- If the horse cannot eat hay (leaves wads of hay by feeder): Feed complete feed with highly digestible fiber. ...
- Assure high quality sources of protein, vitamins and minerals.
- If the horse cannot chew well, one can make a slurry of complete (and/or) extruded feed.
- Feed at least 3 times a day.
Can horses eat grain instead of hay?
Although they can eat grain, they still need a forage substitute that provides the +20% fiber content that good pasture or hay provides. There are a few things that you can feed horses as a substitute for hay.
What do you feed a horse with no front teeth?
However, if front incisors are missing, as in cribbers, or badly aligned, do not rely on pasture grazing for all nutrition. These horses must be fed complete feeds or loose hay and/or hay cubes since they can not graze effectively. The most difficult is feeding a geriatric horse with no teeth or with very severe tooth damage.
What is the best feed for an older horse?
Supply fiber in the diet of all older horses, as soft hay or even beet pulp, an excellent fiber and energy source. Beet pulp soaked, is easily chewed, digestible, and a good source of calcium.
How to feed forage to a horse?
Hay cubes or chopped forage can be soaked and mixed into the feed or fed separately. If the horse is able to eat high quality regular hay, separate the flakes and scatter them in small piles so that the horse walks from one pile to another. This will help the digestive tract and will provide a grazing effect for the horse.
What can I substitute for hay for horses?
Six Hay Alternatives for HorsesBagged chopped forage. It can replace all of your horse's hay, if necessary.Hay cubes. Chopped cubed hay (usually alfalfa or timothy or a combination) is another 100-percent replacement. ... Hay pellets. ... “Complete” feed. ... Beet pulp. ... Soybean hulls.
Can I feed my horse alfalfa pellets instead of hay?
Remember, pellets are not a substitute for all your horse's forage needs, they can replace alfalfa hay if your animal has other hay or grass, but a horse must consume long-stem forage for proper digestion. Also, note that one pound of alfalfa pellets has the same nutritional value as one pound of hay.
Can a horse survive without hay?
Horses can adapt to balanced rations that do not contain hay or pasture, but the absolute minimum of fiber necessary has not been established. However, low fiber/high concentrate rations have been documented to increase the risk of colic, gastric ulcers, and wood chewing behavior of horses.
Why won't my horse eat its hay?
Alfalfa (lucerne) or an alfalfa/grass mix will be appealing to most horses. On the other hand, horses might refuse to eat hay that is moldy, old, coarse and stemmy, or full of weeds.
Can I feed alfalfa cubes instead of hay?
The nutrient levels found in cubes tend to be more consistent than hay. Alfalfa cubes are sold with a guaranteed minimum nutrient content. Reduced dust. Cubes have little dust and are therefore a good alternative to hay for horses with certain respiratory problems.
Can timothy pellets replace hay?
This all-natural hay pellet is made from 100% pure sun-cured timothy. This highly digestible pellet can be used to completely replace loose hay or supplement pasture for horses, cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, etc.
Are hay pellets good for horses?
Horses often eat hay pellets faster than traditional hay because the smaller, ground particles are easy to chew and swallow. Hay pellets also do not provide any long-stem forage. However, for horses with poor teeth, soaking these pellets can still provide important fiber and nutrients.
Do horses like a light on at night?
Horses who are used to falling asleep outside in the darkness may have trouble snoozing if they're moved to brightly lit stalls. They can eventually adapt to brighter conditions—broodmares kept under artificial light for extended periods of time show few adverse effects—but they will be sleepy until they do.
Do horses like being out at night?
Some horses seem to escape more at night than they do during the day. Ensure that the field has secure fencing. Check it regularly and make every effort to ensure that your horse can't get on to a road. Some horses gorge themselves when they're out at night on the grass.
Why does my horse spit out chewed hay?
Your mare is lucky to have you in her life again. She is balling up and spitting out hay (called “quidding”) because she has probably lost a significant number of molars (those teeth at the back of her mouth) and cannot actually chew the hay like she should to be able to digest it properly.
What is the best hay for older horses?
