Why feed horses Fresh Grass.
a. The bulk of a horse's calories should always come from roughage. Horses are meant to eat roughage, and their digestive system is designed to use the nutrition in grassy stalks.
b. Physical Health starts with healthy eating(i.e. Grass). Grass is a good source of Protein and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fibre, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Manganese and Selenium.
c. Mental Health Eating well can be associated with feelings of wellbeing in the horse. Factors such as poorer physical health, have been found to be associated with poorer mental health. Low self-esteem horses are more likely to experience stress, anxiety, and depression. Stabled horses eating fresh grass frequently perk up in their well-being, and self-esteem.
Grass - The Ultimate Horse Tonic.
a. Curragh Grass is cheaper on a cost per day basis than many commercial supplement costs. There is less need to supplement your horses diet with a range of amounts of commercial vitamins & supplements. Plus - fresh grass has additional nutritional health and welfare benefits.
b. The benefits of grass-fed stabled horses extend beyond enhanced protein quality and quantity, the improved nutritional profile may in fact also improve mental health.
c. Poor eaters are likely to eat fresh grass in preference over dry feeds, poor drinkers will benefit from the hydration benefits they get from the water rich content of fresh grass.
Healthy Nutrition.
a. The main function of a grass plant is to utilize sunshine to make food (carbohydrates). Carbohydrates in grass are digested and broken down into glucose before entering the bloodstream.
b. Protein ranges in grass from 7.5% to 22.7% Crude Protein. "Digestible" protein is important in building bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.
c. Grass Fibre contributes towards normal functioning of the equine gastrointestinal track. Fibre is a type of complex carbohydrate that's found in all types of plant-based foods.
Ulcers.
a. Grass has been shown to be effective in reducing the severity of ulcers. (93% of Racehorses and 63% of Performance Horses suffer from ulcers). Horse digestive tracts are designed for a continuous supply of chewed grass. Fresh Grass contributes towards normal functioning of the equine gastrointestinal track.
b. The natural feeding habit of the horse is to eat small amounts of roughages (grass) often. The nature of the feed is also important – on a dry matter basis, twice as much saliva is produced when horses eat grass compared to grains and other concentrates. Diets high in grain and low in forage will therefore decrease saliva flow and result in low gastric pH values, a risk factor for the development of gastric ulcers.
Allergies & Microbes.
a. Allergies. Grasses are dust free, ideal for horses who suffer with dust allergies. Allergic disease are usually caused by breathing in the dust from mouldy hay/hayledge. Horses who suffer with allergies should be fed grass in preference to hay/hayledge.
b. Microbes. Fresh grass is more or less free of moulds in comparison to 50% for hay, and 37% for hayledge forages both of which contain pathogenic fungi.
c. Ingested microbes in the gut, lungs, and nasal passages can cause health and performance concerns. Inflammation and mucus in the lower respiratory tract can contribute to horses displacing their palates.
Who Feeds Grass Today.
a. Eminent horse-people, racing yards, show-yards, breeders, pin-hookers, healthcare and rehab stables now commonly feed fresh grass to their stabled residents. Increasingly more and more horse-people realise the healthcare benefits that fresh grass offer to stabled horses. Few nutritionistswill dispute that fresh grass is the most natural feedstuff for horses.
What is Zero-Grazing
a. Zero-grazing is when grass is mechanically mown and brought to the stabled horse. Zero-grazing reduces purchased feed and feed supplement costs. Fresh grass has a higher feed value than hay/hayledge due to the decreased level of drying involved. All hay contains some dust and mould spores, and in a greater quantity than haylage because it is wrapped. This combined with its lower moisture content means spores can become airborne and are a health risk to horses who are stabled or have existing respiratory problems. Horses find fresh grass more palatable due to its sweet smell and will consume more than hay/hayledge if fed ad-lib, meaning it is excellent for fussy eaters or horses with higher energy requirements.
b. Horses that eat plenty of good quality fresh grass may not need as much grain or nutritional supplements.
c. No nitrogen. Our meadows are enriched with organic fertilizer and 0-10-20.
d. No herbicide sprays. Our Old pasture has a broad range of grass species and herbs.
e. No pesticides.
How to Order.
a. Curragh grass is delivered daily to customers within a 10km radius of Naas and Kildare towns.
b. Deliveries are made within 90 minutes of cutting.
c. Curragh Grass is sold by volume/litres (i.e. 5 gallon bucket equals 23 litres).
d. Cost-effective order begins at 125 litre delivery.
e. Customize your delivery needs, grass amount, frequency.
f. Grass is cost neutral when compared to feeding good quality hay/hayledge.
g. To order call: 087 998 1100.
Curragh Grass is convenient to purchase, it’s delivered daily to Kildare based horse-people. Curragh Grass can be purchased in small or large quantities.
Fresh grass is an economical and a healthy option to feeding hay/hayledge. While haylage is more expensive to buy than hay, as fresh grass is more expensive than hayledge, yet grass is better value, as less concentrate feed needs to be fed, and because of its higher energy level which offers substantial savings on expensive supplements. Grass is available from April to December.
Feed suggestions. (Grass can be fed loose to stabled horses on the ground).
Deliveries are made Monday through Saturday. Saturday delivery will be for two days’ supply. Sunday deliveries are available. Deliveries are available for a small charge beyond the 10km radius of Naas and Kildare towns.
Why Grass over Hay/hayledge. The main difference is the way in which the leaf structure is preserved. In the case of hay making, the drying process leads to leaf fracture, a problem which can create dust/moulds and loss of the nutrients present in the grass. These include water soluble carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals. In short, this means that hay has a significantly lower feed value than haylage, hayledge has a lower feed value than grass.
Grass will typically provide higher levels of digestible fibre, energy and protein because these components are unspoiled through minimised leaf fragmentation.
