By: Dr Rosie Alcorn BVSc PG Cert VPS Cert AVP MRCVS
Last week, we explored how to assess your horse’s nutritional needs and choose a diet to suit them. This week, we’re focusing on the back of the feed bag – and all those numbers that can seem a little overwhelming at first glance.
If maths isn’t your strong point, don’t worry. There are only a couple of simple calculations involved, and by the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of exactly what your horse is getting from their feed.
Horse feed bags must display a label known as the statutory statement. This provides essential information about the feed, including:
Product name
Description of the feed
Guaranteed nutrient analysis, showing:
Crude protein (%)
Crude fibre (%)
Crude fat (%)
Ash content
Any added additives
Full list of ingredients
Bag weight
Recommended feeding rates
Best-before date and batch number
Manufacturer’s name and address
That’s a lot of information – but the real question is: what do these figures mean in practice?
Most nutritional values are given as a percentage, but horses don’t eat percentages – they eat kilograms of feed.
If you want to know how much protein, starch, or sugar your horse is actually consuming, you’ll need to convert that percentage into a real weight.
The Simple Formula
Nutrient weight (kg) = Amount of feed fed (kg) × (Percentage of nutrient ÷ 100)
This formula tells you exactly how many kilograms of a particular nutrient your horse is getting.
Example: Comparing Protein Content
Let’s compare the protein content of two different feeds.
Amount fed: 0.5 kg
Protein: 25%
Calculation: 0.5 × 25 ÷ 100 = 0.125 kg of protein
Keyflow's Perfect Balance is a low sugar, fully steam extruded, concentrated balancer with generous levels of omega 3 oils to boost health and vitality. As well as prebiotic digestive support to look after the hind gut.
Amount fed: 2 kg
Protein: 10%
Calculation: 2 × 10 ÷ 100 = 0.2 kg of protein
Even though the balancer has a higher protein percentage, the complete feed provides more protein overall – simply because you feed a larger amount.
These calculations are especially important when feeding horses with specific health conditions such as ulcers, laminitis, or PSSM (Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy).
For example:
A balancer might contain 15% starch, which sounds high. But if you only feed 0.5 kg per day:
0.5 × 15 ÷ 100 = 0.075 kg of starch
Compare that to a feed with 12% starch, fed at 4 kg per day:
4 × 12 ÷ 100 = 0.48 kg of starch
In real terms, the balancer delivers far less starch to your horse, even though the percentage on the label is higher.
Don’t be put off by the numbers on the back of the feed bag. Once you understand how to convert percentages into actual nutrient weights, you’ll be in a much better position to choose a feed that genuinely meets your horse’s nutritional needs.
At Keyflow, our team of knowledgeable and friendly feed advisers are always happy to help you make the right choice for your horse.
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