Ration optimization

In 5 steps to the best ration for your horse

At Voermeesters, we know these questions all too well. Our advice: take it step by step to discover which ration best suits your horse. To help you, we’ve created a practical 5-step plan. This plan starts with your horse. What is your horse’s current condition and health, and what goals do you want to achieve? From there, you begin with the foundation of every good, natural, and healthy ration: forage. Only afterwards do you determine, based on your horse’s condition and the work you expect of him, which complementary feeds are the best fit. This way, you ensure your horse receives all the essential nutrients he needs for his specific situation.

Need help while working through the 5-step plan, or would you like us to check your horse’s ration? We’re here for you! Feel free to ask our nutrition specialists for a personal feeding advice tailored to your horse.

Step 1: Asses your horse's condition

Is your horse at an ideal weight, or do you feel he may be too thin—or perhaps too heavy? The way your horse looks says a lot about the ration he is currently receiving. That’s why the first step is to take a critical look at your horse’s body condition. The ribs provide a useful guideline: you should be able to feel them easily when placing your hand on your horse’s side, but they should not be visibly sticking out. Common areas where horses store excess fat include both sides of the tailhead and along the crest of the neck.

If you find it difficult to determine whether your horse is in healthy body condition, you can use the Henneke Body Condition Score. This method scores fat cover at six specific places on the horse’s body, ranging from 1 (very underweight) to 9 (obese). If your horse is too thin, he needs more nutrition. If he is too heavy, he may be receiving too much feed or not enough exercise. In addition to the Body Condition Score, always consider the overall picture your horse presents. A healthy horse with good well-being has a shiny coat, calm behavior, and shows interest in you and his surroundings. If you notice that one or more of these elements is missing, it’s important to take that seriously in your feeding and management plan.

Step 2: What do you ask of your horse?

Think about your horse’s purpose and daily use. Do you train your horse (almost) every day and expect him to perform at competitions? Do you go for a leisurely ride once a week, or is your horse mainly kept as a companion in the pasture? This determines whether your horse needs additional feed on top of a basic ration (maintenance ration). Horse owners often overestimate how hard their horse is really working. Age also plays an important role. Growth, pregnancy, and lactation all require extra energy. That’s why foals and young horses have different, and often higher nutritional needs, just like broodmares and senior horses.

Step 3: check what's in your forage

Your horse is a herbivore. His digestive system is designed to break down and make optimal use of nutrients from grass, hay, or silage. That makes forage the most natural and healthiest form of nutrition for your horse. The first step in creating the best possible ration is to determine the amounts of protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals in your forage. That’s why it’s important to have your forage analyzed by a feed laboratory. Sounds complicated? It really isn’t. Forage testing is becoming increasingly common, and essential in horse management.At Voermeesters, you can easily request a Forage Analysis. The results show the nutritional values of your forage and help you understand which nutrients your horse is already getting enough of, and which are lacking. Any deficiencies can then be supplemented with a suitable cube, muesli, or supplement.After completing the Forage Analysis, Voermeesters will contact you with the results, and one of our feed specialists can provide tailored advice to help you create the right ration for your horse.

Step 4: know the different types of horse feed

Once you know which nutrients your horse is already getting from forage, you can choose a complementary concentrate feed to balance any deficiencies. This ensures your horse’s maintenance needs are met, while also covering any additional requirements for work, growth, pregnancy, or lactation. For every purpose and nutritional requirement, there is a specific type of feed. Still, with so many options available, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to make the right choice. Understanding the main types of horse feed makes this process much easier. At Voermeesters, we divide them into a few key categories. Which type of feed you ultimately choose depends on your horse’s needs and your personal preference.

• Pellets or Muesli
  Pellets are made by grinding the raw ingredients and pressing them into small, uniform pieces. Muesli, on the other hand, consists of visible raw ingredients mixed together. Both pellets and muesli are excellent choices if you want to supply your horse with vitamins and minerals along with more or less protein and energy. It’s important to note that both forms can have the same low or high protein and energy levels. Because of the production process, muesli is generally slightly more expensive than pellets. The choice often comes down to personal preference or budget.

• Mash
  A special type of concentrate is mash, a soaked and softer variant of pellets or muesli. Some mashes are designed as a healthy daily addition, while others target specific needs for example, mash for senior horses or mash enriched with psyllium husk.
  
  
• Balancers
  Balancers are concentrated pellets that supplement only vitamins and minerals. They are ideal if your horse is already receiving enough energy and protein from forage but still needs a complete balance of nutrients.
   
• Individual supplements
  Herbs, vitamin mixes, magnesium, or linseed oil are examples of individual supplements that can be added to your horse’s ration if needed. However, it’s important to ensure your horse truly requires them. Unnecessary supplementation can disturb the balance of minerals and trace elements. In other words, supplements are not a replacement for a well-balanced ration—but they can be a valuable addition when used correctly. Keep in mind that some pellet and muesli feeds already contain added supplements, such as extra linseed oil.
  
  

Step 5: check your ration with our Voermeesters specialists

Do you feel your horse’s current ration is already on the right track? Would you like to make some adjustments based on the 5-step plan? Or do you think your horse might need something different, but you’re not sure how to achieve it? Then let our feed specialists check your horse’s ration free of charge. They know better than anyone how important a healthy ration is for your horse’s well-being and how reassuring it is for you to receive the right advice. After a ration check, you’ll know for certain that you’re giving your horse the very best, tailored to your unique situation.

Our nutrition specialists want to know all about your horse to give you the best possible advice. To do this, you can fill in the feeding advice form, with the steps above serving as a perfect guide. Would you prefer support right from step 1? Of course—that’s exactly what we’re here for, for both you and your horse.