Sweet Feed - Yuck!
One of the biggest culprits in dis-ease in horses is manufactured feeds. Not to put too fine a point on it but the great majority of horse grains and pet foods are made up of agri-waste. Most of the "grain" (and I use this term loosely) in your standard sweet feed is what was left over after making other products for humans.
The primary focus for the health of our animal guests is NUTRITION! In my opinion, a holistic approach to animal nutrition means looking at what Mother Nature, in her infinite wisdom, fed an animal. Then looking at how stress and caloric need changes affect their overall health and using foods naturally found in their diet to keep the body in balance.
First - horses GRAZE. They are not designed to eat concentrated calories in short bursts. In fact, concentrated feeds such as hay pellets & cubes and pelleted grains can lead to sand colic, teeth problems and overall poor nutrient assimilation. Here in Arizona grass pasture is rare and expensive. And it is less expensive to grow a low-water legume like Alfalfa than it is grass. But feeding alfalfa is to save money is short sighted and can get very expensive in future veterinary bills. Click here for a more complete article on Why Not to Feed Alfalfa.
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