Across the board the topic of feeding horses is, at best, a controversial one. Fats, proteins, grains, no grains, sugars, no sugars, grass or legume hays ... one will hear different opinions from virtually every corner of the horse world.

In truth, the HORSE, himself, is the answer!

Horses are naturally created to eat FORAGES. Forage comes in many shapes, sizes, colors and all have specific nutrients fitting the particular family and species of plant. In the wild horses eat what forage is available and what is available is dependent upon the area, terrain and climate. For instance, horses living in the high desert plains will have scrub, some grasses, weeds, cacti, sagebrush for their pickings. Along the coast, such as the Lower Banks of the United States, seaweed, kelp, sea grasses, weeds, beach roses and such are available. Forest lands offer trees, shrubs, leaves and barks while meadows offer grasses, weeds, flowers and herbs. The 'ideal' diet for the horse is truly dependent upon the animal and its environment. Notice that there has been made no mention of 'grains' in the wild - there's only one reason for that and that's because grains are NOT readily available to the feral horse. The ferals eat down the vegetation before it can go to seed - the seed is the 'grain'. Yet, we continue to think that we must feed processed grain to our horses to keep them healthy.

Granted, feral horses are not asked to carry around humans on their backs performing in such sports as cutting, jumping, dressage, or other such activities. Therefore it is assumed that because our domestic horses are asked to perform in such manners that they NEED the specialized, processed, 'enhanced' grain in order to keep their bones, muscles and hooves healthy. They 'need' the enhanced, lush grass and legume hays free from other weeds and herbs that 'naturally' grow in fields and pastures. On the contrary, horses are just not created for consuming grains and enhanced one-type-only hay and pasture. Let's explore why ...

Every system in the horse is geared to function optimally with 'movement'. The natural horse will travel upwards of 20 - 30 miles a day, grazing, napping, galloping, playing ... always moving and rarely static. During their travels they will find hundreds of different grasses, weeds, barks and other forage upon which to graze and chew. If a horse becomes ill for some reason the 'natural' medicine is right out there in the wild in the form of weeds/herbs of some sort. Horses instinctively know what their bodies need i.e. a horse that needs more vitamin C will eat roses and hips or other vitamin C rich plants; A horse with sore hooves will seek out a weed that helps to improve circulation; A horse with liver dysfunction of some sort will eat Milk Thistle to help cleanse and strengthen the liver if its available. The two major keys here are movement (to find suitable food) and nutrients in the specific forages. Think on that for a moment and then think on our domestic horses stalled many hours during the 24/7 period of time. Think of the horses receiving just 2 meals a day of grain and a bit of grass hay.  In this particular light of knowing what the natural horse is designed to eat and amount of movement it seems that perhaps we really are not giving our 'best' to our equine partners, does it?

Something else to consider is HOW the feed is processed in the digestive system. The ideal length of forage that is swallowed is 1/4 - 1/2" in legnth. The chewing process will diminish any long grasses, hays, etc to this ideal length to then be further processed through the gut. Grains and processed pelleted or extruded feeds are processed and digested in the small intestine and in a matter of just minutes whereby grasses, hays and forages are digested in the hind gut over a long period of time. The cecum continually produces acids that will act upon the lining of the gut if there is no other substance going through i.e. forages. Feeding just a couple of small meals a day that are consumed quickly causes the gut to be empty of food for hours on end. The result of this over time causes frequent colics and ulcers. During cold winters, the act of digesting the forages (hay) helps to heat the horse from the inside out. If one finds a shivering horse the best solution is to feed hay and within 10 minutes the shivering should subside. If not then there is just cause to suspect illness or dis-ease.

The overall lifestyle of the natural horse also contributes to the overall utilization of nutrients from the diet.  A stressed horse will not be able to optimally utilize the nutrients he *is* getting as his system will be more tuned into fighting off the stressors. Stress comes in many forms: competition, solitary confinement (remember, horses are herd animals), training stressors, pain stressors etc. These all will overload the immune system, the 'life force' of the body and cause further weakening of the system overall. This weakening allows other dis-eases to then take hold - think arthritis, Cushings, laminitis, insulin resistance, general unthriftiness, contagions and more.

The horse NEEDS the natural nutrients, enzymes and glyconutrients found only in FRESH, vine-ripened veggies, herbs, fruits, nuts and seeds. A variation of 'salads' given regularly will also help to keep the pH of the gut in a 'natural' state which is created to be strong and healthy and vital!

The following is a list of just some of the ingredients to your horse's 'salad' that you can give:

Apples, Carrots, Leaf Lettuces, head lettuces, greens of all sorts, broccoli, chard, all sorts of fruits - strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, mango, papaya, peaches, oranges, bananas, melons, squashes, avocados, nuts (Brazil, Cashews, Walnuts but NO Black Walnut!, Peanuts, etc.),  seeds (particularly shelled, raw pumpkin seeds), flax, black oil sunflower seeds, beans, peas, sweet potatoes/yams (no white potatoes, tomatoes or eggplant as they are members of the Deadly Nightshade family and can cause issues.)  Feed skin, seeds and all (except for large pits from peaches, avodados, etc.) Herbs can include Echinacea leaves, Rose Hips, Fenugreek, Fennel - do some experimentation and see what your horse likes. He or she will let you know what is needed.

Something else that can be beneficial overall is allowing your horses access to chew on trees (non-toxic) or throwing some fresh branches of non-toxic trees into the paddocks for them to munch on. The inner bark of the White Willow tree acts as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic; the needles from the White pine help with wound healing and is an excellent source of Vitamin C; even Hemp is one of the earth's richest sources of protein and minerals as well as being an anthelmintic, calmative and digestive aid.

In scripture there is a verse, Genesis 1:29-30 that reads,

He, who created the Horse, the most noble of all animals, knew what He was doing! Giving a couple of handfuls of fresh salads daily will add much to your horse's diet and you may even find that your 'hard keepers' aren't really so hard to keep after all!

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