Question not here? Call our Nutrition Line on
01371 850247 (option 2)
1. When should I soak hay and for how long?
Most hay carries some dust and pollen so soaking is generally advisable to avoid causing respiratory problems. Soaking for about 20 minutes is recommended as this is the time where the balance between nutrient losses and the reduction of dust are optimum. For laminitics or good-doers, soaking for 12 hours or more, weather permitting, will leach out a large proportion of nutrients from the hay so that it provides few calories whilst still supplying valuable fibre.
Find out more in the following articles:
General Nutrition – Forage; All a horse needs?
General Nutrition – Forage; the Long and the Short of it!
To find out how much to feed your horse try our Feed Calculator
2. Should I avoid feeding haylage to a laminitic?
A lot depends on the quality of the haylage in question! It is entirely possible for a soft, leafy, early-cut hay to provide more calories, and have higher soluble carbohydrate levels than a stalkier, later-cut haylage. As a general rule, haylage can be more digestible than hay so horses and ponies tend to do better on it and, due to its increased moisture content, the nutrients are more available to the horse.
So, when choosing forage for a laminitic, go for stalkier, less digestible hay or haylage which will have a high fibre content and lower sugar/soluble carbohydrate content. When controlling calorie intake to encourage weight loss, make a smaller amount of forage last longer by using small-holed haynets or one net inside another.
Find out more in the following articles:
General Nutrition – Laminitis; what it is and how to avoid it
3. Should I feed less haylage than hay?
Whilst the increased water content of haylage means certain nutrients are more available to the horse, giving the impression that it is more nutritious, it also means that haylage weighs more than the same volume of hay. For this reason, you need to give your horse more haylage, by weight, than hay to ensure he is still getting plenty of fibre. Limiting the amount of haylage a horse is given is more likely to result in digestive upsets and behavioural problems due to boredom.
Find out more in the following articles:
General Nutrition – Forage; All a horse needs?
General Nutrition – Forage; the Long and the Short of it!
To find out how much to feed your horse try our Feed Calculator
4. How much forage should a horse have daily?
Despite its ability to graze for long periods, a horse has a limited appetite and can only consume the equivalent of 2 - 2.5% of its bodyweight as food per day. Ideally, as much of this as possible should be forage and a horse should never be fed less forage than the equivalent of 1% of its bodyweight (5kg/10lb for a 500kg horse).
Apart from its nutritional contribution to the horse, forage is also of physiological and psychological importance to the horse. The digestive system is designed to have a constant steady flow of fibre-rich food flowing through so access to ad lib forage will ensure it continues to function healthily. The horse is designed to graze for 18 out of every 24 hours and being deprived of forage or pasture for any length of time will cause stress as well as digestive upset. Also chewing releases saliva, which helps neutralise the acid constantly produced by the horse’s stomach, so any period without forage leaves the stomach vulnerable to ulceration.
To find out how much to feed your horse try our Feed Calculator
5. Do I need to add chaff to my horse’s feed?
If your horse gets ad lib forage (grass/hay/haylage) and eats this well, he will be fulfilling his fibre requirements so the small amount added to a concentrate feed in the form of chaff, is insignificant.
Find out more in the following articles:
General Nutrition – Why do you do that?
Most hay carries some dust and pollen so soaking is generally advisable to avoid causing respiratory problems. Soaking for about 20 minutes is recommended as this is the time where the balance between nutrient losses and the reduction of dust are optimum. For laminitics or good-doers, soaking for 12 hours or more, weather permitting, will leach out a large proportion of nutrients from the hay so that it provides few calories whilst still supplying valuable fibre.
Find out more in the following articles:
General Nutrition – Forage; All a horse needs?
General Nutrition – Forage; the Long and the Short of it!
To find out how much to feed your horse try our Feed Calculator
2. Should I avoid feeding haylage to a laminitic?
A lot depends on the quality of the haylage in question! It is entirely possible for a soft, leafy, early-cut hay to provide more calories, and have higher soluble carbohydrate levels than a stalkier, later-cut haylage. As a general rule, haylage can be more digestible than hay so horses and ponies tend to do better on it and, due to its increased moisture content, the nutrients are more available to the horse.
So, when choosing forage for a laminitic, go for stalkier, less digestible hay or haylage which will have a high fibre content and lower sugar/soluble carbohydrate content. When controlling calorie intake to encourage weight loss, make a smaller amount of forage last longer by using small-holed haynets or one net inside another.
Find out more in the following articles:
General Nutrition – Laminitis; what it is and how to avoid it
3. Should I feed less haylage than hay?
Whilst the increased water content of haylage means certain nutrients are more available to the horse, giving the impression that it is more nutritious, it also means that haylage weighs more than the same volume of hay. For this reason, you need to give your horse more haylage, by weight, than hay to ensure he is still getting plenty of fibre. Limiting the amount of haylage a horse is given is more likely to result in digestive upsets and behavioural problems due to boredom.
Find out more in the following articles:
General Nutrition – Forage; All a horse needs?
General Nutrition – Forage; the Long and the Short of it!
To find out how much to feed your horse try our Feed Calculator
4. How much forage should a horse have daily?
Despite its ability to graze for long periods, a horse has a limited appetite and can only consume the equivalent of 2 - 2.5% of its bodyweight as food per day. Ideally, as much of this as possible should be forage and a horse should never be fed less forage than the equivalent of 1% of its bodyweight (5kg/10lb for a 500kg horse).
Apart from its nutritional contribution to the horse, forage is also of physiological and psychological importance to the horse. The digestive system is designed to have a constant steady flow of fibre-rich food flowing through so access to ad lib forage will ensure it continues to function healthily. The horse is designed to graze for 18 out of every 24 hours and being deprived of forage or pasture for any length of time will cause stress as well as digestive upset. Also chewing releases saliva, which helps neutralise the acid constantly produced by the horse’s stomach, so any period without forage leaves the stomach vulnerable to ulceration.
To find out how much to feed your horse try our Feed Calculator
5. Do I need to add chaff to my horse’s feed?
If your horse gets ad lib forage (grass/hay/haylage) and eats this well, he will be fulfilling his fibre requirements so the small amount added to a concentrate feed in the form of chaff, is insignificant.
Find out more in the following articles:
General Nutrition – Why do you do that?