Horses: Let Them Eat HayIn the wild, horses
are forage animals. Their digestive systems are specially designed to process low-protein, high-fibre foods on a continuous
basis. Unlike humans, horses don't have gall bladders to accumulate digestive enzymes between meals and then release them
as needed. As a result, horses are not well suited to eating only twice a day.
For proper digestion a horse requires sufficient
roughage, in the form of hay or pasture grass, to eat free choice throughout most of the day and into the night. Willamette
Valley hay, with its relatively low protein, typically suits this purpose fine. Twelve to fifteen pounds per day is generally
sufficient for the average horse.
To ensure adequate nutrition, a vitamin and mineral supplement or fortified grain should
be provided during the customary feeding times. This allows the owner to adjust the amount and type of supplementation to
match the nutritional requirements of each individual horse.
While feeding practices are nearly as varied and numerous as
horse owners themselves, providing sufficient roughage is a critical element in any successful horse care program.
The Feed Guy
