Why roughage alone is not enough for horses

If you ask non-horse people: 'what does a horse eat?' then the chances are high that they will answer 'grass'. But that certainly does not apply to all of our horses! Especially not in a cold winter, or a dry summer. What is true, however, is that horses mainly eat roughage, from grass to hay. But unfortunately, roughage alone is not sufficient to keep your horse healthy.

Roughage is obviously the basis for a healthy horse. Horses depend on fibers for their digestion and energy supply. Cellulose, the building material of plant cell walls, is present in fibers. For humans, this stuff is indigestible, but horses derive their energy from it, with the help of fungi, bacteria, and yeasts that live in the large intestine. In English, scientists say that horses are 'hind-gut fermenters'. In other words: they digest the majority of their food with the hind part of their digestive system. This is in contrast to ruminants like cows, where most digestion occurs further forward, in the various stomachs.

Poor hay?

Therefore, we want fiber-rich and 'poor' hay for our horses. But sometimes it is too poor. How come? Horses tolerate hay with lots of fiber and low sugar content the best. The microorganisms in the large intestine thrive on it. Fibrous and woody plants also form the basis of the horse's diet in the wild. There, they eat grass, herbs, bushes, and branches. However, poor hay that we as horse owners obtain from, for example, natural areas or special horse pastures, is often also deficient in certain essential nutrients such as minerals and vitamins. This is due to the sometimes one-sided way of fertilization and soil depletion. Particularly hay from sandy soils often lacks minerals and trace elements. The amount of magnesium and calcium in Dutch and Belgian hay, for example, has decreased on average over the past decades. Not all the daily required minerals are found in roughage. And neither in fresh grass, by the way.

Vitamins?

As for the vitamins in hay, things are different. They degrade when you store hay for longer periods. Fresh grass contains enough vitamin C, A, and E for horses. However, when grass is dried and turned into hay, these vitamins are lost. After a few months of storage, hay contains little to no vitamins. Although your horse does store a small reserve of, for example, vitamin E in the liver, if it is not present in the roughage for months, you will need to supplement it. Because your horse needs vitamins daily. Therefore, if it is not on fresh grass, a vitamin deficiency is also likely.

Variable needs

Thus, the amount of vitamins and minerals a horse needs, in addition to roughage, depends on the roughage you provide and the number of hours per day your horse spends on fresh grass. Also important is what your horse does. The body of a sport horse uses more minerals and vitamins due to the work it performs and to keep its muscles in shape. When a horse sweats a lot, it loses minerals like sodium, chloride and potassium. A broodmare uses a lot of silicon, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium for the growth of the foal and - after giving birth - for milk production. A stressed horse needs more antioxidants such as vitamin C and more magnesium. Thus, it varies per horse.

Nutritional needs vary by breed

The breed of your horse also influences its nutritional needs. Hardy breeds are not named so for nothing. They do not require as much. But beware: this mainly concerns energy. Breeds like Shetlands, Icelandics, and draft horses are much more efficient with scarce food and develop various health problems if their feed contains too much sugar and starch. However, even 'hardy' breeds still need vitamins and minerals! Even if their energy needs are usually a bit lower than those of warmblood horses.

Meeting basic needs with balancer

Naturally, you can have a nutritionist calculate what additional nutrients your horse needs based on the hay it receives daily. For those who can feed a constant quality of hay from one batch, this is an excellent solution. However, if you have varying batches of hay or if your horse is partly on hay and partly on grass, this may be difficult in practice. That's where balancers come in handy. These are pellets (or cakes) that have not had too much sugar and starch added, and cover the daily basic requirement of vitamins and minerals. An easy way to ensure that your horse will not quickly become deficient in anything.

Need extras?

In addition, you can give a little extra to sport horses, breeding animals, and animals with a weak immune system. They may develop deficiencies in certain vitamins or minerals. For instance, vitamin E in a readily absorbable form (natural vitamin E) is often wise for sport horses, as well as magnesium in an organic compound (magnesium chelate). Stressed animals may also benefit from magnesium and from the antioxidant action of vitamin C, for example in a rosehip extract. Horses that sweat a lot can be given liquid electrolytes to replenish the deficits. And if you want to ensure that your horse also receives all the trace elements, you can add concentrated minerals from the Bering Sea to a bucket of water. Your horse can then choose whether to drink these minerals or not. Fortunately, most horses know what they need!