rich in calcium, which helps endurance horses with calcium losses. Fortunately, alfalfa in the form of hay cubes and pellets has the same natural buff ering eff ects as alfalfa hay.
Additional Feed For trail or pack horses, the decision of whether to bring grain or
a concentrate (textured or pelleted feed) will depend on the horse’s needs. Easy keepers may do well on only forage, especially if the day’s work is not too strenuous. Conversely, endurance horses may need supplemental calories not supplied by forage to remain competitive. Most trail horses do not need a high-starch diet containing large
amounts of grain. T ere are advantages to feeding a trail horse a low- starch, high-fi ber type of diet on temperament and energy management. T e slower work of trail riding will benefi t from having the gradual energy release that goes along with fi ber digestion. Selecting a feed may be daunting because of the many choices avail-
able to horse owners. T ere are high-fi ber (>12% crude fi ber) pellets as well as textured feeds (usually with beet pulp) that are suitable for the trail horse. A trail horse does not need a feed extremely low in non- structural carbohydrate (NSC) (less than 10%) unless it has a specifi c problem like insulin resistance or polysaccharide storage myopathy. T ere are plenty of feeds that fall in the low range of 10-25% NSC
that are suitable, and selecting one may depend on availability and palatability to the horse. From a nutrition standpoint, there is lit le diff erence between these types of pelleted concentrates and textured feeds. T e exception may be ration balancer pellets, which are ideal trail food for easy keepers that require few calories aside from those derived from the forage. Ration balancers have higher levels of nutrients and protein without a lot of extra calories and are usually fed at no more than one to two pounds daily for the average-sized horse. If there are limitations as to the amount of feed that can be packed for
Give your horse time to acquire a taste for feeds in unfamil- iar forms and textures. Alternative forms of forages, such as those that are chopped, cubed or pelleted, may be the most convenient to pack for the trip, but your horse may re- quire up to two weeks to get used to the new program.
the horse, then at ention to energy density may be key. Alfalfa pellets, hay cubes or chopped forage are denser in volume than loose hay. In general, pelleted feeds, whether hay or concentrates, are heavier for the same amount of volume. Even though beet pulp is light in comparison, it should not be discounted as a suitable feed to pack because most of the weight of beet pulp comes aſt er it has been hydrated with water. Pound
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