Horse Care in Early Spring: As winter months pass and everyone is looking forward to the first hints of spring weather, horses still need regular cold-season care to stay well-fed and healthy in early spring. Don’t neglect these areas of horse management:

Blanketing:

Blanketed horses should be checked at least once a day and preferably more often to be sure blankets are secure and properly fitted. Many horses lose some weight during a hard winter, and blankets may need to be adjusted for this change. It’s a good idea to have several extra blankets in reserve in case one is torn or gets so wet and muddy that it needs to be taken off the horse for repairs.

Interested in learning more about horse care in early spring? Visit or call J & J Hay Farms for more information!

Article brought to you by Kentucky Equine Research.

All the horses in the barn get the same amount of feed every day; it makes feeding time much simpler. The warmbloods look super. Their weight is good, and their coats are gleaming. However, the one Thoroughbred in the barn who arrived a little thin six months ago has not put on any weight. In fact, he has lost body condition. He is getting grain just like the other horses, so what could be wrong? A veterinarian has thoroughly examined the horse and nothing appears to be wrong. Could it be as simple as insufficient caloric intake? What kind of changes can be made to his feeding program to encourage weight gain?

Sometimes, getting a thin horse to gain weight is simply a matter of increasing the caloric density of the diet. Other times, the diet may need to be higher in calories because of a medical, psychological or environmental problem.

What makes a horse a hard keeper?

The metabolic rate determines whether a horse is an easy or hard keeper. The variation between horses can be extreme.

Metabolism is the speed at which the body burns fuels for energy in order to maintain normal body functions. A slow metabolism can function on little input of fuel energy. Conversely, a fast metabolism needs a higher caloric intake in order to function properly. In general, members of certain breeds have faster metabolisms and need more food to maintain body condition than members of other breeds. For example, Thoroughbreds usually eat more per pound of body weight than draft horses. There is also variety within a breed. For instance, some Thoroughbreds are easy keepers while others require intense management to maintain body weight.

Temperament

Temperament often goes hand in hand with metabolic rate. A nervous horse may require more calories than a calm tempered one to maintain the same body condition. A tense horse may spend more time stall walking or weaving while the calm horse conserves energy stores.

A thin horse requires energy in the diet to ensure proper functioning of body processes and to build fat stores. Energy is a general term, yet many horsemen associate the word energy with mental energy. In this article, energy refers to the potential of a feed to fuel body functions and exercise. Weight gain in the horse can be attributed to protein or fat deposition. When a horse does not have enough calories or protein in the diet, the body will break down its own muscle tissue and deplete much of the adipose tissue or fat.

This results in emaciation with poor muscle definition and protruding bones. When the diet has excessive calories, the body will build muscle and adipose stores. The simplified solution to poor weight is to increase the caloric content of the diet while ensuring adequate protein content. The three nutrients which can supply energy to increase the caloric content of the diet in the horse are fiber, starch and fat. Each nutrient is utilized for energy in a slightly different way in the body which, depending on the horse, can be advantageous or not.

Fiber

Of the three major energy sources for the horse, fiber is the most important, most underestimated and the safest. Fiber is the major component of grass and hay. Some horses can maintain their weight on fiber sources alone. For the hard keeper, however, fiber alone will not maintain weight, but there are fiber feeding strategies that can increase the ability of the horse to derive energy from fiber.

The fiber portion of a plant consists primarily of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Residing in the intestinal tract of the horse (cecum and colon) are billions of microbes which break down the fiber into a physiologically usable form, volatile fatty acids. These volatile fatty acids pass into the bloodstream of the horse where they can be transported to sites which need energy or tucked away as energy stores in the form of adipose tissue or muscle glycogen. Most of the cellulose and hemicellulose is easily digested by intestinal microbes (digestible fiber); the lignin is not digestible (indigestible fiber). Therefore, as lignin content of a feed increases, digestibility decreases.

Digestibility

As digestibility plummets, less energy is available to the horse. Lignin is the carbohydrate which gives the most structural support to a plant; rigid-stalked vegetation will contain more lignin than limp-stalked plants. For instance, there is little lignin in the soft leaves of the alfalfa plant (lucerne), but a much higher content of lignin is present in the rigid stem. If there is more leaf and less stem, or if the stems have not matured to become stiff and inflexible, the digestible fiber portion of the hay will be higher. A young plant harvested prior to maturity will have a lower lignin content than a plant allowed maturing before cutting.

