04/10/2020
🙌 A brilliant post on winter forage. My two are good doers so I always try to ensure I have the stalky stuff!
Friday fact...choosing the right winter forage will be better for your horse and your bank account!
Making the right forage choice for your horse or pony is so important and should definitely not be overlooked.
Through the winter months, for the majority, this is what they eat the most of, so sourcing the appropriate forage should be a priority. The forage our horses eat supplies the majority of their energy, so choosing wisely will be particularly helpful when managing any weight issues.
What should you be looking for and what is the most suitable for your equine?
As with any part of your horses ration, there are lots of factors to take into account. Are they good or poor doers? Do they need to lose, maintain or gain weight? How much exercise do they get and what are their energy requirements? How long are they stabled and do they have access to grass? Do they have any health concerns or respiratory issues?
For both hay and haylage, the early cuts can be highly nutritious, so would be more suitable for those with higher energy requirements or those that struggle to maintain weight. Sourcing forage higher in digestible energy (calories) will save you money on bucket feeds.
The later cut, stemmy types should be sought for those who need to maintain weight and those that are good doers. This will also ensure that they are eating for longer whilst keeping their weight under control as the digestible energy will be lower.
If you are feeding haylage, you need to feed MORE of it than hay, due to its higher moisture content, to ensure your horse is getting enough fibre! Hay is around 85-90% dry matter, whereas haylage is around 60-75% dry matter.
For example; a 500kg horse, fed at 2% of body weight, needs 10kg dry matter each day, is stabled full time and hay or haylage is their only source of forage, then you would need to feed the following in a 24hr period;
Hay with 90% DM - 11.1kgs
Haylage with 65% DM - 15.4kgs
Quite a difference between the two!
Don’t forget to weigh EVERY ration to ensure you are feeding the same amounts every time. This not only ensures that your horse is getting the right amount for his or her body weight, but makes it easier to notice any changes in appetite.
Talk to your forage supplier and discuss your horses needs with them, they should be able to help you choose a suitable forage. Most will have an analysis of their forages for you to look at. If they don’t, it would be worth having it analysed so you have a guide to what your horse is eating, particularly if being underweight, overweight or if any health concerns need to be taken into account! I say a guide, as there will be variation between bales, but it will give you an indication and will help you make the right choices.
Don’t forget, as forage is the main part of their diet, making changes gradually is extremely important as this is what they eat the most of; Sudden changes will significantly increase the risk of digestive upset.
