Nowadays, horse nutrition has turned to science and one can easily be confused when it comes to choosing the best food for your equine friend.

There are variables that you need to be aware of in order to provide the best regime for your horse.

Lets say that we have acquired a horse (4 years old Thoroughbred) and we are wondering what to feed him. For the purpose of this exercise, lets name our horse “Blacky”.

In our previous article "Meet Blacky", we have established a picture of Blacky's needs. Our little 4 yo Thoroughbred straight out of the track.

Now we are left with the daunting task of formulating a feed for Blacky. As you will see, this could take many trials before finding the right regime for our horse. We will try to stay with natural feeds for this horse.

Many feed stuff are available on the market and it is difficult to choose. Here are some basic ones that are relatively natural and less processed.

Based on feed stuffs available on the market and what we know about Blacky and the relationship between feed and behaviour, we are now going to formulate his ration.

In its natural environment, the horse is a grazing animal, eating up to 20 hours a day. The natural feed is grass which varies in nutrients and types throughout the year and areas the horse goes to graze.

Owning an old horse can be at time upsetting when you see your old companion fading away. However, nowadays, horses can live happily until a very old age, some well after the age of 30. Hopefully this article will help you and your old mate find the right care.

This list summarises Australian plants that can be lethal to horses. This list is not exhaustive.

Always consult your vet if you suspect poisoning and disallow the horse from accessing the source. This applies to any type of poisoning.