1. FEED and BEDDING

2. ROUGHAGE Bulky foods, like grass, hay and beet pulp. It is necessary to have every day for a horse’s digestion. Also helps keep a horse warm in cold weather.

3. ALFALFA TIMOTHY

4. CLOVER GRASS HAY GRASS

5. HAY CUBES BAGGED HAY or HAYLAGE

6. HAY PELLETS ALFALFA PELLETS These can supplement hay, but not replace it.

7. CONCENTRATES Feed that has nutrition and energy in a concentrated form, like grain and pellets. These are only necessary if a horse needs more calories or vitamins than roughage will provide.

8. SWEET FEED Contains molasses, crimped oats, pellets and corn, usually. COMPLETE FEED Contains all of the nutrition a horse needs, in a palatable pellet form.

9. BRAN

10. OATS These are whole oats. They can be tough to chew and digest, and sometimes go through the horse’s system whole. Crimped oats are partially crushed. They are more digestible.

11. SUCCULENTS Food with a high water content, like grass, carrots and apples.

12. GRASS Also considered roughage. Good grass is all a horse needs, nutritionally. CARROTS Used as a treat. APPLES Used as a treat.

13. TREATS These are not necessary for survival or good health, and should be given sparingly.

14. SUGAR CUBES PEPPERMINTS

15. OTHER NECESSITIES

16. SALT Necessary for water balance in a horse’s body. WATER

17. BEDDING

18. STRAW Made from the dried stems of wheat, barley or oats. Warm and cushiony, and usually inexpensive. Can be dusty. In southeastern Pennsylvania, and nearby areas, mushroom growers will take soiled straw bedding away for free, to use to grow mushrooms in. Horses will eat it. WOOD SHAVINGS Very absorbent and cushiony. Can be expensive to buy and dispose of. Easy to store.

19. SAWDUST Very absorbent and inexpensive. Can be expensive to dispose of, can be dusty, and difficult to store. WOOD PELLETS Can be expensive to buy and dispose of. Easy to store.

20. PEAT MOSS Expensive, and tends to make the horse look dirty. Very absorbent. PAPER SHAVINGS Inexpensive. Very absorbent, and dust-free. Can get wet and soggy. Ink can come off on horses. Not much cushion, but horses don’t eat it.