Did you know that horses spend about 12-17 hours a day eating? Evolution has designed the horse's grazing behavior so that it must eat small portions frequently to stay healthy. A horse's digestive system is sensitive to changes and problems can arise very easily.
Horses digest food using gut microbes and enzymes, which allows them to utilize sugar, starch, and high-fiber hay and pasture grass as their food.
Hay
Hay is the basis of a horse's diet, especially during the winter indoor feeding season. The recommended amount of roughage for dry hay is 1.2-1.8 kilograms per 100 kilograms of live weight, meaning that a horse weighing about 500 kilograms should receive at least 6-9 kilograms of hay per day. However, many stables provide a larger amount of hay or offer so-called free hay. In this case, the horse can eat whenever it wants during the day, which allows for more natural feeding. However, this is not an ideal solution for the most greedy horses.
Naturally, the quality of the hay should be good, so that the nutritional values are sufficient to meet the horse's daily needs. Hay should also not be moldy or dusty, which in turn exposes the horse to other health problems. Good hay can be recognized by its smell and appearance; it is leafy and smells fresh. Feed analysis provides information such as dry matter, crude protein, fiber value, D value and sugar levels.
The quality of hay crops often varies by region and season. If the hay year is poor and the hay is not as nutritious, feeding can be supplemented with various supplementary feeds. In addition, the intended use of the horse determines what kind of hay it should be fed. Racing horses need more energy and protein compared to, for example, hobby horses.
Hay pellet
If dry hay is not nutritionally adequate or if you want to supplement your diet in some other way, hay pellets are suitable for this purpose. Hay pellets are mainly used to feed broodmares and foals. Hay pellets are easy to store and take up little space. Horses also like to chew pellets, but due to the speed of eating, pellets carry a higher risk of causing esophageal blockage. This can be prevented by moistening the pellets before feeding.
Biohansa hay pellets contain mainly 70-80% pure meadow grass and in addition small amounts of timothy grass 20-30%, dog grass, fescue, rye grass, village grass, chamomile and dandelion. This ensures a diverse, healthy and nutritious form of feed.
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is rich in protein, fiber, amino acids, minerals, and vitamins. As a pellet feed, it is suitable for horses that have problems gaining weight, horses that work a lot, as well as broodmares and foals.
Alfalfa helps maintain a good coat and prevents stomach ulcers. It is rich in vitamins, including beta-carotene and biotin, as well as minerals (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, P). Biohansa alfalfa pellets are suitable for horses as well as other animals, such as beef and dairy cows, sheep, goats, horses, camels, laying hens, various birds, chinchillas and rabbits. Alfalfa improves the animals' appetite, digestive process and other general health.
A little more about fibers
Digestible fibers are the best food for the horse's gut microbes, and are the main source of nutrition for the gut microbiota. Examples of these sources include molasses and bran. Fiber contains slow carbohydrates that keep the gut microbiota happy and healthy.
Molasses cut is an energy-rich feed with a low protein and vitamin content. The energy is in the form of easily absorbed glucose, which is needed, for example, as fuel for muscles. Molasses cut contains no starch at all and, when soaked in plenty of water, it is a good way to hydrate the horse.
A horse needs fiber to maintain intestinal function. Indigestible fiber, on the other hand, impairs the digestion of nutrients.
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