Fresh Grasses

Fresh green spring grass is much higher in digestible fiber than parched summer grass. A horse can draw more energy from a high quality, early harvested hay (whether grass or legume) than a mature hay. Pasture is also a source of fiber. The digestibility of pasture is usually higher than hay because the curing process of haymaking results in digestible fiber losses.

When comparing the energy content of alfalfa (lucerne) and grass hays, alfalfa hay can provide a horse with more energy than grass hay of similar quality. On the other hand, low quality alfalfa hay which is composed of more stem than leaf is not a rich source of energy. More energy could be provided with grass hay that has very little stem and an abundance of visible green grass blades. Maximizing forage quality should be the first adjustment when trying to achieve weight gain.

Alternative Fibers

When quality fiber in the form of pasture or hay is not available, or if the horse does not readily eat hay, there are alternative fiber sources that may add fiber energy to the diet. The most common are beet pulp, soy hulls, wheat bran and alfalfa pellets or cubes. Beet pulp is about 80% digestible fibers (as compared to 50% for the average hay).

Soy hulls are a by-product of soybean production. Soy hulls are the skin of the bean (not the husk or pod) that is knocked off before oil is extracted from the bean. Commonly used in commercial horse feeds, soy hulls are slightly lower in digestibility than beet pulp. If a commercially designed horse feed has soy hulls listed as one of the primary ingredients, it will be a good source of highly digestible fiber.

Wheat bran is commonly thought of as a fiber source, but it actually has about the same amount of fiber as oats. It is a rich energy source because it is abundant in digestible fiber and starch. Wheat bran contains a large quantity of phosphorus, which can potentially disrupt the calcium and phosphorus ratio in the diet. On the flip side, wheat bran complements a diet high in alfalfa hay because of the calcium in the alfalfa.

Supplements

When good quality forage is unavailable or if hay intake is minimal or difficult for a horse, the diet of the horse can be supplemented with alfalfa pellets or cubes. Both products are made with alfalfa that has been harvested when digestible fiber is at its peak. Thus, alfalfa pellets and cubes provide energy to the horse. Alfalfa hay is often combined with timothy hay or whole corn plants to create cubes lower in protein and calcium content than pure alfalfa cubes. Caution is necessary when feeding pellets as some hay should still be fed if possible because of the important laxative effect of long fiber in the diet.

Supplements are available that may help with fiber digestion if the horse has a problem with the balance of the microbes in the cecum or colon. Yeast has been researched and found to improve fiber digestibility. Some commercial feeds come with yeast already added or yeast products are sold which can be top-dressed to the ration.

Probiotics are also thought to help improve fiber digestibility. Because the microbial population in the hindgut can shift out of balance, researchers believe the addition of more bacteria in the form of a probiotic restores bacterial stability, thereby improving digestion of forage. Also, commercial products are available that combine yeast and a probiotic for maximal regeneration and efficiency of the microbial population.

Starch

When a horse cannot maintain weight on hay or grass alone, the addition of starch in the form of grains has been the most traditional method of increasing the energy density of the diet. Obtaining energy from starch is actually more efficient because it is a simple enzymatic process. The end result has to feed fewer pounds of grain than hay to supply the equivalent amount of energy to the horse. Grains are an excellent source of starch for the horse, but they can be hazardous to the digestive tract. The starch molecules found in grains are complex polysaccharides that, when attacked by the enzyme amylase in the small intestine, can be broken down to very simple sugars, which are easily absorbed into the bloodstream.

From there, the sugars in the blood are distributed to where they may be needed by the body for energy or they may be stored as muscle glycogen or adipose tissue for future use. The limiting factor to starch digestion in the horse is the production of amylase in the intestinal tract. Amylase production has been found to be quite variable among horses.

Fermentation

Without sufficient amylase in the intestinal tract, much of the starch in the diet passes through to the large intestine where it is fermented. This is undesirable for two reasons. First, the amount of energy produced from starch by fermentation is less than the amount produced by enzymatic means. Second, excessive fermentation of starch drops the pH of the hindgut, which will decrease the efficiency of the bacteria that digest fiber and produce energy.

To further complicate the situation, not all starch molecules are created equal. Studies have shown that the oat starch molecule is small and easily digested by amylase. On the other hand, the starch molecules of corn and barley are large and not easily digested. If the corn or barley is treated with heat, it changes the nature of the starch molecule and makes it more easily digested by amylase.

