What Do Horses Need to Stimulate Their Appetites?

Horses rely heavily on forage such as grass and hay to maintain healthy weight and condition. A horse that is not interested in food can quickly become malnourished and lose weight. Good nutrition can come from a variety of sources, whether it is a field of green grass or free-choice top-quality hay. Spreading a horse's feeding periods throughout the day will keep your horse interested in his food; it's healthier for his digestion, too. If your horse is consistently disinterested in food, consult your veterinarian.

  1. Exercise

    • An active horse burns a lot of energy, and that will give him a voracious appetite. Increasing your horse's exercise regimen gradually will improve not only his appetite but his cardiovascular and muscular fitness as well. Begin by walking your horse for 20 minutes daily. Gradually increase the time and add short intervals of trotting. Keep in mind that 10- to 15-minute warm-up and cool-down periods are necessary to keep your horse's muscles flexible and prevent injury.

    Quality Feed

    • Choose good quality hay and feed to stimulate a horse's desire to eat. Look for hay that is fresh, green and sweet-smelling, and free of signs of mold or dust. If your horse needs additional calories, include a grain that is appropriate for his breed, age, size and exercise regimen. Access to fresh pasture grass is not only nutritious for your horse, it is also delicious and good for the horse's digestion. Introduce access to grass gradually to prevent laminitis.

    Brewer's Yeast

    • Brewer's yeast increases vitamin B1 in a horse's diet, which improves the digestibility of the food the horse consumes. It stimulates the horse's desire to eat by being very palatable. If your horse is a finicky eater and needs to ingest a larger quantity of food to gain weight, add brewer's yeast to the horse's daily diet for a healthy diet supplement that you can find in most grocery stores.

    Socialization

    • A horse that sees other horses eating will be encouraged to follow suit. Turning your horse out with a companion that is eating contentedly will improve your horse's appetite. If your horse spends much of his time in a stall, be sure that he can see another horse eating nearby so he will want to eat as well. Herd animals such as horses look to other equine companions for guidance and will emulate their behavior.