Changing feeds

A frequent problem that comes up when people go about changing their horse's diet is pickiness on the part of the horse.

Typically the horse has been used to getting a feed which is mollassed, to a greater or lesser extent, and which therefore smells very appetising.

When an owner changes to a healthier type of hard feed the sugar levels drop and the horse, not surprisingly, may turn his nose up at the bucket of health food, much as I would dislike a cup of tea without sugar in :-)

Another factor can be the unfamiliarity of the new feed - some horses, like some toddlers, don't trust novelty at mealtimes and need to be offered a new feed a number of times before they will accept it. With horses who come in for rehab, we sometimes offer their feeds for 2 or 3 days before they will clean up, even though they will eat haylage immediately.

So if you make changes to your horse's diet, don't be surprised if it takes a while before they accept them - be patient and persistent :-)