Feeding Hay: Recent this Decade

 Miss July could have gastric ulcers as she was always on a restricted (very limited hay...most likely all her life).  Eats continually.

Feeding Horses:  What's Recent This Decade

In the old days horses were fed grain and hay.  Research says no grain unless horse cannot maintain weight.  Research in New Zealand has shown that 2 year old Standardbred in race training developed according to expectations while fed grass/alfalfa mix hay.  Amazing.  Another study similar proved the same.

Scientists say horses are grazers:  they eat almost constantly.  This means the traditional method of feeding twice a day (hay) is not healthy for horses.  Feeding grain and hay to horses is not good for horses either.                                                    

Dr. Kerry Ridgeway wrote an article on Gastric Ulcers in horses.  Similar articles report that 97% of horses have gastric ulcers.  Grain gives horses gastric ulcers, so does isolation (not living in a herd), lack of being able to move (paddock and stall living).  In other words the way most horses are kept makes them sick.

It isn't breed related, age, temperament, but living and feeding conditions that give horses gastric ulcers.

Horses need freedom to move, to have friends (other horses), and forage.  They also need to be treated reasonably.  They need to be regularly attended to by a veterinarian, farrier and caretaker.  Wild horses lived or died.

Indications of Equine Gastric Ulcers

Essentially the horse is not happy, well behaved, mannerly, co-operative, calm, relaxed.
Some is bad handling (human teaches the horse that that behaviour is acceptable).  Some horses are more stoic than others.  The stoic one is the horse that keeps on going without (much) attitude regardless of how he feels.  Other horses are more sensitive and wear their emotions on their sleeves, so to speak.  They are the "problem" horses.

Indicators
• objects to girth/cinch being done up hard and fast (or at all):  pins ears, kicks, tosses head, snaps (even bites), rears, rears and fall over
• doesn't gain weight  The horse is not thin, but not fat either.  There is a limit to how much the horse can eat.
• stereotypies (caused by grain fed, lack of freedom, no friends:  stress)
• aversion to being touched:  tail swishing, tight skin, objects to stomach being touched
• reluctant to work

Causes
Are caused by a lack of forage in the stomach.  Stomach acid sloshing around in the stomach is not good for the horse (eating hay before work helps if not on continuous access to hay)
Fed more grain than hay.  (maximum grain is 5 pounds per feeding, up to 50% of daily food allowance)

What to feed  "no grain" horses
a grass mix is best:  alfalfa grass hay for the protein (12% for mature horses), potassium, calcium ratio to be correct

Mixed grass hay is better than only one type of grass.  A legume mix is more nutirious than a straight grass mix. (alfalfa preferred over clover)

Mineral salt (loose) for free choice eating
Loose iodised salt
(horses do not have cow tongues so cannot lick a block like a cow can)

Grass is considered a great healer.
Access to pasture in winter (after the grass has grown all summer) saves on hay.
 summer pasture with a mix of grasses and plants to choose to eat

Feeding hay 24/7 can be a challenge.  Scientists say horses that are never deprived of hay will eat enough.

Options for feeding hay 24/7

Unrolling a round bale

Benefits
• less injuries in eyes, kicks
• less manure concentrated on field
• everyone has equal access to feed
area where bale was fed is fertilized evenly (no harrowing in spring), reseeded

Challenges
• unrolling the bale is heavy work by yourself if the attachment is not on the tractor
horses over eat
• rain, trampled in the spring during breakup


Haynet
• bale in a net with 2'-1" holes
• It is tough getting the net on when it is exactly the same size as the bale
• no shod, blanketed or haltered horses
• some horses learn to untie the net opening
• some horses chew holes in the net for easier access to hay so repairing the holes is time consuming and should be done every time a bale is put out
• finding the net in the snow can be difficult if there has been a snowstorm
wet nets are very heavy

• 11/2" opening still frustrates some horses
• feeds at the same rate as forking hay
• horses stand around the bale rather than walking around like do grazing
• horses always have hay so not worries about feeding them at same time
• need a tractor or access to strong people
• come in all sizes:  little square bale to huge 5x5 bales



Forking hay
• need to be fit and strong
• able to carry hay to different points with more hay piles than horses, 20' apart the piles
•calf sled helps in moving hay out into the • always eating in a clean spot
• tramples snow so have more living area (important when you hae 4' of snow on the ground)


Feeding in the field rather than in a paddock
• no cleaning (or not much) in the spring
• lots of movement for the horses
• horses stay fitter walking in to water, to hay, to shelter
• reseeds field, fertilizes field with excellent fertilizer
• horses don't run around in field because always in it (less chance of injuries)
• fences don't need repairing because horses are not near them

Pasture
Doesn't need to be all good grazing areas.  Exercise is good.  Room is good for movement and lack of injuries, fitness (bone density is affected positively, muscles.)
Look at the muscles on the horses in the photos:  bulging.  It isn't from work or fancy feeding  Runing in the field when it is not due to excitement but feeling good is ok.  Running hard because just turned out not so good as the horse has not been warmed up.  Accidents can happen.
3 year old filly (just turned 3)  She has always lived at pasture

Fenced off/pathways in a field
not sure about this.  Why not just spread out the salt, water, shelter, food so horses have to walk.  They do not stand in one place when out in a field.  Apparently (according to Heather Nelson's blog) the horses run more when turned into the lanes.
I don't want my horses getting comfortable around electric fences.  I want them to stay at least 3' away from the fence.  That means having fencing zigzagging around a field there is a lot of wasted space (because you really don't want your horse tangled in electric fencing (or any fencing for that matter)

Depleted pasture...horses fed haybale unrolled in various parts of the field (to fertilize and reseed)

not much snow now but you can see how much the horses travel in this small area the photo shows

following a path now that the snow is deeper