As rewarding as horse ownership can be, taking care of even a single horse can sometimes feel like a full-time job. If you care for multiple horses, then simple tasks can easily occupy a large amount of your day-to-day time. Plenty of options exist to help ease the workload, but automatic feed systems are often one of the first that owners consider. While they may not be the right choice for all situations, automatic feeders offer many potential advantages.
How Do Automatic Feeders Work?
Although a variety of automatic feed systems are available on the market, most take a relatively similar approach. The basic concept behind an automated feeder is simple: provide routine feeding for one or more horses without requiring any interaction with the owner. Feeders are always designed to provide feed throughout an entire day, although some may also have multi-day capacities. In most cases, the feeder can be installed in an existing pen with relatively little modification. Professional installation is rarely required.
Benefits For You
The advantage of automated feeding for horse owners is clear: reduced workload. For multiple horses, time savings can be significant. Instead of providing feed to each horse multiple times per day, feeders need only to be filled once per day. Even for a single horse, an automated feed system can free you from the need to be present at multiple, specific times throughout the day. This freedom can enable you to continue to provide consistent care for your horse even if you will be occupied with other tasks throughout the day.
Benefits For Your Horses
Choosing to make use of an automated feeding system is far from a selfish decision, however. Automatic feeders offer many benefits for your animals, as well. As grazing animals, wild horses will typically eat many times throughout the day. Horse owners must often compromise, providing feed only a handful of times in larger quantities than the horses would typically eat. While horses generally do not have issues adapting to this schedule, an automatic feeding system allows you to adopt a more natural feeding routine. Instead of a handful of more substantial meals, your horses can instead receive many smaller meals. In addition to better quantity control, establishing a tight feeding routine can potentially improve your horse's digestive health.
Are They Right For You?
Automatic feed systems are a cost-effective and straightforward way to improve your horse's health and reduce your labor requirements. Although they may not be a good fit if you are attempting to strictly limit expenses, the small upfront cost can pay off over the long run as you are able to both save time and more efficiently control the quantity of feed used. If you care for multiple horses, an automatic feeder may be one of the best investments that you can make. Visit an agricultural equipment and supply store near you to find an automatic feed system.