Horse IQ

Horses have a natural instinct to eat. So if your horse won’t, you should do a little investigation to find out why. If your veterinarian has ruled out the possibility of ill health or bad teeth, what do you do? Well, before you write him off as a finicky eater, check for these circumstances that might be affecting his poor eating habits.

• He’s stressed - Sony, one of the show horses at our barn usually eats with no coaxing at all…until he gets to the show site. Then he’s too distracted to do much of anything, including eating. Are there a lot of distractions going on at your barn during feeding time? If so, that could be the reason for your horse’s reluctance to eat. Try changing the feeding schedule to a time when there isn’t quite so much going on.
• He’s indifferent – or even bored with the horse feed you’ve been giving him. Plain old pelleted grain may not be enough to encourage him to eat. Try adding something interesting like some sweet feed or oats. You might even want to try dress up his meal with some molasses, or even applesauce to encourage him.
• He’s lonely – if his buddies have finished their meals and have already been turned out, that could be the reason. Horses are social creatures – that’s why they travel in herds in the wild. I’ve known some younger horses who would rather play than eat. You may want to delay turnout until all the horses in your barn have finished eating.

It is rare for a horse to turn down a meal. So if your horse won’t eat, it may not be his appetite. Play it safe. Have a vet check him out to make sure he hasn’t come down with an illness you can’t recognize. But once you’ve ruled out disease, try changing the environment and circumstances in which he eats. The solution to this horse nutrition problem might be just that simple.

Yours for Better Horse Health,

Sierra Lynch

Tags: Horse Nutrition

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