Horses thrive best on small but frequent feeds. Ad lib forage is an excellent feeding regime for most horses and ponies who spend a long time in the stable. For animals at risk from laminitis, it is best to check with your Vet for the most appropriate feeding regime. Equilage is high in digestible fibre, so can lessen the likelihood of starch overload. For horses where weight gain is required, can also benefit from high digestible fibre to provide extra energy. Ensure that the forage intake is at least 50%, by weight of the total daily feed intake. For horses and ponies at rest or in light work, the forage intake could be as high as 80-100%. For horses in hard work, use forage which provides the most digestible source of energy, such as Equilage, sugar beet and alfalfa. Ensure that vitamin and mineral requirements are met and always change a horse’s diet gradually.

If you are changing from hay to Equilage, do so over a period of at least seven days, to allow the flora in the hind gut to adjust. Ensure clean, fresh drinking water is always available. A horse’s daily intake of feed, as a percentage of its bodyweight can vary from 1.5% to 3% depending on the type of horse, his condition and workload.