Feeding The Fussy Horse.

At some point, most horse owners will experience dealing with a fussy horse or pony. Whilst some horses are pickier, some may be more selective about when they ‘go off’ their feed for example, at the start of the competition season.

Providing that there are no obvious health issues such as sharp teeth, gastric ulcers, anxiety or colic signs there are several management changes that you can experiment with to try and overcome this fussy feeding behaviour.

How to tackle fussy behaviour:

Step 2:

HARD FEED - Once the forage intake has been addressed and there is a requirement for a concentrate feed to be fed again there are several ideas that you can try to stimulate appetite.

• Does your horse prefer a mix or cube?
• Are you adding chaff? Is he sorting through the chaff and leaving it behind or only eating the chaff?
• Try feeding small quantities of feed throughout the day – large meals can over face some horses
• Is your horse fussier in the morning or evening? Some horses do not eat well in the morning in anticipation of being turned out. In this case, try changing the morning feed for perhaps a meal at lunchtime.

Grazing is a great appetite stimulant and some ‘Dr Green’ can be a great way of getting your horse's eating habits back on track. If you can’t turn your horse out, taking them for a regular hand graze or picking grass and hedgerow herbage to feed in the stable can also help to add enrichment to your horse’s routine.

Step 3:

DIGESTIVE AIDS – If your horse is suffering from digestive issues and is feeling uncomfortable, this may explain why they are fussy with their feeds, particularly if fussiness is a new trait.

EquiShure™ can effectively maintain the pH of the hindgut allowing for optimal digestion of nutrients in forage, creating an environment in which dietary energy can be absorbed efficiently and increase appetite in picky eaters.

What about situational fussiness?

If your horse does not eat well when he is away at shows, try some of the following tips:

• Frequent episodes of in-hand grazing.
• Offering small but frequent meals of alfalfa can help to soothe an acidic digestive system.
• Feed a balancer; this will ensure intake of quality protein, vitamins & minerals and keeps meal sizes smaller.
• Add molasses to sweeten a feed, or spices such as cinnamon, which aid in palatability.
• Try feeding feeds dry or soaked as this can be enough to make a difference.

Highly Palatable Feeds Ideal to Tempt Fussy Feeders

• RE-LEVE®-MIX is a high-performance mix designed for horses that react to a cereal based diet. A blackcurrant flavour is added to Re-Leve®-Mix optimise palatability and aroma to make the ration tempting to even the fussiest of horses.
• COMPETITION-FIT BALANCER is the most technically advanced feed balancer of its kind. Competition-Fit Balancer contains added mint to enhance the palatability of the ration, and the low feeding rates make it ideal for fussy feeders.
• SHAPE-UP™ is a low starch, high fibre mix designed to provide a balanced diet at low intake levels and to help maintain a normal, healthy metabolism and can be used as a calorie-controlled ration for those prone to laminitis, Equine Metabolic Syndrome or Cushing's. Cinnamon is added as it is a very powerful antioxidant and also helps to make Shape-Up extremely palatable.
• SUPER FIBRE CUBES are a great way to increase the fibre content of any horse’s ration. They can be fed as the sole concentrate feed, or as an addition to the fibre element of the ration, for example in a treat ball or scattered through hay. They can also be easily soaked to form a mash for horses and ponies that have difficulty chewing. The cubes are whole cereal grain free and are low in starch and sugar.
• CONDITION-IMPROVER MIX is a calorie dense mix designed to maintain optimum topline, condition and shine. An encapsulated coconut flavour is added to entice fussy feeders and encourage the horse to complete their rations.