LIVING POLO 1: POLO HORSE FEEDING

Horse feeding

Polo horses require two kinds of food: hay and grains. These must be given to the horse on proper amounts. If you feed your horse too much, it might result in an overweight, sick or crippled horse. On the other hand, if you feed it too little, it might reduce its stamina and resistance to diseases.

The best and most natural source of food for a horse is good pasture grass and dry hay, but if you have polo ponies, or horses that practice any kind of hard-work activity, grains must be added to the horse’s diet. The harder they work or train, the more grain they should eat.

A recommended daily diet for a polo horse might consist of: between 0,30 and 0,45 kg of hay per 45 kg of body weight. The same formula can be applied for grains (barley, corn, oats). Nevertheless, the ratio and amount of feed should be checked by a veterinarian. It is also recommended to divide the daily ration into two feeds, one in the morning and another one in the evening; or even more, since the digestive track of a horse works better with smaller amounts of food —a full ration once a day might cause colic.

A polo horse’s diet should also consist of a tablespoon of salt in the grain. Water should be available to the horse at all times if possible, mainly before and after feeding.

Source: Argentina Polo Day

We are glad to introduce you to our series of articles LIVING POLO about our day-to-day polo life. Welcome and Enjoy it!

 MoreLiving Polo 2: The Farrier, the horse’s blacksmith

 

Follow us in Google+

Compartí en tus redes!

Dejar un Comentario