Do I have to?

Okay so I see that everyone gives their barrel horses supplements and grass and alfalfa hay. I don't really do that. Some times I give him some grain but for the most part he gets fed twice a day alfalfa hay and he is in a pasture/ not much grass right now but soon there will be. I ride him every day just about but I don't work him that hard because he is just learning... Any advice on what I should give him? Thanks

They are not a NEED to do thing, it is personal preference and IF your horse even needs them. The feed a horse gets is based on what the owner decides to give. All my performance horses get supplements because they need them.

So it is your choice whether you think your horse needs them.
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Actually, my horses live mainly on hay/grass. So not everyone does it. Like BarrelRacingLvr said, it's a personal preference.

I do give them joint supplements though to help with sourness and my laziest horse gets Red Cell to make him more alive. Though besides that, no horses really get grain or alfalfa hay.
It makes most of mine too hot that way.

I am not a barrel racer, but I do have working ranch horses. My horses that are actually in work get fed much the same way yours do. They get 2 daily feedings of alfalfa hay and they have free access to a mineral block. They all stay at a healthy weight, they stay fit, and they have plenty of energy for whatever I need them to do, whether that's going all day long or quick bursts of full speed.

I am a huge believer that a person should only feed their horses what the horse actually needs to maintain and/or improve his body condition. Most horses are grossly overfed and that causes a bunch of serious problems like colic and founder and EPM and Cushings, etc.

Most horses do not need supplements as smrobs earlier stated. In fact, to many supplements can cause to high of protien levels which damage the kidney and liver. If your horse sweats and it looks like gillet foamy shave cream, you have overloaded your horses system . To many supplements can throw off the balance of minerals . Unless your horse has a specific problem , age, arthritis ,.Iron deficiency etc which are diagnosed by blood test, then you really only need forage (hay pasture ) free choice salt with minerals, and water lots of water :) and some shade or cover for rain. Your horse should be happy and healthy. Oh yes,, a clean pen and of course clean water.

Almost all of mine get supplements because they have special needs t help them perform. Like Selena is Selenium deficient (irony much?) so she gets a selenium suplement in with some grain and a selenium block. Rebel is older now so he gets a joint supplement to keep him fluid. Ruger, however, doesn't get anything besides hay right now because he really doesn't have any needs.

It's up to you and what your horse needs.