4,777 answers about horses & farm animals
Horses and farm animals run on routine — feeding schedules, hoof and health care, safe fencing and calm handling, in all weather. This page gathers the horse and farm animal library of KinsLe Answers in one place, organized by topic from daily care to travel and senior animals. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
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409 answers in Feeding & Nutrition — page 3 of 18
No, food made for other kinds of pets is not a safe feed for a Tennessee Walking Horse, even though one grabbed mouthful from a dog's bowl rarely causes lasting harm. Cat and dog foods are meat-based and far richer than a Walker's fibre-based digestion expects, while cattle and poultry rations may carry additives that…
No, a Shetland pony should not eat food made for other kinds of pets, and this small pony's size makes the wrong food a bigger problem than it would be for a large horse. Dog biscuits pressed on a cute pony by visitors, cat food raided from a feed room bowl, and goat or cattle feeds all carry sugar, fat or mineral…
No, it is not safe to feed a Quarter Horse food made for other kinds of pets as anything more than an accidental mouthful. Dog and cat foods are built around meat-based protein and fat levels a horse's fibre-driven gut handles badly, and feeds made for cattle or other livestock can contain additives that are suitable…
Store a Rhode Island Red's layer feed in a metal container with a tight-fitting lid, kept in a dry shed, garage or coop store rather than in the open run. Metal defeats rats and mice that chew through plastic and sacks, and a lid that sits firmly keeps out raccoons, wild birds and a curious dog. Buy quantities the…
Store a Quarter Horse's feed in a dedicated feed room or dry corner of the barn, in a rigid bin with a tight, latching lid that rodents and loose dogs cannot work open. Keep the feed inside its original bag within the bin so the label, ingredients and batch details stay with it, and set the bin on a pallet or shelf…
An adult Welsh pony usually needs two small meals a day at most, and many healthy Welsh ponies thrive on forage with only a balancer-style ration rather than a full hard feed. Welsh ponies are native, thrifty and quick to round out on spring grass, so the meals that matter most are weighed hay portions given morning…
An adult Thoroughbred usually needs its concentrate feed divided into three meals a day, because this breed's fast metabolism and modest stomach make two large feeds a poor fit. Constant access to good hay matters just as much, filling the hours between meals so a Thoroughbred, especially one retraining after racing,…
An adult Tennessee Walking Horse usually needs its hard feed split into two meals a day, morning and evening, with hay or pasture available in smaller, frequent portions around them. Walkers are generally moderate keepers, but a smooth-gaited horse in regular trail or show work burns enough to justify concentrate feed…
An adult Shetland pony usually does well on two small measured meals a day, with forage stretched between them so the pony is rarely standing with nothing to chew. Many Shetlands need no bucket feed at all beyond a balancer-style ration, because this hardy native breed gains weight on grazing that would barely…
An adult Quarter Horse usually needs forage available for most of the day, with any concentrated feed split into two small meals, morning and evening. A Quarter Horse in hard daily work may do better with a third small feed, but the size of each meal matters more than adding count, because large single buckets…
An adult Morgan usually needs forage available across the day, with concentrated feed limited to two small meals, and many Morgans in light work need only a token amount to carry minerals. Morgans are famously thrifty, developed to work hard on little, so the risk in the daily pattern is generosity rather than…
An adult Friesian usually needs forage spread through the day, with concentrated feed kept to two small meals or, for an easy-keeping horse in light work, a single token meal carrying a balancer. Friesians gain condition readily on rich rations, so the pattern is forage-led and bucket-light, with meal size watched as…
An adult Clydesdale usually needs forage available for most of the day, with concentrated feed split into two or three smaller meals rather than served as one huge bucket. The breed's sheer size means total intake is large, but the stomach still handles modest portions better than a single heavy load. A working…
An adult Arabian usually needs forage spread across the whole day, with concentrated feed, when used, divided into two small meals. Arabians are efficient, desert-bred horses that often run hotter and leaner on rich rations, so small and frequent suits both digestion and temperament better than one large bucket. Keep…
An adult Appaloosa usually needs forage available for most of the day, with any concentrated feed split into two small meals, morning and evening. Appaloosas are often good doers, so the bucket stays modest while hay or grazing does most of the work of filling the day. A horse in genuinely hard work may warrant a…
A young Rhode Island Red eats frequent small amounts of a growth ration, a laying adult eats a steady daily portion matched to egg production, and a senior hen often eats less overall but needs feed placed low, easy to reach and offered in smaller top-ups. Adjust by watching crop fill at roosting, body weight in the…
Blend a Rhode Island Red's new feed into the familiar feed a little at a time, starting with a light scattering through the old ration and raising the share over more than a week. Rhode Island Reds are confident eaters, but a sudden swap can still loosen droppings and dent laying, so keep water, grit and feeding…
Move a Quarter Horse onto a new diet by mixing a small handful of the new feed into the familiar ration and shifting the balance a little more every few days, keeping hay, water and feed times steady throughout. Quarter Horses can be suspicious of a changed smell or texture, so let the new feed borrow the old feed's…
A Welsh pony is usually getting too much when you cannot feel ribs without firm pressure, the neck crest feels thick and wobbly, and soft pads appear behind the shoulders and around the tail head. Welsh ponies are bred to thrive on sparse grazing, so even modest buckets and rich grass push condition on quickly. Weigh…
You are likely feeding a Thoroughbred too much when ribs that were easy to feel become padded, the neck and shoulder grow fleshy, and a groove starts to form along the back. Thoroughbreds often show extra condition first behind the shoulder and over the loins, so run flat hands there weekly rather than judging by the…
You are likely overfeeding a Tennessee Walking Horse if ribs become hard to feel, the neck and tailhead fill with soft fat, and the smooth running walk grows heavier while training time stays the same. Check condition by hand and weight tape monthly, because this breed's elegant outline can stay deceptively tidy while…
You are likely overfeeding a Shetland pony if you cannot feel ribs under the thick coat, a firm crest builds along the short neck, and fat pads appear behind the shoulder and around the tailhead. Shetlands evolved on sparse grazing and gain on remarkably little, so hands-on checks matter far more than how small the…
You are likely overfeeding a Quarter Horse if the breed's natural muscle starts to be padded by soft fat over the ribs and tailhead, the neck loses definition, and condition keeps rising between farrier visits on unchanged work. Do a hands-on rib check and use a weight tape rather than trusting the powerful…
You are likely overfeeding a Morgan horse if her compact, muscular frame starts to feel soft over the ribs, the neck crest thickens, and she gains on a ration another breed would merely maintain on. Morgans are classic easy keepers, so weigh her hay, check condition by hand weekly, and treat steady gain on light work…
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