Therefore, it is better to feed steam rolled or cooked barley and steam flaked or super flaked corn than their untreated counterparts. The process of pelleting involves heat which results in improved enzymatic digestion of corn; extruding improves it even more. When deciding on a commercial mix for the horse, look for one that uses grains that have been processed to allow for optimal digestion in the small intestine of the horse.

Feeding Dangers

While grain is a concentrated source of energy for the horse, there are some inherent dangers with feeding excessive amounts. When desperately trying to get a difficult horse to gain weight, it is often tempting to keep increasing the amount of grain being fed. Unfortunately, there is a point of no return when a horse gets too much grain in its digestive tract and the delicate balance of the microbial population is upset.

At this point, many horses also lose their appetite for forage and the situation worsens. No matter how much grain you feed, the horse will probably lose more weight. The minimal amount of forage a horse requires is 1% of its body weight. Therefore, a 1000 pound (450 kilogram) horse needs a minimum of 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) of hay per day in order to maintain a reasonable balance of the microbial population. The rest of the diet should be designed around the minimal forage requirement.

Too Much Starch

The danger of feeding too much starch occurs because certain horses have a sensitivity to starch overload, perhaps precipitated by low amylase production or large meals of unprocessed grains. The cascade of problems begins with too much grain passing from the small intestine to the cecum and colon.

The starch in the grain is fermented by bacteria. The by-product of starch fermentation is lactic acid, a substance which alters the pH of the hindgut to be more acidic. The acidic environment kills the bacteria. As the bacteria die they produce endotoxins and laminitis trigger factors which can cause colic.

The laminitis trigger factors that pass into the blood can also induce laminitis. Horses that suffer starch sensitivity should not be given high grain diets. Kentucky Equine Research has developed EquiShure, a hindgut buffer to prevent acid build-up in the large intestine and maintain normal digestive function for horses on high-grain diets or those requiring weight gain.

Enzymes

As with forage digestion, supplements designed to aid in starch digestion or utilization have been developed. Although there has not been definitive research performed on the benefit of adding enzymes to the diet, the theory is well founded. If amylase is the limiting factor in small intestinal grain digestion, adding amylase to the feed may reduce the amount of grain channeling into the cecum and colon. Although there are a few feeds and supplements containing enzymes on the market, their efficacy is still questionable. Enzymes are proteins which are sensitive to acidic environments.

Such environments denature the enzymes thereby making them inactive. All feed passes through the acidic stomach before reaching the small intestine, so how much enzyme will actually reach the intestine intact and not be denatured? More research is necessary to establish the efficacy of feeding supplemental enzymes. Supplemental chromium may improve the metabolism of starch. The action of chromium does not have as much to do with aiding digestion as it does with the way the body handles the rise in blood glucose resulting from starch digestion and the consequential rise in insulin. Chromium yeast has been effective in reducing the incidence of chronic founder in some ponies and the incidence of chronic tying up in some horses with intolerance to high grain diets.

Fat

Almost all performance horses have some type of fat added to their diet, whether it is a slug of corn oil, a scoop of rice bran, a handful of linseed or a commercial high fat feed. Traditionally, fat was added to give the coat a healthy shine. However, recent research has brought to light an even better reason for feeding fat – it is an excellent energy source. Added dietary fat has proven to be an invaluable tool for packing weight on a hard keeper. As well as being a highly concentrated energy source, fat has several other advantages. Energy from fat does not make a horse flighty like energy from grain, and horses on high fat diets exhibit more endurance. There are differences between various fat sources which make one more useful than another in different circumstances.

Differences

There are major differences between vegetable fats (oils) and animal fats. The primary disadvantage of feeding animal fats is palatability; oils are much more appealing to the horse, although many commercial animal fats have flavorings added to improve the taste.

Corn oil typically has remained the star in palatability studies, but most oils are palatable when corn oil is not offered as a choice in these studies. The second obstacle is digestibility. Animal fat is only about 75% digestible while oil is closer to 95%. With small intakes of animal fat the digestibility difference is insignificant, but when higher levels are fed, that portion of indigestible fat can start to play havoc with the balance of microbes in the hindgut. Loose, runny feces are a sign that improper fat digestion is occurring. A third obstacle involves the long term maintenance of horses on animal fat. Horses may tire of the flavor and go off of an animal fat product before refusing a vegetable oil.

