• Hay or Grain First

  •  

    images

    Kentucky Equine Research tells us that when horses are eating hay they produce saliva.  This causes more intake of water.  If this fluid in the gut is prior to the feeding of grain than the grain will pass through the stomach rapidly and into the gut.  Fermentation of grain in the hind gut can lead to such problems as colic.  Therefore if hay is offered several hours after grain this problem is avoided.

    Our horses get 50-90 percent of their diet from hay and forage .  Hay gives them more than just fiber and bulk.  It is where most of the calories are derived. In the winter your horses diet consists mostly of hay.  The quality of the hay determines the amount of nutrients he is getting.  Any nutrients lacking in the hay must be made up for in the grain part of the diet.  This can prove to be more expensive and less efficient in the gut. And, more grain must be processed correctly in the gut.  Follow a large feeding of grain with some hay.

    UnknownOne way to protect your hay is to cover the exposed side from sun and weather.  A Hay-Shade™ from http://horseflynet.com can do just that.