Am I feeding the right type of concentrate for my horses’ lifestage and lifestyle?

Horses in different stages of life and with different levels of activity will have different nutrient and caloric requirements. Choosing a feed to fit your horses’ lifestage and lifestyle will help to ensure that those requirements are being met.

Source: Purina Mills Equine Specialist

Is the forage high quality and available in sufficient quantities?

It is not uncommon to find that hay and pasture that appear to be of good quality are actually poorly digestible or low in certain nutrients.  By having your hay and pasture grass tested you can assess the nutrient content and digestibility of your forage source.  Additionally, most people feed hay by the flake and do not weigh it.  There is a lot of variability in the weight of a flake of hay that can be dependent on hay type and the way it was baled.  Weighing hay is a good way of determining that you are feeding enough.  While it is not possible to weigh the grass your horse is taking in while grazing, careful inspection of pastures to ensure that there is an adequate quantity of edible grass present is a good idea.

Source: Purina Mills Equine Specialist

Is my horse properly taking in, chewing and swallowing both forage and feed?

By observing your horse while eating hay, grass and feed, you may find that while he is taking in food he may not be actually chewing and/or swallowing it – this is especially common in older horses with poor dentition that may be quidding forages or dropping feed.  The horse appears to be eating well, but in actuality the forage or feed is actually balling up in the cheeks and then being spit out by the horse.

Source: Purina Mills Equine Specialist