Should You Feed Raw Grains

02.27.2015
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by Matt
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3 Comments
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Should-You-Feed-Raw-Grains

Should you feed raw grains to horses?

With the rise in news stories about contaminated horse feed, some horse owners are starting to consider feeding raw, unprocessed grains to their horses instead of pellets or sweet feed. While any big change in feeding regimen should be discussed with your veterinarian, let’s look at some of the advantages, and disadvantages, to some popular raw grains.

Corn: Corn is often an affordable grain that many horsemen might already be using to supplement their sweet feed. High-starch and high-calorie, corn can create a rapid burst of energy followed by a crash — much like sugared-up kids — if it’s fed in too high a proportion. It’s also a bad idea for overweight horses, or horses with metabolic problems. But corn can be safely fed to horses in limited amounts, especially horses in hard work.

Corn can be hard to chew, so watch out for horses with dental problems. It’s also susceptible to dangerous mold, so be certain that you are buying corn that is guaranteed mold-free.

Barley: In some ways, barley is quite the opposite of corn — in the grain world, barley is your low-starch/sugar option. Because it has a hard shell, it’s best served to your horse soaked or crushed. Since pre-crushed barley rapidly loses nutritional value, most horse owners opt to soak it themselves.

Soaked barley is best mixed with a bulky feed such as beet pulp or rice bran, and you’ll want to double-check your vitamin/mineral ratios carefully. Like other grains, barley has a poor phosphorus/calcium ratio, and is missing a few other essential vitamins, such as Vitamin A, so you’ll need a good vitamin/mineral supplement.

Oats: The traditional breakfast of champions (if you’re a horse), oats continue to be a good supplement for horses with good roughage or pasture. High-fiber and moderate in sugar and starch, oats are a nice balancing feed. They lack the protein, vitamins and minerals that a growing, pregnant, or hard-working horse will need, however.

To feed whole oats, you’ll want to add a protein source — alfalfa can be a good choice — and be choosey about a vitamin/mineral supplement. And make sure you buy the right oats — racehorse oats, which have part of the hull removed, provide a quick burst of energy that might not be right for your horse’s work-load.

In an earlier blog post, https://equinefacilitydesign.com/equine-care/hay-horses.htm, I discuss feeding horses hay before giving them grain

If you’re considering making the switch to unprocessed grains, rest assured that you’re not alone — then call your vet, talk to your extension society, and do your homework. Grains can be safely fed to horses, but you’re going to be responsible for all the nutrition balancing that a feed mill does for their sweet feeds and pelleted feeds, and that’s a job you want to get right every time.

3 responses on “Should You Feed Raw Grains

  1. Ann Turner says:

    Wow at last somebody who does not believe in the McDonald’s for horses food which is processed until there is nothing left!! I have to tell you I have fed rolled oats and flatted barley, flax, salt and a high quality vitamin/mineral supplement for the last 35 years. I have never had a colic or an insulin resistant horse in all those years. I have kept horses in 2 provinces and also Jamaica, where I fed my horses some ground corn which we grew ourselves, the old fashioned tough corn not GMO. It kept the weight on my working school horses in high humidity and heat and I have never had a problem.. Personally – in the wild – where would a horse get rice bran or cooked, processed food? I have never tried to high tech a low tech animal and I have very healthy horses of all different breeds who live to a great age. I run an equine rehab and I get horses of all breeds, sizes and ages, I keep the diet simple and they all do really well, just adjust the quantity to the breed, age and metabolism. Thanks for bringing back some sanity to the crazy stuff people are doing with horses out there now!! cheers!!

  2. Storm says:

    Hi, is it ok to feed my pony raw whole wheat?

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