Storey's Guide to Feeding Horses: Lifelong Nutrition, Feed Storage, Feeding Tips, Pasture Management

by Melyni Worth

The one issue on which all horse owners agree is that proper diet and nutrition are the most essential aspects of horse care. In Storey's Guide to Feeding Horses, equine nutritionist Melyni Worth addresses the many ways in which diet impacts a horse's health, temperament, and performance.

Worth covers the basics, discussing the details of the nutrients every horse needs, and how to calculate rations based on the horse's body weight. She also explains the benefits of grains and grasses, as well as the relative value of additives and herbal supplements. And, she teaches owners how to design a balanced feeding program for their horses.

Perhaps most important is the chapter on "Feeding for a Lifetime." Here, Worth outlines the proper diet a horse needs at every age and at every level of activity. She describes the healthiest formula for foals and the most nutritional diet for brood mares and performance horses. Nutrition for elderly horses receives special attention here, with valuable information on soft feed for aged horses that have trouble chewing. Worth also identifies the treats that are best for horses, and how to overcome a horse's food-related vices. Finally, Worth offers guidance on pasture maintenance and how to store feed safely.

This book also includes advice on seasonal feeding routines. For example, since fiber is essential for warmth, owners should make certain their horses receive plenty of hay in the winter. During the summer, horses should have free access to fresh water and loose salt. Worth concludes with a detailed discussion of nutritional disorders and their remedies.

Comprehensive and authoritative, yet easy to understand and packed with advice that is easy to put into action, Storey's Guide to Feeding Horses is an essential reference horse owners will turn to time and again.

Genres: Horses

240 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

Dr. Melyni Worth is an equine nutritionist. She founded and operates an equine health product company, Foxden Equine. She is also a consultant and writer in equine nutrition and exercise physiology.

Worth's articles have appeared in Dressage Today, Holistic Horse, and Virginia Horse Journal, and she published a book, "The Horse Nutrition Handbook."

Worth has trained horses and taught riders for 28 years. She has taught riding and horse management programs at college level as well as being a lifetime rider and competitor. She breeds Knabstrupper sport horses at her farm in Staunton, Virginia.

Worth received her Bachelors degree in Agricultural Biochemistry from Newcastle University, her Masters in Equine Nutrition from University College of Wales Aberystwyth, and her Ph.D. in Equine Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Virginia Tech.

Reviews

[Tatjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most concise book on horse feed I've read. It's based on science, not trends, and the author lets you know if an assertion is anecdotal via experience. Moving to the snow-bound north from the south with two horses used to natural life on large pastures all year round caused a bit of panicked reading. Even the hay is different and management is completely different! This book helped sort through the Malarkey of supplementation and pin down what the most important practices are and why.
If you want a straight, no-nonsense approach to feeding your pasture ornament and your young horse in training, this its a terrific book!

[Rivkah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. I consider it a must read for horse owners. You need to know what your feeding your horse, how to use the feeds to your advantage, and how it works in the horses' body system. It also gives a run down on various equine diseases and syndroms that are related or effected by equine nutrition.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!