Update on feeding draft horses

We have made a couple of small changes to the preceding recipe.

One is that we have removed the black oil sunflower seeds.  We did not see a significant difference in condition with BOSS, so why feed it?  We will stick with flax, which has proven itself over the years.

Another is that we have been experimenting with using alfalfa chaff in place of the pellets or cubes.  We have alfalfa bales on hand for dairy animals, so we gather chaff from the fallen leaves or from cutting stems with pruning shears.  Why not?  It's here, and it doesn't take much.  We use two big fat handfuls per 1200 pound horse, and add it to the crushed oats and ground flax, along with the oil and vinegar.

One other small adjustment was to figure feed amounts based on weight, since we have both large and small drafts: figuring 1/2 cup per 600 pounds of horse gives a whole cup each of oats and flax for the smaller drafts, and a cup and a half each for the large draft.  For convenience in measuring, it is also useful to know that half a cup of oats is approximately equal to one cup or one big handful of crushed oats, so if you crush them in advance, you can measure it out by the handfuls or in a cup measure. Crushing the oats almost doubles their bulk.  Also, when using chaff, we allow one big fat handful per 600 pounds of horse; with pellets, it would be 1/2 cup.  This all makes measuring feeds easier.  The flax we always measure and grind at the last minute, since ground flax doesn't keep well.  Also, when using chaff, it is easier to mix it in last.

We are using 1/8 cup oil per 600 pounds of horse, and 1/8 cup or less of apple cider vinegar, also per 600 pounds of horse.  We still mix the vinegar into the oats ahead of time when we can, to allow it to help deactive phytates, which can inhibit mineral absorption.

One way or another, the feed is still moistened so it is crumbly, neither dusty nor wet.  We use hot water on cold days, just so the feed isn't ice cold when fed.

So in summary it looks like this for a 1200-pound horse:

1 cup whole oats, crushed (or two fat handfuls or two cups if measuring after crushing)
1 cup whole flax, ground
2 big fat handfuls alfalfa chaff (which is probably a quart)
1/4 cup good oil
1/8 -1/4 cup raw cider vinegar
water enough just to moisten  (1/2 to 1 cup)

Mix everything really well.  Yum.  Your horse will follow you to the ends of the earth for this stuff.