Fibres are one of the essential building blocks for an equine's gastrointestinal health. Giving your horse high-fibre feed is good as they resemble natural foraging diets better than standard concentrated feeds.

However, high-fibre feed is least palatable for horses, and keepers usually have to add the fenugreek powder to make it tastier for their equines. Fenugreek's flavour profiles increase the palatability of horse feed. But is fenugreek healthy for horses?

The answer is yes. Fenugreek is one of the healthiest supplements for horses, and adding this daily can significantly impact your animal. Here is what you would want to know about using fenugreek powder for horses.

What is fenugreek?

Fenugreek, Trigonella foenum-graecum, or greek hay, is a herbaceous plant in the Fabaceae family. It is native to the Mediterranean region and grows widely in Southeast Europe, North Africa, and the Indian subcontinent.

Fenugreek plant has been widely used as a herb, vegetable, spice, and lentil for its different components. Its lush green, fresh leaves are used as a vegetable, while its dried leaves make a flavourful seasoning herb in Indian cuisine.

Fenugreek's golden-tinged seeds, encased in pods, have a maple syrup-like flavour and are usually cooked as lentils or seasoned as a ground spice. But apart from their culinary use case, these seeds could be a healthy feed for your equine.

Fenugreek powder is a popular feeding supplement among horse keepers. It not only increases the palatability of the food by infusing a bitter-sweet taste but also enhances the nutritional value of the feed and keeps your equine healthy.

It contains various nutrients and medicinal properties that alleviate various ailments and frees your animal from diseases. Using this as a horse feed has excellent benefits for horses, like:

Fenugreek powder's impact on horse health

According to research, fenugreek powder is one of the horses' most preferred flavouring ingredients. Its nutty notes and bitter-sweet taste are favourite to equines. So, if your horse's being fussy, adding fenugreek powder into your horse feed increases the food's flavour and likeliness of your animal finishing its meal.

However, fenugreek powder has many more benefits than enhancing the palatability of your equine's feed. Packed with many nutrients and wellness values, it can help keep your horse healthy and aids in strength and strong immunity.

One of the significant health benefits fenugreek powder provides is the ease of digestion. Fenugreek is known for its digestive properties due to its high content of fibres. Fenugreek seeds contain a significantly high amount of soluble fibres, increasing other food's digestibility and adding bulk to manure.

The seeds also contain mucilaginous properties. When powdered seeds are soaked in water, they form a slimy soothing mucilage that coats the stomach's inner lining. This substance is especially beneficial for stomach ulcers, a common problem among horses.

It soothes the dry, inflamed gastrointestinal tract, helping cure stomach ulcers and prevent them from forming. Also, we see bloating and gas when the digestive tract is damaged. Fenugreek powder improves digestion and cures these symptoms too.

Fenugreek also contains an array of flavonoids, including quercetin and steroidal saponins. These flavonoids help combat cold arthritis in horses. Therefore, adding fenugreek powder to the horse diet during colder weather is an excellent way to keep cold arthritis at bay.

How to feed fenugreek powder to horses?

Too much fenugreek powder can make your equine's feed extremely bitter. So you want to use it in moderation. As a rule of thumb, 20-30 grams of powder daily is enough for an average adult horse with 500 kilograms of healthy weight.

If your horse is young or under 500 kilograms, reduce the stated amount to 10-20 grams daily. You can split the amount between feeds or give at once for both young and adults.

Fenugreek powder is often fed as an infusion with other feed items. This makes the active ingredients more readily available and increases your horse's chances of absorption. To provide the fenugreek as an infusion:

Put the daily required quantity in a feeding bucket.
Add 300-millilitre boiling water to the powder and let it cool down.
Once cooled, use this infusion to make your horse feed damp and palatable.

Boiling water softens the powder, enabling your horse to absorb the nutrients. However, if you don't have a kettle, you can soak it overnight.

Conclusion

When used as a feed supplement, fenugreek powder can offer myriad health benefits to your horse. They are packed with soluble fibres, flavonoids, mucilage and many other national and medical values promoting horses' wellness. Fenugreek powder works best when given daily.

If you want this health supplement for your horse, consider buying it in bulk from Kitchenhutt. We are a prominent spice supplier in South Africa, offering premium fenugreek powder at competitive prices.

Our fenugreek seeds are directly sourced from Indian farmers and processed at our equipped proceeding plants with utmost care for quality and hygiene. Our high-quality standards and reliable customer services make South Africa one of the most sought-after places to buy bulk herbs and spices online.

We have the trust of many food businesses around the country, and we assure you will satisfy all your needs with our flavourful and top-class fenugreek powder. So feel free to contact us or visit our website for a free quote.