Feeding in the Off-Season Webinar Recording

With shorter days and dreary weather, many riders opt to reduce their horses’ workload during the winter. Whether your horse will spend his days lounging around the pasture with his buddies or taking part in a scaled-back version of his regular exercise routine, his nutritional needs will change during the off-season.

Transitioning from a performance diet to a maintenance diet begins with limiting calories. Simple changes like offering smaller grain meals or switching to a feed or forage with lower digestible energy will reduce calorie intake, but owners should consider the effect of these changes on the total diet. All diets should contain optimal levels of essential nutrients, even as energy levels rise and fall. 

In this video, Katie Young, Ph.D., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research, discusses adjusting your horse’s feeding program during the off-season, including special considerations for cold weather and senior horses. This is a recording of the “Feeding in the Off-Season” webinar presented by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.