All you have is Hay? Horses on hay only Diets

At certain times of the year or for metabolic reasons, sometimes it's necessary to feed only hay diets to our horses. After all, hay is just dried grass.

The major difference in the composition of hay vs grass is the water content. Grass is around 70% water, grass on the other hand usually only contains around 10% water. This means that the nutrients are delivered to the Gut in the same way but without the moisture content.

Water Intake

Water is an overlooked component of digestive tract function and is required for the following:

•  To enhance the smooth passage of food through the gut
• Helps with fibre fermentation in the hind gut
• Helps with absorption and digestion
• Necessary for the function of enzymes
• Needed for the production of saliva and other digestive juices

Water intake, drinking, is partially regulated by how dry the diet is but it also has a hormonal component. The brain monitors the sodium content in the blood and if water content is low then the sodium content rises, triggering the horse to feel thirsty and drink. The body will try and regulate sodium concentration by decreasing urine production and also by pulling water from the gut and other tissues. This is the beginning of dehydration and disrupted intestinal function. Once the horse feels thirsty, they will have a drink, restoring normal hydration.

If the horse does not drink, the water content of the gut and other tissues will remain in a state of dehydration.

Feeding salt is important to guard against dehydration as blood sodium levels need to remain adequate to trigger thirst. In summer this is particularly important due to sweat losses but its also important during the colder months as sodium is lost every day in the urine and faeces.

ACTION STEPS

FEED SALT
For the average sized horse, it’s recommended to feed 2 tablespoons of plain white salt per day mixed in with the feed, increase this by one tablespoon per day in very hot weather or for every hour of sweating during work. Don’t rely on free choice feeding, its much better to know without a doubt that your horses is consuming enough!

So for example feed:

•  2 tablespoons/day as a baseline every day of the year
• 3 tablespoons/day in hot weather
• 4 tablespoons/day in hot weather with an hour of hard sweating work

SUPPLEMENT WITH PROBIOTICS

Consider feeding a probiotic to support digestion and help the gut function well. Missy’s Bucket Gut-Plus is an excellent choice as it also contains many other essential nutrients and vitamins and minerals for overall health.

SUPPLEMENT WITH PREBIOTICS
Prioritise high fibre feeds like beet pulp or soy hulls. Also, psyllium husks are an excellent choice as a prebiotic but must be fed fully hydrated with water. They will carry water to the hindgut and enhance the growth of fibre-fermenting organisms. They have also been shown to help with clearing sand from the GI tract. A good starting dose would be 150g/day soaked in water.