Common Fat Sources

Other common sources of fat include rice bran, linseed, sunflower seeds, full fat soybeans and coconut meal (copra meal). Rice bran is an excellent product for improving body condition and topline of thin horses because it is a combination of rice oil and highly digestible fiber. However rice bran will rapidly go rancid unless it is stabilised by extrusion, and unstabilised products should not be fed. Look for research proven stabilised rice bran which is a popular horse feed supplement in many countries. Linseed, sunflower seeds and other seeds can also provide fat in the diet, but a notable problem does arise when feeding vast amounts of seeds. As quantities of seeds fed increases, consumption will frequently slow, sometimes to the point of total refusal. Roasted soybeans are also great in small quantities. However, they will increase the protein percentage of the diet too much if fed in larger amounts.

A high-fat diet is an invaluable tool for achieving weight gain in a skinny horse as long as the gastrointestinal tract of the horse will tolerate the fat. Normally horses have no problem digesting fat as long as it is introduced gradually into the diet. The greatest advantage of using fat as an energy source is that it helps to avoid excessive intakes of grain. Dietary fat works best when fed in conjunction with grain and/or highly digestible fiber sources like beet pulp (not neglecting good quality hay or pasture). Many new feeds are appearing on the markets that incorporate high fat levels (> 6%) with high fiber ingredients like beet pulp or soy hulls.

Conclusion

Some horses are metabolically inclined to be hard keepers. Others have medical, psychological or environmental reasons for having difficulty in maintaining weight. Increasing the caloric intake of a horse is not problematic if careful attention is paid to the feedstuffs offered to the horse. Manipulation of the amount and variety of energy sources will often achieve the ideal body condition on the hard keeper.

Call the hay experts at J & J Hay Farms to discuss your needs and to help select the best hay for your budget and situation.

Article sourced from Kentucky Equine Research.

What are good forage choices for aged horses with dental problems? Armed with a battery of six molars on each quadrant of the skull, horses with sound dentition process forages efficiently. Also called cheek teeth, the molars pulverize forages, increasing the surface area of the forage particles. Thus, allowing the most nutrients to be extracted from them as they flow through the gastrointestinal tract. When horses age, dental diseases crop up more frequently. As horses creep toward and into their 20s, molars begin to wobble in their sockets and eventually fall out. Special consideration must be given to meeting forage requirements when this happens.

Forage

In healthy horses with normal dentition, forage can be offered in numerous ways. For example, as pasture, traditional long-stem hay, chaff, hay cubes, hay pellets, and haylage. For aged horses with mild dental disease, a leafy high-quality hay or immature pasture grasses of moderate length can be offered. When more advanced dental disease sets in, such as the loss of molars, horses will begin to quid when offered these same forages. Quidding is a behavior in which long-stemmed forages are not chewed and swallowed normally but rolled into a ball and then dropped from the mouth.

“No harm lies in allowing aged horses to quid as long as they do not try to swallow the boluses of forage. Through trial and error, most horses figure out how to quid safely,” explained Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research. “Quidding may relieve boredom in horses that are likely not as active as they once were, and provides horses with valuable ‘chew time.’”

Quidding Benefits

Crandell mentioned another benefit to quidding. “With quidding, the forage bolus is coated with saliva or oftentimes moistened as horses drink. When moisture is added, a ‘hay tea’ is made within the mouth. Horses may be able to leach some nutrients from the forage.”

Quidding provides few, if any, actual calories to the horse. Appropriate forages must be sourced and prepared in a way that the horse derives most benefit.

Hay cubes, soaked. According to Crandell, this is probably the most common alternative forage offered to horses with poor teeth. When traditional hay is unsuitable, owners figure cubes may be the best substitute. If horses cannot chew the hay cubes adequately, however, there is little value in the cubes as horses cannot digest them well. Crandell, who has managed many old horses, breaks apart the cubes after soaking them. Some of her horses with poor teeth have refused full-sized cubes that would be difficult to chew, even when soaked.

Hay pellets, soaked.

For horses that hold their weight well, owners should look for pellets made from grasses, like timothy, Bermudagrass, or teff. Alfalfa pellets would be appropriate for horses that have a harder time maintaining body condition, as they contain more calories. “Pellets should soak long enough to fall apart completely,” Crandell explained. “I soak alfalfa pellets until they become a soft mush, usually one or two hours. The heaviness of the mush is dependent upon the amount of water used to soak them. If there isn’t enough water, the centers of the pellets will remain hard and be problematic for some horses.”

