Processed Horse Feeds: A Balance of Pros and Cons

Human nutritionists encourage eating whole foods and avoiding processed ones. Does the same logic apply to our horses?
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Processed Horse Feeds: A Balance of Pros and Cons
It's important to fully understand why and how feeds are processed when thinking about equine feed. | Photo: The Horse Staff
Q: I understand that commercially produced feeds are formulated to ensure that, when fed properly, a horse’s nutrient requirements are met, but I’m concerned about feeding my horse processed foods. Aren’t processed foods bad?

A: This is a concern that I hear fairly frequently. We hear a lot regarding processed foods and human nutrition and the fact that they’re not the best choice. I think it’s important to fully understand why and how feeds are processed when thinking about equine feed.

Wait. Hay is Processed Feed?

Equine feed processing takes many forms. For example, we don’t often think about it this way, but hay is processed grass: Farmers cut, dry, and then bale it. These are all processing steps that allow forage suppliers to store and sell hay in other geographic locations or when horses don’t have pasture access.

This hay might be further chopped and then turned into hay pellet, a process that involves heat in the form of steam and the application of pressure to form the pellets. All this processing increases the cost of the product; however, it makes the hay more digestible because the relative surface area of the hay has been increased by chopping it more finely to make pellets. The resulting product requires less chewing to eat, which is beneficial for horses with poor teeth, but might be a less beneficial choice for horses with good teeth, because chewing results in stomach-acid-buffering saliva

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

Written by:

Clair Thunes, PhD, is an equine nutritionist who owns Clarity Equine Nutrition, based in Gilbert, Arizona. She works as a consultant with owners/trainers and veterinarians across the United States and globally to take the guesswork out of feeding horses and provides services to select companies. As a nutritionist she works with all equids, from WEG competitors to Miniature donkeys and everything in between. Born in England, she earned her undergraduate degree at Edinburgh University, in Scotland, and her master’s and doctorate in nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Growing up, she competed in a wide array of disciplines and was an active member of the U.K. Pony Club. Today, she serves as the district commissioner for the Salt River Pony Club.

One Response

  1. My concern with using processed horse feeds, and I’m speaking of grains and not hay, is all the sprays that are used on them including Roundup and the fact that there are mostly GMO. My off the track thoroughbred mare had a constant problem with ulcers. I took her off all grains and put her on organic alfalfa pellets, cool stance which is a coconut product plus California brand vitamin and trace mineral supplements. After being on this new diet for three months she showed no more signs of ulcer discomfort. She’s been on this regimen now for three years and looks absolutely fabulous and is never sick!

Leave a Reply

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
288 votes · 288 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!