What amount of feed is right for your horse?

Normal is for sound, healthy horses fed quality forage, i.e. grass, hay or haylage.

Ekstra is for horses under strain from things other than their own weight and workload: physical or mental health challenges, stress, or forage that doesn't meet the recommendations. Can also be used as a booster for 8‑16 weeks.

Maximum is for horses under heavy strain on one or more physical or mental parameters: convalescence after illness, weakened digestion and immune system, long-distance transport. It is the maximum ration for a healthy horse and can be used as a booster for 4‑12 weeks.

During special periods such as moulting, competitions or stress, requirements can rise by 50‑60 % in total, for anything from a few days to 4‑6 weeks.

If your horse has been poorly nourished for a long time and has a marked nutritional deficit or surplus, there are special treatment guidelines. They assume the horse is not yet in work. Contact us for a consultation if you want a feeding plan that takes this into account.

Light work and turnout: 20 min walk, 10 min trot, 10 min canter, 0:40 in total per session, 1‑6 times a week.

Moderate work: 30 min walk, 20 min trot, 35 min canter, 1:15 in total per session, 4‑6 times a week.

Hard work: 40 min walk, 35 min trot, 50 min canter and 15 min gallop, 2:30 in total per session, 2‑3 times a week.

If rider and tack weigh more than 20% of the horse's weight, the requirement increases. The optimal ratio is 1:5. Always feed according to the horse's current weight, not its ideal weight. Weight formula: girth in metres cubed, times 80. A girth of 1.7 m gives approx. 392 kg.

If your forage analysis is roughly here, you can safely use Normal: copper 4‑5 mg/kg, zinc 20‑22 mg/kg, manganese 40‑50 mg/kg, iron 100‑110 mg/kg.

Horses only absorb 10‑15% of the iron in forage, and many Danish analyses show low levels. If your forage is particularly low in iron, we recommend Ekstra or Maksimal.

Stallions should always have 10 % more than the chart states. We recommend feeding them at Ekstra for their workload.

In-foal mares are fed according to workload up to and including month 8. From month 9 to 11, they are fed as for moderate work.

After foaling the mare is fed as for demanding work for 3 months, then as for moderate work until the foal is weaned. If she is both in foal and lactating, she is fed as for demanding work for the whole lactation period.

Foals from 2‑5 months: 1 gram per kg of foal per day. From 6 months, and for youngstock, feed according to expected adult weight at the light work level.

Senior horses 15+ have their own chart with higher figures, because gut absorption declines with age and worn teeth make forage harder to make use of.

Horses have no salt reserves and need salt in their feed every day. Salt keeps muscles, nerves and fluid balance in order.

Give 10 g per 100 kg of horse per day for maintenance. For a 500 kg horse that is 50 g. For moderate work, give 15-17 g of salt and for demanding work 22-27 g per 100 kg on top of Every Day Happy or Peak Performance (with Supreme Minerals, 18-20 g and 25-30 g in total). Heat, pregnancy and lactation also increase the requirement.

A salt lick isn't enough on its own. Give loose salt in the manger, and start with half a teaspoon, building up over 14 days.

Kentucky Equine Research (KER) has set the horse's basic daily mineral requirements. The figures below show how much of the recommendation the horse gets in total from quality forage plus Every Day Happy or Peak Performance. The horse needs at least 100%.

Light work and turnout

MineralNormalEkstraMaximum Magnesium180‑196 %211‑226 %245‑250 % Manganese224‑239 %255‑271 %286‑300 % Copper130‑150 %180‑230 %230‑240 % Selenium100‑120 %150‑170 %190‑203 % Zinc150‑170 %200‑230 %250‑260 % Molybdenum0,13 mg0,16 mg0,21 mg Silicon0,88 g1,15 g1,50 g

Moderate work

MineralNormalEkstraMaximum Magnesium210‑222 %234‑246 %260‑270 % Manganese200‑212 %222‑233 %244‑262 % Copper122‑137 %152‑165 %181‑196 % Selenium100‑115 %130‑145 %160‑175 % Zinc157‑172 %188‑203 %218‑236 % Molybdenum0,15 mg0,20 mg0,25 mg Silicon1,06 g1,41 g1,76 g

Hard work

MineralNormalEkstraMaximum Magnesium236‑247 %270‑282 %287‑297 % Manganese223‑243 %264‑275 %280‑290 % Copper139‑152 %175‑188 %195‑210 % Selenium115‑128 %154‑167 %174‑188 % Zinc197‑212 %237‑252 %262‑280 % Molybdenum0,19 mg0,26 mg0,30 mg Silicon1,32 g1,85 g2,11 g

Normal comfortably covers routine maintenance for healthy horses without particular stress factors. Ekstra is close to the maximum, and Maksimal reaches the maximum, for otherwise healthy horses with temporarily weakened digestion or other stress factors.

KER has not yet set recommendations for molybdenum and silicon, so they are shown as the amount the horse receives. Molybdenum plays a role in blood sugar regulation and detoxification. Silicon binds toxins and helps build tendons, cartilage, skin and hooves.