Beet pulp, soaked.

As a super fiber, beet pulp contains more calories than equal amounts of hay. “I prefer to combine beet pulp with hay pellets because hay is a more nutritionally balanced fiber source than beet pulp,” Crandell explained. Beet pulp can be purchased as shreds (molassed or unmolassed), pellets, or micronized flakes. For aged horses, shreds and pellets should be soaked, about an hour if using cold water and at least a half hour if using hot water. Micronized beet pulp soaks up water quickly and is often ready to feed in 10-15 minutes.

Chaff or chopped forage, soaked.

Depending on the country of origin, chaff can range from 1-3 cm in length. The shorter chaff may be somewhat easier to chew, but it won’t improve the digestibility.

Commercial senior feeds, soaked.

While many senior feeds are marketed as complete feeds, Crandell recommends adding additional fiber to the products. Add-ins may include beet pulp or hay pellets.

Soaking forages makes them easier to chew for horses with dental problems. Because soaking increases the volume of some of these forage products and creates larger meals, several small meals a day may be necessary to mimic natural feeding patterns.

Aged horses fed diets composed exclusively of forage should be fed a balancer pellet, which provides protein, vitamins, and minerals often deficient in forage-only diets. If alfalfa makes up a large part of the diet, a balancer pellet may not be necessary, but a high-quality vitamin and mineral supplement will be.

Check Broodmare Hay for Fescue: Fescue…what’s not to love? Landowners throughout North America and in other parts of the world such as New Zealand and Australia enjoy its numerous benefits. The perennial’s hardiness allows it to thrive despite heavy hoof traffic, intense grazing, and adverse growing conditions.

Cold-Weather Horse Diets: Those cold winter months of mud, slush, and frozen ground…owners dread them. The horses? For the most part, they don’t seem to care. In fact, many seem to be energized by the crisp air and chilly breezes.

Very young, very old, or ailing horses may need specific changes in stable routine. However, healthy horses with an intact coat can usually tolerate winter weather with few problems. Especially if owners pay attention to basic feeding and management principles.

Water

If it’s not the most important winter consideration, water is at least near the top of the list. Even when the horse is not working and sweating, water consumption is necessary to prevent impaction of ingested material in the intestinal tract. Horses naturally tend to drink somewhat less water when the temperature drops. As a result, make every effort to ensure sufficient intake. Owners can start with these management steps:

Provide a constant supply of clean water that is not too cold. Experts disagree on the exact “favorite” water temperature. Horses will drink water that is quite cold. They tend to ingest a larger amount when water is warmed to around 45 or 50 degrees F (4 to 15 degrees C). Water that is hot to the touch is not suitable.

Make sure water sources aren’t frozen. For example, by using insulated buckets, installing an electric heater, or frequently providing warmed water. NOTE: being shocked will back horses off a water tank, even if they are extremely thirsty.

If you have a heated water tank that horses are not using, check and check again (use an extremely sensitive voltmeter, or schedule a visit from an electrician) to be certain there is no “stray” voltage. Some horses will react to voltage that is too slight for humans to detect, while other horses (and most cattle) don’t seem to be bothered.

Add water to feed. Give occasional bran mashes. Sprinkle salt on feed to stimulate a thirst response. These are all useful techniques. However, these measures by themselves may not ensure adequate water intake. Also, don’t count on horses eating snow to stay hydrated. Melting snow in the mouth and stomach uses so much energy that it’s difficult for the horse to maintain a safe body temperature.

Hay

Fermentation of fiber in the horse’s hindgut is the major heat source that keeps horses comfortable through the colder months. Therefore, a steady supply of hay is crucial. While many horses continue to graze some pasture, hay usually provides the majority of winter forage.

Type and amount of hay will vary depending on a horse’s size, metabolism, and workload. At a minimum, start with the basic guideline of feeding enough hay to equal about 1.5 % to 2% of the horse’s body weight (around 15 to 20 pounds (6.8 to 9 kilograms) a day for a horse weighing 1000 pounds (453 kilograms)), and increase as needed when the temperature drops.

Types of Horses

Easy keepers and horses doing minimal work get along well on medium-quality grass hay (can contain a few weeds, may have been cut when a little more mature than optimum).

Horses with average metabolisms will do better on good-quality grass hay (mostly free of weeds, made from grass that was not over-mature at cutting).

