{"id":4503,"date":"2014-07-22T17:51:05","date_gmt":"2014-07-22T07:51:05","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=4503"},"modified":"2026-04-23T21:26:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T11:26:48","slug":"horse-eats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalhorseworld.com\/stage\/horse-eats\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Horse is what it Eats"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Cynthia Cooper<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Horses
Grass hay is the best alternative to grass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Horses evolved to eat small amounts of grasses, herbs and minerals almost constantly throughout the day.
\nThey covered many miles to reach water and lived in small herds of varied ages and sexes.
\nDoes this sound like the modern horse?<\/p>\n

Not really – their involvement with humans has necessitated their restriction and artificial feeding for ease of use as a working animal.
\nBut today the majority of horses are used for pleasure, sport and companionship, and so our methods\u00a0of feeding them are also evolving.<\/p>\n

Many new ideas are replacing traditional methods of health care, with hoof-care and feeding now the focus for improving overall health and longevity.
\nIf we want a long-lived, happy, healthy equine then we need to\u00a0change our ways to suit their true nature.<\/p>\n

Natural Hoof Care practitioners and forage researchers have highlighted\u00a0that horses cannot be fed like cows \u2013 on high sugar grasses that maximise beef and milk production if we want them to remain sound.
\nTo do so compromises their health\u00a0by causing laminitis<\/a> as they become more carbohydrate intolerant \u2013 commonly called \u2018good doers\u2019 and known as being ‘insulin resistant’.<\/p>\n

When horses eat high sugar grasses it causes a toxic reaction in the hindgut which then affects the connection between the hoof wall and laminae (sensitive internal structure).
\nThis causes common hoof ailments such as abscesses<\/a>, seedy toe<\/a>, white line disease and deformed, shallow, sensitive hooves.
\nWith a little thought and planning, better feeding and management practices can help us\u00a0avoid\u00a0most of these issues.<\/p>\n

Changes you can make:<\/h4>\n
\"Haysaver<\/a>
Using a small hole net extends eating time, and helps avoid gut ulcers and colics.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ensure grass hay is fed<\/strong> as the main diet, along with free choice\u00a0loose\u00a0salt and\/or a salt lick.
\nBy using slowfeed hay nets <\/a>you can slow down and extend the intake time.<\/p>\n

Feed\u00a0a quality balanced mineral mix<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(daily if possible) to make up for shortfalls in the diet, and\u00a0overcome\u00a0issues such as a bleached coat, greasy heel\/mud fever, thrush, seedy toe and rain scald.<\/p>\n

Avoid feeding grain<\/strong> unless your horse is receiving enough additional exercise to utilise the energy it provides. Racehorses, endurance and performance horses will need extra feed tailored to their needs.
\nBroodmares, foals and young growing horses may need some grains and legumes (lucerne) to provide additional protein and calcium.
\nAged horses not maintaining weight may need beet pulp or soy hulls that are easier to digest.
\nAll other horses will generally maintain weight safely on free-choice hay with the use of slowfeed haynets<\/a>\u00a0to extend the time\u00a0taken to eat their daily ration.<\/p>\n

Soaking hay<\/strong> – Some good-doers will need to have their \u2018sugar-rich\u2019 hay soaked for a few hours to lower the sugar content. Rich hay is usually cut from ryegrass & clover pastures designed for fattening cattle.
\nThe only way to find out if your hay is high in sugars is to have it tested<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Restrict grass intake<\/strong> appropriately for each horse \u2013 most will need to be kept off grass during the evening when the grass sugars are highest. Some insulin resistant horses may only be able to tolerate a couple of hours in the very early morning, especially in spring\/autumn.<\/p>\n

Grazing muzzles<\/strong>\u00a0– some \u2018good doers\u2019 will need to wear a grazing muzzle some of the time to remain with the herd. It\u2019s not comfortable for them to wear a muzzle all the time and colic may result if they don’t get enough bulk food (such as hay).
\nIt’s recommended to remove the muzzle and horse\/pony from the grass and feed hay overnight.<\/p>\n

\"Willow
Willow branches in a net provide forage enrichment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Provide forage enrichment<\/strong> by growing or allowing access to herbs, shrubs and trees that are safe for horses. If you don’t have those growing on your property, you can bring them in to hang on fences or in nets, lay logs on the ground for them to chew bark and supply dried herbs in some chaff.<\/p>\n

Encourage more movement<\/strong>\u00a0by fencing a 10\u201320m wide track around your pasture<\/a> which makes a long, thin paddock and restricts grass intake without reducing movement like small ‘starvation’ paddocks do.
\nTry to feed as far from the water source as possible to increase\u00a0movement. Systems such as Equicentral are also a great way to manage feed and water resources and encourage movement.
\nKeeping your horse in a herd or at least with another active companion will also increase movement as they travel to and from water, feed and enrichment such as hay nets\u00a0placed well apart from other resources and resting areas.<\/p>\n

As you can see there are many ways in which we can improve the way we feed and provide nutrition for our\u00a0equines which will, in turn, save us money via reduced vet bills, and\u00a0improve their physical and mental well-being.<\/p>\n

Recommended books to read:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keeping a Horse The Natural Way<\/a> – Jo Bird
\nThe Horse Nutrition Bible<\/a> – by Ruth Bishop
\nFeed Your Horse Like A Horse <\/a>– Dr Juliet Getty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Cynthia Cooper Horses evolved to eat small amounts of grasses, herbs and minerals almost constantly throughout the day. They covered many miles to reach water and lived in small herds of varied ages and sexes. Does this sound like the modern horse? Not really – their involvement with humans […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thinkrank_schema_form_data":"","_thinkrank_selected_schema_type":"","_thinkrank_additional_schemas":"","_thinkrank_canonical_url":"","_thinkrank_og_title":"","_thinkrank_og_description":"","_thinkrank_og_image":"","_thinkrank_twitter_title":"","_thinkrank_twitter_description":"","_thinkrank_twitter_image":"","_thinkrank_imported_from":"yoast","_thinkrank_focus_keywords":["Horse eats"],"_thinkrank_focus_keyword":"Horse 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