Forage facts

Fibre is crucially important to every horse’s diet and realistically it is the most important thing that you feed your horse. Grass has still been relatively plentiful so far this winter, yet still we must all be aware of the importance of forage and it’s good to have a plan to avoid running out of it as the winter weather continues to deteriorate.

You only need to examine the workings of the equine digestive system to appreciate how incredibly important a constant supply of forage really is. All evidence reiterates the fact that horses require a near continual ingestion of fibre; in the stomach there is a steady secretion of gastric acid (through the release of the hormone gastrin), regardless of whether there is food in the stomach or not. The teeth have evolved to grow throughout the horse’s life in order to compensate for the incredible amount of wear they get from almost constant mastication of tough plant material. And there is a very specialised mechanism for tough fibre digestion through the large microbial population in the hind gut which acts upon the near indigestible structural carbohydrates (such as hemi cellulose), fermenting them into volatile fatty acids (VFAs) which are absorbed for energy.

The fibre level in a horse or pony’s diet should never fall below 50% and the more forage that you can include in his daily ration, the better. There are of course, a wide variety of different hays to choose from, each containing varying levels of nutrients. For example, depending on the area of harvest, Timothy hay will generally contain between 3-11% protein, 28-37% fibre and the non structural carbohydrate (NSC) content can vary from around 6-15%. So if you are looking for hay which is low in starch and sugars, then it may be worth getting a couple of batches analysed (or at least ask the producer for his analysis tables). This is a good idea especially if you have a laminitic horse, so you can find the hay with the lowest NSC content before you commit to a bulk purchase. Also, it is worth bearing in mind that hay harvested at different types of the year will be of different quality. Hay that has been harvested at the beginning of the season will be nutrition rich, green, leafy and smell delicious, but if it has been cut late, then you may wind up with a poor nutrition quality, crispy, golden, dusty batch.

Ideally, (storage permitting) the best thing to do is order your hay in bulk. This is beneficial for two reasons – if you stock up to the rafters early in the season then you’ll get all the best quality hay and be able to monitor the rate that you get through it. Additionally, your horse’s digestive microflora does not appreciate changes in diet (including different batches of hay), so by buying in bulk you can feed one harvested batch for a long time rather than buying a few bales at a time, where you risk varying the hay type.

And so we come to the issue of what to do if we run out of hay. If you know that getting a decent supply of hay in your area is tricky and you find yourself running out consistently every year, then to make it last longer, it may be worth mixing your hay with a substitute at the beginning of each delivery. Haylage is the obvious option here. Although more expensive than hay, a perfectly packaged and unopened haylage bale can last up to 12 months, so you can store some of these and be safe in the knowledge that you have a backup plan if your hay does run out. The bonus is that if you do combine fresh hay with haylage, you will not only be conserving your supply of hay and making it last longer, but you will be boosting the nutritional value of your forage as haylage it is higher in B vitamins and protein. Once opened, a bale of haylage in the summer has a shelf life between 4-6 days before it goes off, and could cause colic or salmonella if fed after this time. The smell will give you a definite indication of whether is has gone bad! alternatively, you can also mix your hay with good quality straw to eek it out. Straw is an often underestimated forage source for horses which is particularly good for laminitics as it has a lower nutritional value than hay. However, as a result of the lower nutritional value of straw, feeding a high specification balancer is more important than ever and should always be fed alongside to ensure that all the essential nutrients are being supplied in the overall diet.

The only possible substitutes for hay should be other types of good quality forage. Feeding a diet higher in concentrates to compensate for a lack of hay is certainly not an option. Concentrates behave completely differently in the digestive system and feeding unnecessarily large amounts as a substitute may not only cause digestive problems such as ulcers, colic and laminitis, but will result in weight gain and possibly diet related excitability too. Not only that, but restricting forage intake and increasing concentrates as a substitute means that the delicate and highly specialised microbial population in the hind gut will start to be severely compromised. There are two types of beneficial microorganisms, both of which are in a state of careful balance – one type produces lactic acid and another type utilizes that lactic acid for conversion to VFAs. When large amounts of highly digestible carbohydrates such as starch and sugar enter the large intestine, they are rapidly converted by the microbes into lactic acid, making the pH drop rapidly and effectively killing off the microbes, releasing toxins into the blood stream. This is where the risk of laminitis comes from. If forage consumption is reduced then another common issue which arises mainly in competition and race horses is gastric ulcers. As mentioned before, the stomach secretes a consistent flow of acid in anticipation of the continual arrival of fibre. Hay especially has brilliant sponge properties, mopping up any excess stomach acid and retaining moisture throughout the gastrointestinal tract. If the stomach is empty of forage, then inevitably, a pool of stomach acid will begin to break down the sensitive layers of the stomach wall, creating lesions which develop into immensely painful ulcerations.

Remember that it always pays to have a backup plan when it comes to forage - its great importance should neither be compromised or underestimated during any time of year. Even if you swear by hay, if you do run out, then good quality straw or haylage as a perfectly good substitute which will keep your horse topped up until the next harvest.

Access to good quality fibre is a must for all horses and ponies because of course they are trickle feeders and this is what they have evolved to eat. With all performance horses, fibre must be offered at every sensible opportunity, however this can be fairy tricky during competition, especially with endurance horses who are performing for hours and hours on end. Although, at every break and rest stop (along with water and electrolytes), hay should be supplied as well to keep that trickle feeding principle in play.

Maximising fibre intake should extend to the concentrates too, and The Pure Feed Company offer a range of high fibre, low starch, no added sugar feeds, all of which contain a high specification balancer. This way, you can continue to feed a high percentage of fibre whilst providing everything your horse needs in one bag, including all the essential vitamins, minerals and energy as well.