Revised:  02/04/2008

	Nutrition FAQs

		Farm Safety			Nutrition
		General			Pasture Management
		How-To Tips			Stable Management
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Nutrition subjects included in these FAQs:

• FS 038 - The Basics of Equine Nutrition
• FS 062 - Odd Things that Horses Eat
• FS 073 - Forage Substitutes for Horses
• FS 714 - Analysis of Feeds and Forages for Horses
• FS 752 - Performance Horse Nutrition and Notes on Conditioning
• FS 759 - Care for the Older Horse: Diet and Health
• FS 799 - Maintenance of the “Easy Keeper” Horse
• FS 894 - Diagnosis of Nutritional Problems in Horses
• FS 895 - Feeding the Rapidly Growing Foal
• FS 934 - Feeding Horses for Competition: From Racing to Dressage
• FS 1064 - Nutrient Management on Livestock Farms: Tips for Feeding
• FS 1065 - Antioxidants and Your Horse

The Basics of Equine Nutrition fs 038

• Why are small grain meals recommended for horses?

• Why are high fat diets hard for horses to digest?

• How much water does a horse drink per day?

• What are the signs of dehydration?

• What are the signs of protein deficiency?

• When would a horse need a vitamin supplement?

• From what sources do horses normally get their vitamins?

• When would a horse need a mineral supplement?

• How do I evaluate hay quality?

• What are some good grains in horse feeds?

• What are some good protein supplements for horses?

• What are some good fat supplements for horses?
  
   

Odd Things that Horses Eat fs 062

• What weeds or plants might a horse on pasture eat that are not a health threat?

• What plants pose a problem if eaten in large quantities?

• What plants or trees are NOT safe to have around my barn or pasture, because they may be lethal to my horse?

• What are some good treats for my horse?

• What treats are acceptable in very small amounts?

• What treats or feeds will cause a positive drug test in my horse?

Forage Substitutes for Horses fs 073

• I cannot find good hay. Should I be concerned about feeding little or no forage to my horses?

• What is a “complete feed”?

• What are hay cubes, and when should I use them?

• How do I reduce the chance of choke in my horse?

• Can my horse eat straw?

• When or why should I feed beet pulp?

• When or why should I feed wheat bran? Can I feed wheat bran daily?

• What is rice bran? Can it be fed as a forage substitute?

• Can I feed lawn clippings to my horse?
  
  

Analysis of Feeds and Forages for Horses fs 714

• Should I get my feed analyzed?

• How do I take a hay/dry forage sample?

• How do I take a grain sample?

• How do I take a pasture sample?

• Where can I find a lab to analyze my feed?

• What type of analysis should I have done on my feed? What nutrients can I have analyzed in my feed?

• How can I dry a sample before sending it for analysis?

• How do I determine the amount of moisture in a hay sample?

• Where can I get a hay/forage core sampler?
  
  

Performance Horse Nutrition and Notes on Conditioning fs 752

• What nutrients does my performance horse need more of?

• When should I increase the energy content of my horse’s ration?

• What are good energy sources?

• What are my working horse’s electrolyte needs?

• What are my horse’s water needs?

• What vitamins should I feed?

• How do I tell if my horse is fit?

• Where can I find an inexpensive electrolyte mix? Can I make my own?

• What diet should I feed my show/endurance/distance horse?

• What supplements should I feed?
   

  

Care for the Older Horse: Diet and Health fs 759

• When does my old horse require special care?

• My old horse is lying down and can’t get up. How do I help him?

• My old horse is losing weight. What do I do?

• My horse has bad teeth. What can I feed him?

• My horse has been diagnosed with Cushing’s disease (pituitary/thyroid condition). What do I do?

• How do I feed my horse with kidney or liver failure?

• What are common problems associated with age?

• When should I feed a senior diet?
   

  

Maintenance of the “Easy Keeper” Horse fs 799

• How do I tell if my horse is too fat?

• My horse is overweight. Is that a problem?

• What do I do to take weight off my horse safely?
   

  

Diagnosis of Nutritional Problems in Horses fs 894

• My horse is not doing well and I think it might be his feed. How do I evaluate his diet?

• What do I do if I suspect feed toxicity?

• My horse is losing weight. What might be the cause?

• My horse has been diagnosed with anemia. What causes this?

• What causes DOD (developmental orthopedic disease/osteochondrosis/osteochondritis/contracted tendons/leg deformation)?

• What causes tying up/rhabdomyolysis?

• My horse colics frequently. What could be causing this?

• What causes laminitis/founder?

• What nutritional problems can be diagnosed from a blood sample?
  
  

Feeding the Rapidly Growing Foal fs 895

• What causes developmental orthopedic disease (DOD)?

• What is an acceptable range of minerals in my foal/young horse’s ration?

• How should I feed my nursing foal?

• How should I feed my weanling?

• My foal/weanling/yearling has developed epiphysitis (or contracted tendons or angular deformation). What do I do?

• How should I feed my yearling?
  
  

Feeding Horses for Competitions: From Racing to Dressage fs 934

• How do I feed my horse before the event?
  (Racehorses/speed horses) (Dressage/show horses)

• How do I feed my horse on the day of the event?
  (Racehorses/speed horses) (Dressage/show horses)

• When should I feed grain to my horse?
  (Racehorses/speed horses) (Dressage/show horses)

• Should I feed my horse electrolytes?
  (Racehorses/speed horses) (Dressage/show horses)

• How do I feed my horse after the event?
  (Racehorses/speed horses) (Dressage/show horses)

• Should I feed my horse bicarbonates?
  (Racehorses/speed horses) (Dressage/show horses)

• Should feeding change if the weather is hot and humid?

• My horse has been in pasture and I’m taking him to a multi-day show. How should I feed him before and during the competition?

• What supplements can I feed my horse?
   

  

Nutrient Management on Livestock Farms: Tips for Feeding fs 1064

• What are nutrient inputs and outputs and what do they mean for my farm?

• How does feeding a balanced diet optimize nutrient use on my farm?

• Why is water important for livestock?

• How can a diet be managed to reduce nitrogen loss?

• Why is overfeeding phosphorus bad for the environment?

• How much phosphorus do horses need?

• What are the phosphorus concerns for other livestock?

• Why do I want to cut feed wastage?

• What can I do to promote lower risk of disease on my farm?

• How can I monitor feed quality on my farm?

• What can I do to monitor feed variability on my farm?

• Why is feed processing helpful to animals?

• What by-products are used to feed animals?

• What feed additives are used in feeding animals?
  
  

Antioxidants and Your Horse fs 1065

• What is oxidation and how does it pertain to horses?

• What are ROS and do they differ from free radicals?

• Are these free radicals or ROS beneficial or detrimental to my horse?

• How does the body get rid of damaging ROS?

• How does Vitamin E protect cells?

• Is Vitamin E essential in my horse's diet?

• Where can sources of vitamin E be found?

• Is vitamin E toxic to horses?

• How does vitamin C protect the body?

• When is vitamin C needed?

• When is selenium used as an antioxidant?

• What are good sources of selenium?

• How much selenium is needed and when is it toxic?

• What is glutathione?

• How do antioxidant enzymes work?

• What does oxidative stress mean for my horse?