Foraging Options – Slow Feed Hay Net (Round)

Foraging

If feeding a hay diet, allowing adequate forage time can be more challenging to accomplish than a horse being out on pasture.

Slow Feed Hay Net (round):

• Can purchase different sized holes (½–2 inches) in the netting based on your horse's needs. For example, larger holes for working horses to allow more accessibility to energy nutrients required

• These typically range from $200-500

• May only last 1-2 years

• Require a hay feeder around them

• Watch weather

• Can take 3-4 days for horses to learn to eat enough from them

Foraging Options – Slow Feed Hay Nets

Very affordable!

• Same benefits of round hay net

• Controversial "unnatural position" of foraging (watch placement). Higher risk of allergies if elevated and skeletal issues when insecure. Also allows for hay to be off bedding, however.

Foraging Options – Grazing Muzzles

• Alternatively, horses out on grass (especially lush grass) can pose risk of a number of conditions as well as obesity

• Grazing muzzles are cheap alternatives to limit their length of time grazing

• This still allows horses to roam freely with a herd

• They are roughly $40-50

Hay Belly

• When horses are fed higher proportions of grain (vs forage), they tend to have a smaller cecum and colon → this is because there is usually less fibre to be digested in the hind gut

• "Hay Belly" is a common term used to describe horses that are fed lower quality forages

• Because digesta spends so much time in the hind gut, it causes them to grow a larger cecum and colon, increasing their overall abdomen size

• Low quality means lots of indigestible fibre, which disrupts the microbiome, leading to excess gas being produced

• Horses often also display a poor topline

• This affects athletic performance, but can be easily corrected with improved nutrition (protein), exercise, and probiotics

• Be careful not to confuse a "hay belly" with fat!

Feeding Straw to Horses

• Another option to maintain the foraging concept for obese horses is via straw in the diet

• Straw is the leftover stems from grain harvesting

• This should not be used as the sole diet due to its low nutritional value and risk of colic

• Ensure it has no chemicals (sometimes they place chemicals on the straw to prevent ingestion of bedding)

• Requires good teeth

Legumes Nutritional Value

• Legumes are a good source of dietary protein and energy

• Provide more calcium than grasses

• This calcium helps buffer gastric acids, preventing either severity and/or incidence of GI ulcers

This makes legume mixed hay good for:

1. Horses in heavy work or training

2. Lactating or growing horses (as long as balance is considered)

3. Picky eaters (more palatable)

• A general recommendation is to offer growing horses free-choice hay, but that should NOT be a free-choice legume hay

• The calcium to phosphorus ratio is important, especially for growing or lactating horses