What the horses eat. Nutritional advice

Knowing what horses eat is no problem. But, although it may seem like it, it is not an easy task to feed your horse correctly since there are many factors that must be taken into account such as the local climate, weight, breed, age, health and Work that determine the type and amount of food that the horse needs.
Here are a number of nutritional tips that can help you solve certain doubts with your horse’s diet. Although the best thing is always to do a previous evaluation of the horse, analyze his condition and based on that determine a good diet for the horse.

1. The feeding of your horse can be divided into three categories: with pastures, with hay and with concentrates. However, it is important that all of the horses eat hay or pasture.
2. A medium-sized horse consumes 7 to 11 kg of feed per day. This amount may vary depending on the type, breed and the work you do with the horse. However, as a general rule, for every 50 kg ,the animal should be given 1 kg of food.
3. To feed your horse it is best to do it slowly and often, dividing it in at least 2 or 3 times a day. It is also advisable to keep a regular schedule and to have an hour between work and food.
   
4. They need a lot of drinking water and an adequate amount of water and salt. A horse in normal conditions usually drinks around 40 liters of water a day, although it can also vary depending on the time of year and the weather, hovering anywhere between 35 and 45 liters of water.
5. If the horse has been doing an intense activity it is not advisable to give him free access to the water. The best thing in this case is to control it and to take it little by little.
6. If given the opportunity, horses may overeat and impatiently, which can cause them problems. Ideally, always keep the weight controlled and adjust the amount of food as needed.
   
7. To know if your horse has the ideal weight, look at its appearance: the ribs must have a slight fat layer, but still feel them if they are touched, the base of the tail must have a smooth shape, also covered slightly with Fat and the neck should be firm, but except for stallions, without ridge.
8. If you have several horses, it is recommended to feed them in separate containers. Otherwise they could injure each other because each horse struggles to keep its place and it is possible that one of them is completely removed from the food, leading to poor nutrition. Make sure you can control what the horses are eating.

And if you see signs of dehydration or malnutrition, contact the emergency department for horses. These cases can always lead to complications if they are not treated in time.
In any case, and in case of doubt, it is best that you contact a veterinarian of horses and consult with him all your doubts, besides, evaluate it and formulate with him a good diet that suits your needs.