A reduction in fiber fermentation means that older horses receive less nutrients from forage resulting in higher quality forages being required. Alfalfa hay and good quality grass hays are preferable to stemmy and mature hays that have tougher fiber to ferment.
How do you get a picky horse to eat?
If warm water doesn't do the trick, your horse may need something tasty mixed into his meals. A couple of options to try adding include apple sauce or Equi Sweet, a sugar-free liquid sweetener formulated to encourage picky eaters to eat their meals.
Will alfalfa pellets put weight on a horse?
Alfalfa is higher in calories and protein than grass hays, which makes it an excellent choice to help to add weight to a thin horse. If your horse tends to be wasteful with his hay, he may eat more when offered alfalfa hay cubes or pellets.
Are hay pellets the same as hay?
Horse owners often ask if there are any differences in feeding a hay pellet or hay from the bale? The short answer is “yes”. Hay pellets are hay that have been ground and processed with heat and steam. It basically just changes the form of the hay.
How do you feed a horse alfalfa pellets?
Usually 15-20 lbs per day of alfalfa or timothy pellets for a 1000# horse. pellets daily over 2-3 weeks. Put the pellets in a bucket, cover with warm water, and then dump them into a large muck bucket and feed immediately.
Is it cheaper to feed hay or pellets?
More Expensive Pelleted, cubed and chopped forage costs more per pound than baled grass hay.
What is a complete feed for horses?
And if all else fails, consider a complete feed. These are formulated to provide all of a horse’s nutrient needs, including fiber (generally obtained via forage), and are designed to be fed in larger amounts (compared to a lower fiber grain mix) with little to no hay alongside. (Still, nutritionists often suggest offering small quantities of long-stemmed forage even if you are feeding a complete feed as a sole source of their forage – unless they tend to choke on it, then don’t!) And, complete feeds can be soaked into a soup or gruel if need be. I personally don’t have any experience maintaining a horse on a solely complete-feed-based diet, so I’d love to hear from readers that have!
What to do if your horse is not working?
If something’s not working or if you’re unsure what the best plan for your older horse is, especially going into winter, ask your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist for help in developing a feeding plan. If it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it. Not all senior horses have dental issues, and not all of them are picky eaters.
Can senior horses eat flaked forage?
If it’s not broken, don’t try to fix it. Not all senior horses have dental issues, and not all of them are picky eaters. Some horses will eat flaked/baled/harvested forage until the day they die with no problem whatsoever. So just because the senior horse down the aisle is on a diet rich in fiber alternatives doesn’t mean you need ...
Is hay good for horses?
Feeding hay, one of the most common forms of forage horses consume, is all well and good for most younger to middle-aged horses, but it can be slightly trickier when it comes to our senior citizens. As I’m sure many of you have experienced, older horses often develop dental issues or lose teeth, making it difficult for them to successfully chew and swallow the forage that contains the fiber that’s so important to both their digestive health and weight maintenance ability. And, especially going into winter, that latter factor is important.
Can horses eat hay pellets?
Although my one experience feeding hay pellets–both soaked and unsoaked–was an epic failure (the mare would not touch either preparation to save her life!) I’ve heard great things from several friends and acquaintances about adding hay pellets to their older horses’ diets with great success.
What does it mean when a horse has less hay?
Less hay means not only is it harder to find, but it will cost more per bale. Horse owners may have to ship hay in from other areas, and that too can add to the cost and take more time to source and transport.
Who wrote Hay Substitutes for Horses?
Hay Substitutes for Horses. Written by. Katherine Blocksdorf. Katherine is an avid horseback rider and trainer who contributed to The Spruce Pets for over 12 years, publishing 400+ articles. Learn about The Spruce Pets' Editorial Process.
What happens when hay is scarce?
When hay becomes scarce it often leaves horse owners scrambling to keep their horses healthy and well fed. Any number of natural disasters can affect the growth of hay fields. In most areas of North America, farmers are able to harvest two hay crops per season. Some areas may even be able to get a third 'cut'. Drought, late springs, floods, and other disasters can mean the growth will be sparser and the cuts will be fewer. Less hay means not only is it harder to find, but it will cost more per bale. Horse owners may have to ship hay in from other areas, and that too can add to the cost and take more time to source and transport.
