Your horse is literally what he eats. Everyone is looking at the microbiome of the horse and there is talk that what your horse eats can affect his behavior, his performance in his sport, and how he interacts with other horse’s and his owner. Feed labels are important and you really need to read them!
Here are some helpful tips on reading feed labels:
Any Aluminum in the feed should be avoided. Aluminum can come under the name Zeolite, HSCAS, or Aluminosilicate. If you are not sure what is on the feed label, google the ingredient and see what it is. Aluminum has been seen to increase inflammation and decrease mucosal healing.
Soy in the feed is an estrogen source. You do not want to feed your mare estrogen. Wheat Middlings are just a filler and of no true nutritional value to your horse.
Whey is a form of wheat and dairy that is not a necessary part of a horse’s diet.
Diatamaceous Earth can be ok in small amounts, depending on if your horse has problems with ulcers. The silicon particles have sharp edges and can be hard on the intestinal tract.
Rosemary Extract is a flavor enhancer that is very close to MSG in cellular structure. We all know that MSG can cause headaches and diarrhea.
Feeds that I like a lot:
- Renew Gold Cool Stance
- Omnis Pellets
- Crypto Aero
- OMG!
- Feeds that are not “too” bad
- Total Equine does not have preservatives that we want to avoid. However, it does contain wheat middlings, soy, and diatomaceous earth.