If you guys have been following me for Cayenne updates, you are in luck. Today’s post covers what this handsome family gelding eats in a day. I will try my best to outline costs, flow, and portions for easy understanding.

First things first, Cayenne is soy intolerant, reactive with high sugar and uncomfortable from changes in his diet so bear that in mind. All of this food is tailored towards his health, workload, and needs. He is a fairly hardworking boy on trails, and everything we do for him is to keep him moving in the way he has been or better.

We believe in feeding horses 24/7 in this barn. Horses are grazers and inherently have small stomachs. Because of this its best for them to eat small meals more often with adequate water and bowel movements. Part of that requires that they lean down for food to help the salivation to digestion flow, and a small holed hay bag at shoulder height works perfectly for that purpose. Cayenne is barefoot so I have zero concerns about his feet getting caught up on a bag in his pawing antics for food. That being said the average horse owner supplies a solid meal in the AM and PM, which works, but isn’t most effective to combat the gut. That small belly of theirs creates a lot of stomach acid to break down coarse fibers of hay and other feed, and inadequate lining tends to lead to ulcerations, or ulcers colloquially. Leaving their belly without any food for a period of time leads to build up of those harsh acids and their stomachs usually respond with discomfort.

This is shown through work ethic changes, changes in attitude, reluctance to move, work or be touched, sometimes its straight into colic or misbehavior as a whole. Cayenne unfortunately went through a whole bunch of this discomfort to figure out what his diet needed, and what he needed less of.

First fix was 24/7 hay bags, it’s about 3-4 flakes of Bermuda hay a day, pulled out and stuffed into his haynet. He uses a Texas haynet, with the small holes to help pace him through his meal and to enrich his mind by making him work for it like a puzzle. He gets very opinionated on Alfalfa hay, so we make sure to keep him off the sweet grass. He occasionally eats foxtail grass from Colorado, or Teff hay when its around. All of these types of hay last him through the night, and do their job lining his gut with this method.

This typically means it would take him 7 bales a month at about $25 a bale or $180 in hay a month at least. This price doesn’t include delivery, or tax, it is an estimate.

My Aunt Lori and Aunt Helen started him on Lakin Lite hay pellets as a foal and haven’t taken him off of them. They are a great supplement to their daily hay, and it’s kind of his breakfast and dinner. He gets 1/2 a scoop in the AM and 1/2 in the PM, which is about a pound a day. On top of that he gets GUTx mixed in both feeding times. It is one pump per meal, and its a must have for this Pepper Boy. When I feed him these days I give him 6 or so Horse Guard FLIX pellets in there for this hair and hooves.

Together an 80lbs bag of Lakin Lite lasts 80 days, which is about 5 bags a year at $30 each. GUTx is expensive, but worth every penny. A 4 month supply is $115, about 3 jugs a year, and it works wonders for Cayenne’s gut after all that previous discomfort. The Horse Guard FLIX my personal favorite piece is about $25 for 10 lbs which lasts a month or so with constant feeding. My current bag is still going and its been a few months, which says something.

In a perfect world with his PM pellets, Cayenne currently gets 1/2 lb scoop of wheat bran, and 1/2 lb scoop of Kalm n EZ. I would love to add Himalayan Pink Salt to that for increased water intake. Both would cost about $42, and the salt box would last you a year. For the rest of the time, you’ll need about 4 grain bags at $27 each. Just to clear it up, his feeding chart looks like this right now.

The one scoop measurement is about 1/2 a pound, which is what I have written above, sorry if that part was confusing. This feeding method is so sound and bulletproof I wouldn’t dream of changing it unless directed to by a veterinarian. Second I have retyped and styled a feeding chart for Cayenne in what I think is HIS color. It is my mockup of a slightly different feeding chart than he currently has, to meet all his needs especially knowing how he looked and worked before summer. Cayenne’s coat was so dark, and so dappled from an absurd amount of currying, and the added flaxseed from FLIX. But he did struggle with some achiness from work and arena life. At 16 this is to be expected, but its on us as humans to help him with that. I hope my plan works one day to keep him happy and comfortable in the diet department.

Cayenne currently has a 40 gallon water trough outside with his own spigot to fill it with city or well water, and he is set. All of his food has a proper partner with that as horses need about 10+ gallons a day. Foods like pellets or grain also tend to expand with saliva so its always smart to have water nearby for those silly eaters.

I hope you all enjoyed a new post of notes on Cayenne’s diet, keep your eyes peeled for another installment of first horse logistics.