Feeding Argo is simple and needs to be kept that way. Argo is a hard-working horse and needs grain to maintain her body condition, for she never knows when she may be called upon by Xena to fight, chase villains, or carry both Xena and Gaberielle. She often has a higher energy demand than other horses, especially if they are in poor body condition to start with. Argo is a nibbler. She has a relatively small stomach and need frequent smaller meals to avoid problems like colic. When grain is available, she should be provided a maximum of one-half pound of grain per 100 pounds of body weight at a time. Good quality hay is a must. When temperatures dip, since Argo is a traveling horse and spends most of her time outside, she needs more forage. The heat of fermentation will keep the Argo warm. Corn gives energy, not extra heat. Over-conditioning (fat) is hard on Argo. The extra body weight could lead to lameness and make subtle lameness worse. But Argo is a lean, tough, fighting machine and it is doubtful that she would have a chance to develop extra fat. Even so, be careful of excess fats as they add to the general wear and tear on the Argo's body. Among the things Argo will lap eagerly are oats (probably the pick of the lot as far as general health goes), barley, maize, wheat, bran, peas, beans, linseed, sugar beet pulp nuts, horse cubes, carrots, sweets, turnips, gruel, hay, and apples. Never forget apples. While her lifestyle makes it difficult, it is important that Argo have a chance to rest after eating. While is okay to take her for a walk after a full meal, strenuous exercise like galloping or jumping will hurt her in the long run. Argo needs plenty of water. If there is plentiful supply of water, Argo will seldom gorge herself on it. When the supply of water is irregular she will gulp whatever she sees, and whenever. This hurts the digestive process, especially if she drinks during meals. Another thing to remember is that Argo is very finicky about drinking dirty water - clean, clear water is a must.

If living outside on 24-hour basis, Argo will spend 60-80% of her daylight hours grazing, with the preferred hours being early morning, late afternoon, evening, and in the cooler hours in the middle of the night. She will also spend 5-10% of her time lying down, especially in the three to four hours before dawn. During her grazing time, she will consume about a tenth of a pound of forage per 100 pounds of her body weight--every hour. The amount of time spent grazing can be adversely affected by factors like severe weather (either hot or cold) or an abundance of annoying flies, and Argo, being on her own, will tend to eat less than horses with equine companionship. Argo is a selective grazer, unlike most other tame animals. Left to her own devices, she will wander, choosing the choicest morsels and rejecting other plants. Where she deems the grazing to be unsuitable, she will make manure piles--and the fertilizing effect this has means the unwanted plants grow and go to seed that much faster.

There are five basic components for Argo's nutrition: water, energy, protein, and minerals. Argo can drink up to 10-12 gallons of water per day. Argo needs carbohydrates (oats) and a low fat intake. She will get her protein from grains, wild grasses, and hay. The most important minerals for Argo are calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, chloride, and potassium.

Forage for Argo is very important and is divided into types. Legumes, alfalfa and clover, are higher in protein, calcium and potassium than grasses. Grasses, timothy and orchard grass, are lower in nutrients than legumes, but still a good source of nutrition.
Do not forget that Argo needs salt on a regular basis.

Important: Remember if you want the way to Argo's heart: Apples, apples, apples.

When a horse gets a bad attitude, it is usually more of a reaction than a personality trait. It could be a training situation, a management situation, a physical problem, an equine social problem or other disagreeable factor in the horse's daily routine. Poor Argo must be ready to run at a moments notice, fight warlords and villains, put up with constant strangers plus Joxer, be left behind while Xena and Gabrielle have their adventures, have zero love life, and look pretty at all times. And you wonder why Argo can get grumpy.