FEEDING GUIDELINES
The bulk of a horse’s diet should be forage (pasture grass and good quality hay). Generally, a healthy horse requires 1.5 – 3% of his ideal body weight per day depending on energy requirements. The starting point for a 1,000-pound horse is at least 15 pounds of hay per day.
Grains like GENESIS should be used as a supplement to fill in the nutritional gap, the amount will vary greatly depending on the horses activity level, age and condition. It is best to feed horses only small amounts of grains in frequent feedings – this will provide for optimal equine digestion. IT IS BEST TO HAVE FORAGE AVAILABLE WHEN FEEDING GRAIN. *Please see instructions below for feeding geriatric horses with loose and/or broken teeth or excessively worn teeth.
The following shows the percentage of GENESIS needed in the total ration for horses based on various levels of activity. This is based on a 1,000 lb horse getting 1.5% of horses weight or 15 lbs. of hay per day.
These percentages are based on the horse’s total diet by weight and are only a guideline based on feeding GENESIS Whole Food, Organic Nutrition, not on conventional, processed feeds:
Low: up to 10% Moderate: 15%+ Strenuous: 25%+ Elite: 35%+
For example based on a 1,000 lb horse: for Low Activity Level feed approximately 1-1/2 lb. per day of GENESIS; For Medium Activity feed approximately 2-1/4 lbs. per day of GENESIS; For Strenuous Activity feed approximately 4 lbs. per day of GENESIS; and for Elite Athletes feed approximately 5.25 lbs. per day of GENESIS.
Low Activity: Horses who are not ridden at all or ridden lightly once or twice a week
Moderate Activity: Horses ridden two or more times a week in preparation for active trail riding or as light training for local competition
Strenuous Activity: Horses ridden almost daily in a structured training program with athletic goals. This group includes reining horses, jumpers and horses being conditioned for racing:
Elite Athletes: These rare horses train and perform at the limits of their physical capabilities. Racehorses and endurance horses fall into this category.
Adjust accordingly based on condition, breed and activity level. For instance, weanlings, pregnant and lactating mares will generally require more grain.
Please weight your grain, a scoop of conventional feed weighs less then a scoop of GENESIS.
*For geriatric horses with loose and/or broken teeth, or excessively worn teeth GENESIS may be soaked for easier digestibility.
