! Currently, in autumn, Floxely eagerly chooses grass again. We consider weather conditions, but if possible, the horses get to graze for a few hours year-round.

The majority of Floxely's diet consists of roughage, approximately 99.9%. This is her primary source of energy, and she is doing very well on it! When the grass is almost gone, I may need to consider protein levels since the hay is low in protein, but it's not an issue at the moment.

Limited concentrate feed and no balancer

This might surprise many horse owners, but Floxely only receives a small amount of concentrate feed (Equifit Pre-active) after she has worked, probably less than half a feed scoop. I don't measure this, I just use 2 handfuls. I work Flox about 4 times a week, sometimes more and sometimes a bit less. Currently, I feed Equifit Pre-Active. What I like about this feed is that the herbs change with the seasons and it contains extra vitamins and minerals. I do rotate between brands after each bag/two bags, as Floxely is quite picky and stops eating if she's had enough. I switch between brands, especially Agrobs, Marstall, and Equifyt, always low in sugar/starch and as grain-free as possible.

While I usually recommend a balancer for situations like this to meet the daily recommended intake of vitamins and minerals, I don't do it myself anymore. Even though Floxely is quite picky, she doesn't seem to need it, especially at this new location. I've tried various balancers, but she refuses to eat them and gives me a disapproving look. So, I rely on her other foods to provide her with what she needs and occasionally supplement with additional supplements.

A few supplements

Floxely receives minimal concentrate feed/pellets, but I do give her a daily mash. Currently, she gets Agrobs Alpengrun Mash, but I've also fed her Marstall's Bergwiesen Mash a few times. She gets about 150 grams of dry mash, which I use to mix her supplements. The mash doesn't guarantee that she'll eat her supplements; if I add something unnecessary, she won't touch it.

Currently, Floxely takes the following supplements:

• HELTIE horse Rosehip: she loves this in her food, but not in her water.
• HELTIE horse Nettle: she prefers this in her water, especially when her legs are affected by mok.
• Per Naturam Dandelion juice: to support her liver and digestion. The frequent moves and poor hay/pre-dried hay she had in past years made her benefit from this occasionally.
• Flower remedies: not Bach flower, but Dutch flower remedies. She responds well to purification, earth, and protection. I use these for moving/trauma processing, negative external influences, and supporting her mok.
• Vitamin C from Bonusan/Vitakruid: she gets a scoop of vitamin C daily. I've noticed her legs have slimmed down since adding extra vitamin C.

Only the vitamin C is a staple in her diet, while the rosehip, dandelion, and nettle are given more as treatments. During shedding seasons, I notice she likes to lick the black soil in the woods, so when I take her for a walk there, it's a regular occurrence. To support this natural behavior, I occasionally add HELTIE horse Minerals to her mash. We also have a mineral buffet at the stable (with nettle, minerals, Celtic sea salt, green clay), so Floxely can choose what she needs. She also enjoys peat drink occasionally.

Every horse has unique needs!

Floxely's diet is not a standard one where I can feed the same thing for years, or where she does well with a scoop of pellets daily. Each day, I assess and adjust what I give her, how much, or if she needs a break. My feed room is stocked with various supplements, and I determine each day what she needs.

So, while I always advise starting with a balancer as a base, this doesn't work for Floxely, so I trust her natural instincts.