Some may think "Is anything so mundane, predictable, and ordinary as feeding horses?" The steward goes out twice a day- maybe three if schedules allow- and dole out the hay, probably some grain, freshen the water, and look to see that the salt block hasn't melted away in the last round of humidity. Feeding time could be the primary determinant of life: All other plans have to mesh with that everlasting obligation to feed the horses as usual and on time. However, for all its apparent ordinariness, feeding time brings with it a complex mix of practicalities and aspirations wherein entrenched tradition, commercial trends and innovative data vie for control of the feed scoop. .
Back when flesh-and-blood horsepower ran this country, horses were fed whatever was available locally according to traditional patterns. Their keepers fed themselves the same way, unconcerned about yet-to-be discovered factors like cholesterol, vitamins and complex carbohydrates. Local feed mills stored ready-made horse feeds back in the dim, dusty warehouse along with all the other livestock feeds. The packaging was burlap, and the standard weight was 100 pounds. A single formulation was generally used for all ages and types of horses; the adjustment factor being the amount fed. The workday began early with a hearty breakfast and ended at dusk with another helping for dinner to express gratitude for all effort given.
Today, when few Americans or their horses must perform daily physical labor to ensure their basic survival, nutrition has become a major focus in health and fitness. Doctors dispense dietary advice as preventative or curative medicine. Human athletes plan their food consumption with the same care that they schedule their exercise. The general public buys millions of dollars" worth of nutritional supplements to cure what ails them. A combination of technological advances and leaps in understanding of equine exercise physiology has prompted the same trends in horse feeding.