Heavily exercised horses or those with special needs (older horses, thin horses, horses recovering from illness) may need a grass-legume mix or even a straight alfalfa hay.

As a general rule, shivering horses that regularly clean up every scrap of hay probably need to have their hay ration increased. Horses that simply enjoy eating will also consume every flake in sight. Increasing their ration is not a good idea.

You can tell the difference by using a weight tape every few weeks through the winter to track changes, uncovering the situation of heavy-coated horses that appear fat when they are actually losing weight. Likewise, horses that leave some hay untouched may seem to have been overfed. It is also possible they are leaving weeds, rough plants, or flakes containing mold. Inspect the rejected material. Purchase better-quality hay if necessary.

Stalled horses have plenty of time to pick through their hay, munching a few mouthfuls now and then as the hours pass.

Pastured horses that eat hay in a group setting need to be monitored. Be sure that low-status animals have adequate access to hay. Very timid horses may need to be fed hay separately or in smaller groups. Spacing hay piles widely in the field and offering several extra piles can minimize this problem.

Concentrates

Winter diets usually include concentrates for two reasons: nutrients and energy. Hay and dormant grasses don’t have the same nutritional value as fresh pasture. Overcome this lack by feeding a fortified sweet feed or pelleted product.

Concentrates also pack a lot more energy than grass or hay. Horses that are eating plenty of good-quality hay and are still not maintaining their weight may need additional calories in cold, windy, damp weather.

As with hay selection, the type of concentrate depends on the individual horse, and most feed dealers offer a variety of choices to meet the needs of young, mature, old, working, or breeding horses. Feeds containing beet pulp or soy hulls, so-called super fibers, include highly digestible fiber along with more traditional sources of energy. Corn oil, rice bran, and other fat products boost the caloric density of a horse’s ration.

Overweight horses that need vitamins and minerals in a low-calorie package can be given a supplement that provides only these nutrients. Remember to feed no more than about five pounds of pellets or sweet feed at one time. Break larger feedings into several small meals spaced throughout the day.

Beyond the basics

Water, hay, concentrated feed…a winter diet containing these elements is a good starting point. Good managers, however, ensure the comfort of the horses in their care by attending to a few more details.

• Horses should have access to shelter from extreme weather. This can be a barn, run-in shed, windbreak, or even a grove of trees. As with access to hay, low-status horses may be blocked from shelter by more aggressive animals. Alternative grouping may be necessary.
• Owners should be sure horses have proper dental care and periodic dewormings so that feed can be properly digested and utilized.
• Daily inspection of horses in winter months should include a light grooming, an all-over check for injuries, and an inspection for skin problems.
• Water consumption and manure consistency should be monitored (very dry manure is a sign that the horse may be becoming dehydrated).

In conclusion, J & J Hay can help to answer horse-health and hay related questions.

Article Source: Kentucky Equine Research

Managing Horses on Declining Pasture: As the growing season winds down or as drought sets in, horse owners must provide horses with an appropriate alternative forage to fulfill fiber requirements. In most cases, this involves the use of hay.  Although other products such as haylage or hay cubes are appropriate and sometimes fed.

The question that looms large for most owners is when to offer alternative forage. The pasture reveals a couple of important clues, namely growth rate and plant health.

Pasture Tips:

Owners will know when pasture growth slows as there will be less need for routine mowing and maintenance. Depending on stocking rate—that is, the number of horses on any given acreage—pasture might withstand a slowdown in growth rate and continued grazing. So long as more land is allotted per horse. A large, seven-acre paddock that comfortably sustained five horses in peak growing season might support three as pasture growth declines.

“Observation of grazing behavior might be a tipoff, too. If horses spend more time grazing, they are likely finding less to eat. In periods of lush growth, you might catch horses resting more often. It is easier for them to satisfy their appetites and their need to graze,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

Plant health is a more obvious indicator. As autumn segues into winter or as rainfall decreases, pasture grasses often turn brown and unpalatable. During this time growth is almost assuredly arrested. Horses will snack on these remnants, but more nutritious forage should be offered.

Supplementation:

“Owners ought to offer hay as soon as they feel horses are not consuming sufficient pasture to meet daily forage requirement, which is about 1.5-2% of body weight daily,” advised Crandell.

For a 15.2-hand, 1,100-lb (500-kg) horse, that would be 16.5-22 lb (7.5-10 kg) of hay each day. Keep in mind, though, that this amount will likely satisfy the horse’s complete forage requirement.

