Understanding Pelleted Horse Feeds

Feeding horses can be complicated because of the many different types of feed that are available, and also the fact that different horses can have widely varying nutritional needs.

Heavy Performance Horses

If you have a horse that is being used heavily in performance, it probably has the highest requirement for good quality feed. If an active horse’s nutritional requirements are not met, they will be unable to do their job and run the risk of losing weight and muscle.

Pregnant Horses and Nursing Mares

The nutritional requirements of pregnant and nursing mares are also high, and meeting a mare’s nutritional needs will help to ensure her foal is born strong and healthy. The foal will also need adequate nutrition once weaned and for at least the first three years while still growing. If your horse is not being used except for an occasional trail ride, it will have the lowest nutritional requirements of all.

Using Pellets

There are several advantages to using horse pellets no matter what your horse’s needs. Probably most important advantage is the ability of feed pellets to ensure that you are feeding your horse a balanced diet.

When widespread drought conditions make it difficult to purchase hay at a reasonable price, you are likely to find that high-quality horse pellets offer an easy solution to your feed problems. In addition to being convenient, easy to handle and readily available, there is no problem with horses wasting their feed. Records show feeding horse pellets costs 10 percent less than feeding horses hay combined with additional grain and supplements.

If you have a horse that has developed heaves or other respiratory problems from eating dusty hay, high-quality pellets can help to alleviate these health issues. You will not need to deal with soaking beet pulp or wetting down hay for your horse, and it should stay in good condition with approximately 15 pounds of pelleted feed per day.

Thorough-bread Complete pellets from Sacate Pellet Mills are formulated with sun-cured alfalfa hay, cracked corn, molasses and the proper blend of vitamins, minerals and nutrients to meet your horse’s needs.