What’s On Your Horse Feed Bag and Tag?

Text and tags on horse feed bags are designed to give potential purchasers information that will help them select the best products for the horses in their care. Each state has its own requirements for the amount and type of information that must be on the tag, and various manufacturers have created bag designs that may include photographs and celebrity endorsements in addition to feeding directions.

Some things that the bag and tag might offer are:

Statement of purpose. Each feed is formulated to meet the needs of horses in specific circumstances. Growing foals will need lysine, a high-quality protein; racehorses in training will need easily digestible sources of energy; endurance horses might do best on a feed with extra fat. Tip: While a feed designed for young horses won’t necessarily hurt your mature horse, you might spend too much money buying this feed because protein is an expensive ingredient. Look for a feed that’s formulated to match your horse’s age and work level.

Type of feed. Is the feed in pelleted or textured (sweet feed) form? Is it classified as a complete feed, meaning that it contains forage as well as grain? Is it actually a feed supplement, and therefore meant to be fed at a much lower level than a concentrate? Tip: The type of feed is closely tied to the amount you should give to your horse. A complete feed will need to be fed in higher volumes because a measure will contain more fiber and less energy than the same amount of a concentrate.

Grain treatment. Oats, corn, and barley can be added in whole form to feeds, or they may be crimped, cracked, crushed, or rolled to increase digestibility. Grains in pelleted feeds have been ground and heat-treated, another way to make the nutrients more available. Tip: Any grain treatment may increase the price of the feed. If your horse chews well and you’re on a budget, you might opt for whole grains in the mix. For older horses or those with dental issues, the processed grains are a better bet.

Guaranteed analysis. The guaranteed analysis lists the level of protein, fat, fiber, and various vitamins and minerals in the feed. Not all protein is created equal; as stated above, young growing horses and pregnant broodmares need a higher level of lysine, an amino acid necessary for proper growth. Soybean meal is a common source of lysine; if a feed for young horses doesn’t list this as an ingredient, ask for more information about the feed’s suitability for your young equines. Mature horses don’t need as much protein, but they do require some for tissue maintenance. Because fat contains a higher level of energy than grain, the fat content of a feed will be an indication of how much energy it will supply. Likewise, fiber is not as good an energy source, so feeds that are high in fiber may be lower in energy. Feeds should have more calcium (up to twice as much) than phosphorus. Tip: Many areas of the United States have sufficient levels of selenium, a mineral found in the soil and ingested as horses graze. In areas with selenium-deficient soil, this important mineral must be supplied in the feed. If you’re not sure about the soil in your area and how to choose a feed that contains selenium, check with the feed store personnel, local agricultural extension agent, or an equine nutritionist.

Ingredients. Depending on the state, a listing of ingredients may show the exact grains used (oats, corn, barley), or the collective term “grain products” may appear. Other generalized terms may be listed such as forage products, animal protein products, and plant protein products. The use of these terms doesn’t mean the manufacturer is trying to keep the ingredients secret, but it does imply that not every batch of feed will contain precisely the same ingredients. This probably won’t be a problem for most horses as long as the guaranteed analysis is the same. Tip: If specific ingredients are listed, you might see various types of hulls—soy, oat, peanut, rice—listed. Hulls don’t initially sound very nutritious, but some are quite useful in feeds. Soy hulls, for instance, are a good source of fat, and other hulls provide roughage that is necessary in a horse’s diet.

Feeding directions. The bag or tag will tell you how much of the product you should feed each day. It might be fine to feed a little more or less than the suggested amount, but if you vary quite a bit, you will either shortchange your horse on important nutrients by feeding below the suggested amount, or provide way more calories than he needs by feeding too much. If you feed by the directions and your horse has too much energy or is gaining weight, you may need to look for a grain product with a lower caloric content. Likewise, if the horse needs to gain weight, you should check for a product that offers more energy. Tip: Feeds formulated by Kentucky Equine Research (KER) are designed to meet the needs of the horses for which they are produced, when fed at the recommended levels.