“If the horse is still nibbling away at pasture much of the day, it might need only a portion of this. If the horse leaves hay in favor of pasture, then too much hay is probably being fed at the time. Gauge requirement through consumption,” recommended Crandell.

To maintain weight, many horses, in combination with their forage, will be consuming a well-fortified concentrate feed that supplies all of the protein, vitamins, and minerals required for their well-being. Those that do not should be fed a vitamin and mineral supplement. For example, Micro-Max, developed by Kentucky Equine Research and available in the U.S. and other regions. Micro-Max supplies minerals that have been chelated or proteinated, which increases their digestibility and allows horses to derive maximum benefit from them. Horse owners in Australia should look for Gold Pellet, Nutrequin, or Perform.

One vitamin that is particularly deficient in diets composed of preserved forages such as hay is vitamin E, an important antioxidant in the horse’s immune arsenal. The most effective source of supplemental vitamin E is d-alpha-tocopherol or natural vitamin E. Nano-E is a natural-source vitamin E supplement. It possesses a unique delivery action, nanodispersion. Consequently, this allows the vitamin to hit target tissues more quickly than other vitamin E supplements. Nano-E is available worldwide.

Don’t know where to begin with supplementation?

J & J Hay can help to answer horse-health and hay related questions.

Source: Kentucky Equine Research

The following guide will help you to get your horse to drink more water during winter. Water is the most essential aspect of any horse’s diet. Without adequate water intake, horses will not survive.

An adult horse (1000 lbs.) in a cool, comfortable environment that is not working, or lactating, needs a minimum of seven to ten gallons of fresh, clean water every day. The amount of water required is closely related to the amount of feed the horse has eaten. Most horses will drink 1.5 quarts of water per pound of dry feed intake. If a horse is consuming 20 pounds of dry hay per day, the horse would be expected to drink approximately 7.5 gallons of water each day. The water requirement is higher if the horse is in training, nursing a foal, growing, pregnant or in a hot/humid environment. The best way to ensure adequate water intake is to always provide free access to fresh, clean water.

Issues associated with water intake during the winter months usually revolve around horses not drinking enough water. Water that has frozen or is near freezing will result in decreased intake. Water consumption reaches its maximum when the temperature is maintained between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Similarly, horses that must eat snow as their only water source, will not eat enough snow to satisfy their necessary water requirement completely. This decreased water intake can result in digestive upset or “colic.” Associated with feed material becoming impacted (stuck) in the digestive system. Therefore, the water source should be free-flowing or heated to prevent freezing and guarantee the horse is drinking enough water. When installing a heating device for water, be certain that any electrical unit is properly grounded to prevent electrical shock of the horse. Horses are very sensitive to electrical shock and will quit drinking to avoid shock.

Here are few easy tips to assist with increasing your horse’s water intake:

1. Wet your horse’s feed at a ratio of 2 parts feed to 1 part water. This can increase the hydration status of your horse.
2. Offer a wet mash, every day, of soaked beet pulp shreds or pellets, timothy forage pellets or alfalfa forage pellets. If you are concerned about adding too many calories to an overweight horse’s diet, try soaking and offering teff forage pellets. Soak these forage or fiber sources at a ratio of 2 parts water to 1 part forage.
3. Wetting down the long-stemmed hay you offer your horse can also boost water intake slightly.
4. Flavoring your horse’s water can also encourage water intake, especially if you are traveling and have a picky drinker.
5. Provide a salt block in your horse’s paddock or stall to help stimulate thirst.

Horses primarily eating hay will consume more water than those eating both hay and grain. Fiber increases the water holding capacity of the hindgut. Better quality hays, such as alfalfa, are typically higher in calories compared to grass hay. Other baled hay substitutes, such as forage cubes and pellets, can be fed to replace poor quality hay.

Standlee Premium Western Forage offers a wide variety of Alfalfa and Alfalfa mix products ranging from baled, long-stemmed forage, to cubes, pellets and chopped forage. Also available are Standlee Premium Smart Beet (beet pulp) shreds and pellets that increase the calorie content of the forage portion of the diet and are highly digestible.

If you have questions about how you can you to get your horse to drink more water during winter, please contact or visit J&J Hay Farms today.

By Dr. Tania Cubitt
Standlee Nutritional Expert – Performance Horse Nutrition