Cereal Grains in Horse Feed

Grains such as oats, corn, barley, and grain byproducts such as wheat bran, wheat middlings, and wheat mill run are used primarily as energy sources in horse feeds. Nearly all cereal grains and any number of byproducts from the food and feed industry can be fed to horses to supply digestible energy.

Grain is marketed by grade according to certain quality characteristics. These criteria include bushel test weight, foreign material, damaged kernels, and moisture.

Oats once made up nearly 31% of all equine feed consumed, and contain sufficient protein, calcium, and phosphorus to meet the needs of mature horses. Horses digest oats easily in comparison to heavier whole grains such wheat and as corn. A ranking of protein quality among cereal grains lists oats first, followed by barley, corn, and wheat. Protein quality is determined by amino acid composition.

Soybean meal has been the major source of protein in livestock feeds for many years, though it must be properly cooked during processing to provide optimum protein nutrition to animals. There is also a significant amount of carbohydrate in soybeans.

Several other cereal grains are also routinely used in horse feeds. Read more about these and feed processing in Advances in Equine Nutrition IV.