The horse's eating habits
While many other farm animals, like cows, have multiple compartments in their stomachs, horse do not. They only have one big stomach. But actually, it's not even that big considering the size of the entire horse. Naturally, in the wild, horses eat very small amounts of roughage, like grass, but they do so very often, almost constantly in fact. Their body and especially their stomach and digestive system is made to be always filled with small amounts of food. Due to us keeping horses, having domesticated them, we've also forced them to change their eating habits. Especially horses that are stabled all day only have feed at their disposal for 2, maybe 3 times a day to fit our lifestyle. Often, the things we feed them are also less easy to digest for horses. If there are problems with digestion of your horse, a good starting point is to think: "what do I feed my horse? how often is my horse being fed?" and see if any changes to this can already make a visible change to the horse. And of course, if there's big problems in the digestive system, we strongly advise to always consult a vet.
Diet changes
The diet most of us have our horses on is not actually ideal and far from what a horse has evolved to be. If there's long lasting problems with the horse's digestion, please consult a vet and potentially a nutritional expert to see what exactly the problem with your horse is. If your horse seems to be lacking appetite in the sense that you often see if leaving food behind, making an appointment with the dentist to have the horse's mouth and teeth checked is also a good idea.
Adapting the horse's diet to be more of a diet actually suited for horses is a crucial step in treating digestive problems and using supplements as a quick fix should not be valued more than doing actual research into your horse's issues and needs.
Similarly however, suddenly changing the entire feeding routine will also be troublesome to the horse. If you make changes and adaptions, do them step by step and if possible in cosultation with experts.
Salt licks
Licks are a fantastic way to ensure your horse is getting enough salt or minerals in, and can also be a good way to give your horse something to do when stabled. But licks don't always have to be just salt - there's also mineral licks available or flavoured licks that are basically only there for the fun of the horse. The Horselyx licks all have different functions and flavours, like helping the digestive system for example. Given that these licks come in plastic containers, it's best to give them to your horse supervised, so the plastic doesn't break. But they can also be left freely, if you know your horse isn't a master of destruction. For unsupervised licking fun, the Likit rocks are perfect. They come in a multitude of flavours and can be hung up in the stable for your horse to play with. Or of course, you can just opt for your traditional salt or mineral lick.
Treats & healthy extras
Who doesn't love candy? Don't forget to give your horse some yummy treats every now and then (or all the time)! Whatever flavours your horse can't ever get enough off, we have it all. Big treats, small treats, big packages, small packages, whatever it is you end up buying - we're sure your horse will love it (and you, cause you have the treats so of course you're amazing). And if you want to treat your horse some more, you can also get some of our healthy extras. These can also help against boredom by hanging them in the stable with the mini hay net.
Feed and treats at Epplejeck
Buy some yummy snacks for your horse at Epplejeck from the comfort of your home. Our virtual doors are open 24/7 for you and ordering is quick and easy. We always strive to send out your package just a few days after your order comes in, so your wait time is minimal. If something doesn’t fit, simply send it back to us within 30 days – no questions asked!
Happy shopping!