Horses were designed to spend about 18 hours or so a day grazing, foraging and walking. Their digestive system is made to have something in it all the time and problems begin when we start feeding them large amounts of hay and concentrated food such as grain or commercial feed only twice a day and keep them in small areas where they can’t move around to aid in digestion.

The best option is to let your horse live on a pasture or have access to one as long as possible. If that is not an option however, the next best thing is to feed them three or more times a day, spreading their daily rations out. You can also invest in hay pillows or nets to slow down their eating. Make sure you feed them on the ground though! Horses who need to crank or eat with their head up develop teeth and body problems.

Grass hay is the best type of forage to feed your horse as this is the closet thing to natural forage that we can provide for them other than pasture. Alfalfa hay, though necessary at times, can cause problems if fed as the primary hay in your horse’s diet and can wreak havoc on their internal body and their mind. For optimal health and mental well-being, stick to grass hay.

(free photo from Canva - https://www.canva.com/)

~ Saddle Up