Instructions
Consult a daily horse nutrient requirement table to find the digestible energy, crude protein, calcium and phosphorus requirements for the age, size and activity of the horse. Active, growing, pregnant and lactating horses require more energy than idle horses. Young, growing horses and pregnant and lactating mares require more dietary protein than adult horses.
Identify the calcium and phosphorus ratio required for the horse. Calcium and phosphorus are involved in bone growth and maintenance, and the requirement for calcium and phosphorus is approximately a one-to-one ratio.
Determine the vitamin A dietary requirements. Note that leafy green forage and hay provide a significant amount of vitamin A.
Weigh the current feed given to the horse. Consult a feed composition table to determine the amount of digestible energy, crude protein, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin A in each feed in the diet. To find the exact nutrient level in a feed, submit a feed sample to a testing laboratory for analysis.
Multiply the nutrient content by the percentage of the feed in the diet if there are two are more feeds. For example, if the horse's diet consists of 30 percent oats and 70 percent alfalfa hay, multiply the crude protein content of the oats by 30 percent and multiply the crude protein content of the hay by 70 percent. Add the two resulting numbers.
Compare the requirement of the horse with the nutrient content of the feed. If the feed does not meet the nutrient requirement of the horse, a supplement may be required.
Add soybean oil meal to the ration to increase the amount of crude protein. Linseed, sunflower and canola oil meals also are used as protein supplements for horses. Cottonseed oil meal may serve as a supplement for adult horses.
Increase or add cereal grains to the diet to raise the energy level. Common grains for horse rations include oats, barley, corn and wheat.
Add ground limestone to increase the calcium level and add monosodium phosphate to increase the phosphorus level of the ration. Alfalfa and other hays contain higher levels of calcium while cereal grains contain higher levels of phosphorus. An adjustment in the ratio of hays to grains may provide sufficient calcium and phosphorus to the horse.
Contact a local veterinarian or university extension specialist to find deficient nutrients in local feeds. Horses consuming forage or hays grown in mineral-deficient soils may require supplements for the missing nutrient.
How To Formulate a Horse Nutrition Supplement
Horse supplements provide nutrients that are missing in the diet. Horses require five types of nutrients daily: protein, energy, minerals, vitamins and water. The nutrient requirement depends on the type, age and activity of the horse. In a horse, digestion occurs primarily in the stomach and the cecum, a large pouch where roughage (high fiber) feeds are broken down by bacterial action. The basic diet for a horse consists of forage and hays. Supplements are formulated to provide nutrients deficient in the ration.