Use this teaching guide with Yellow Level HorseSense students for unmounted lessons that help them understand the reasons for feeding rules and the broad strokes of equine nutrition: that horses are grazing animals, designed to live on a fiber-rich diet, and that feeding large, infrequent or grain-heavy meals can have disastrous consequences.
One of the first things beginners should learn about caring for horses is that despite their size, they are surprisingly delicate animals. Experienced horse owners know that the equine digestive system is a hot spot for trouble — and the quicker students learn how to prevent digestive drama, the better.
This objective builds on the introduction to safe feeding practices covered in Red Level HorseSense. Now, instead of simply reciting a list of rules, we’d like our students to demonstrate a basic understanding of why those rules exist.
Lessons cover:
- how the basic design of the equine digestive creates the need for feeding rules
- discussion of the reasons for particular feeding rules - and their consequences
- how feed charts help us undertand a horse's diet and prevent feeding disasters
- introduction to concentrates and roughage in a horse's diet
Teaching tips include:
- creative ideas for teaching this topic with both private and group lessons
- suggested Challenge materials (games, worksheets, etc.) and other teaching tools
- strategies for adapting for your unique teaching situation
If this is your first time using our unmounted teaching guides, please make sure that you download and read:
HOW TO TEACH HORSESENSE USING OUR TEACHING GUIDES – IMPORTANT INFORMATION
