Instructions
See the vet. Before you do anything, have your veterinarian give your horse an examination. This will rule out any medical problems, such as dental problems, parasites or colic, that keep your horse from eating his daily rations. When you are sure that your horse is in good condition and is just being picky about his food, you can continue.
Buy and store fresh feed. Most feed stores only supply fresh feed to horse owners, but there is always an unscrupulous supplier who has old feed on hand. Make sure you are buying only top quality, good feed for your horse. Store it properly. Take the feed out of the bag and put it into an aluminum trash cash. Put a lid on the can and close it tightly. Do not allow the feed to become wet or come in contact with rodents, birds or other animals. If your feed becomes clumpy, smells rancid or looks moldy, discard it immediately.
Clean the feed buckets. Surprisingly, many horse owners will clean the water buckets but neglect to clean the feed buckets. Your buckets should be inspected daily. Give the buckets a look-over prior to dumping in the day's rations. Once a week, take the buckets out of your horse's stall and wash them out. If necessary, clean with gentle soap, using a scrub brush. Allow the buckets to air dry in the sun before hanging them back in the stall.
Add protein. Sometimes you need to add more protein in order to awaken your horse's appetite. Speak with your veterinarian if you think that your horse is protein deficient. The vet will probably recommend that you use a grain feed that contains more protein and quite possibly reduce any supplements and fats you are adding. In this case, the supplements and fats rob your horse's body of what little protein he does have.
Take the salt out of the feed. Some horse owners put a horse's salt supplement directly in the horse's feed bucket, adding it to the daily rations. Offer a salt block separately, either by hanging it in the stall or out in the pasture. Adding salt directly to your horse's feed can cause him to completely go off his rations.
Give medications separately. Well-intentioned horse owners often mix medications into their horse's daily rations, which is never a good idea. The medications make the feed taste different and do not mask the medicine at all. Instead of your horse happily munching up his medication along with the food, the horse is more likely to turn up his nose at the bucket and refuse to eat. Always give medications separately and without involving the horse's food.
How to Feed a Picky Horse
Feeding a picky horse is not always easy but can be done. When managing your horse's dietary needs, many things should be taken into consideration, such as age and the type of work your horse performs. Breeding stock have their own set of dietary guidelines, as do young foals. But for owners of picky horses, setting up the ideal environment, so that your horse wants to eat, is the situation you are striving for. If you provide proper nutrition in the right way, your horse will be more willing to eat his food.