What is straw for horses?
Straw is the stalks of harvested grains. Since the plant has come to the end of its life cycle, it has no nutrition. Used in combination with a concentrate that provides ample nutrition that includes mineral, vitamins, and proteins, oat straw can give horses something to graze on.
How much should a horse eat?
It's recommended that at very minimum a horse should eat 1% of its body weight in fodder. Ideally, a horse should eat 2-2.5% of its weight in good quality fodder—hay or grass.
Can you use hay cubes instead of bales?
Hay cubes may be an alternative to bales. Grass and legume hay are dried and chopped and pressed into cubes. The downside of hay cubes is that there is an increased chance of choke if they are fed dry and they don't fulfill the horse's need to chew. Since hay cubes tend to be expensive, they could be used in combination with poorer quality hay.
Can horses eat beet pulp?
Beet Pulp. Beet pulp is a by-product of the sugar beet and is often fed to horses. Many horse owners notice that when they feed beet pulp, horses eat less hay. Feeding beet pulp is easy and it can be fed dry or wet. In hot weather, wet beet pulp can sour and in cold weather, freeze to the feed tub.
What is chelated vitamin in horse feed?
Some commercial "older horse feeds" use chelated vitamins, this is a process where vitamins are attached to proteins, making the vitamins more available to the horse.
How to help a horse with dental issues?
For the horse with serious dental challenges, add some high quality hay to promote intestinal motility . Although most senior feeds are high in fiber and can be fed as complete feeds, the horse needs enough bulk to maintain intestinal motility. Hay cubes or chopped forage can be soaked and mixed into the feed or fed separately. If the horse is able to eat high quality regular hay, separate the flakes and scatter them in small piles so that the horse walks from one pile to another. This will help the digestive tract and will provide a grazing effect for the horse.
What does it mean when a horse has a broken tooth?
In fact, these are signs of a serious, debilitating, painful disorder called “Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH), a condition that is being noted by many equine dentists.
Why does my horse's tooth wear out?
When a horse has missing teeth, not only is the horse's chewing ability compromised, the missing tooth causes an uneven wear pattern because the tooth opposite the gap grows too long and may interfere with jaw movement or bit action.
Why do horses chew their teeth?
In some cases because of the shape of the horse's jaws or mouth , a horse may have to chew unnaturally in an attempt to grind up his food. This action can often result in increased uneven wear on the teeth and in some cases generate significant excess pressure on one or more tooth which can result in serious complications including causing teeth to literally be worked loose.
What is the condition of a horse's teeth called?
The condition involves proliferation (out-of-control growth) of the outer covering of equine teeth, called cementum. In addition, many horses also have destruction of the internal structure of the teeth through resorption.
What happens when a horse's teeth are broken?
When a horse has crooked or broken teeth, his food tends to collect around broken or misaligned teeth, and gum or tooth infections can result leading to not only loss of nutritional value of feed, but also lose of additional teeth.
What is chestnut horse feed?
my friend has a 30 year old who pretty much has no teeth left. He gets a complete feed by Chestnut horse feeds - it's a high fibre hay replacer that soaks nicely and comes in bulk bins so it's pretty cheap for the quantity and really easy to feed. It basically replaces hay/haylage He gets it topped up with chaff, calm & condition and linseed.
Does Red Rufus have a vet chop?
There is a new feed available in the uk from http://www.red-rufus.co.uk/ - they do a veteran chop that is designed as a hay replace for those who can't chew well by chopping the forage into shorter lengths, apparently the length that they would naturally chew to. They are great at sending out free samples if you get in touch so might be worth a try?
Can horses eat hay?
My old horse is missing several teeth and cant eat hay at all. Most of his diet is roughage from a product pretty much the same as fiber beet, you soak it into a mash and he absolutely loves it! Luckly he is able to eat grass too so he manages to snack all day at least, he certainly cant eat enough grass for him to get enough roughage but given his total inability to eat hay he does do surprisingly well with grass.
