The natural diet of horses: grass & hay

Horses are naturally grazers and spend an average of 18 hours a day eating grass. But did you know that grass is 80% water and contains only 20% nutrients? That's why horses eat all day long and cut the top tips off the grass. This constant chewing keeps their digestion active and contributes to healthy intestinal function.

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However, not every horse can graze 24/7 in the pasture. When they are stabled, in a paddock or on a track, hay (or haylage) is an alternative. 

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Challenges in feeding hay to horses

Hay is an essential part of horses' diets, but it also presents some challenges. Unlike fresh grass, hay contains only 15% water and as much as 85% nutrients.

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When a horse eats grass, it carefully cuts off the tops, allowing it to ingest relatively small amounts of nutrients per bite. This is different with hay: because it lies loose, a horse cannot cut it off and takes in larger tufts at once with its lips. This means that when eating hay, a horse gets nutrients 8 to 12 times faster than grass.

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Many owners feed hay in 3 to 4 servings a day, but this differs greatly from the natural eating behavior of a horse. Long periods without food can lead to digestive problems such as stomach ulcers, colic, and pain-related behaviors such as wind-sucking or weaving.

 

Saliva production

While chewing hay, a horse produces saliva which plays an essential role in digestion. It moistens the feed making it easier to swallow and, in the stomach, helps neutralize stomach acid to protect the stomach wall from stomach ulcers. 

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However, when a horse eats large tufts of hay at once, less saliva is produced per bite. This makes swallowing more difficult and increases the risk of esophageal blockage. Some horses compensate by soaking each mouthful of hay in the water trough, but this dilutes the saliva and reduces its protective effect in the stomach.

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If too little saliva enters the stomach, acidity in the stomach can rise, increasing the risk of gastric ulcers.

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The stomach

Unlike humans, a horse's stomach cannot expand so the flow of food must be continuous. Stomach acid is produced at a constant rate regardless of whether there is food in the stomach. When a horse eats grass, the stomach empties at about the same rate at which it eats. This ensures that the stomach acid has enough time to break down the grass and kill any harmful bacteria before the food goes to the small intestine.

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When eating hay, this process is different. The stomach fills faster than it can empty itself, causing food to be pushed through to the small intestine under pressure before the stomach acid has been able to do its job completely. When the hay is finished, the stomach empties quickly, but the production of stomach acid continues. As a result, the stomach fills with acid which irritates especially the upper half of the stomach because it is not protected from acid. Over time, this can cause painful stomach ulcers that can even lead to bleeding. In response to this irritation, the horse produces the stress hormone cortisol which strongly encourages the animal to forage for food in order to protect its stomach.

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If stomach ulcers have formed, the only way to relieve the pain is to have something in the stomach. If hay is no longer available, the horse will exhibit pain-related behavior such as wind sucking, weaving, or biting the box.

 

The small intestine

At the beginning of the small intestine, bile and pancreatic juice are added to break down and absorb fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Unlike humans, a horse does not have a gallbladder so bile is continuously released even when the intestine is empty. When eating grass, just the right amount is produced. Because the stomach acid has had sufficient time to pre-digest the grass, the nutrients can be absorbed efficiently. This process is rapid: the small intestine is about twenty meters long and most grass passes within sixty minutes.

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When eating hay, digestion is less efficient. Because food is squeezed out of the stomach more quickly, it is not yet optimally pre-digested, so some of the nutrients are not released immediately. At the end of the small intestine, this leaves nutrients that then end up in the large intestine.

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When the hay is finished, the small intestine quickly empties while the supply of bile continues. This mixes with the stomach acid that continues to flow which can cause irritation to the intestinal wall. In the long run, this can cause nutrients to be less well absorbed resulting in emaciation. The most common reaction is to feed even more hay which only increases the overload on the stomach and intestines.

 

The large intestine

In the large intestine, fiber and cellulose are broken down by the large amounts of bacteria present there. These bacteria convert the fiber into nutrients that the horse can absorb and use as a source of energy. When nutrients remain at the end of the small intestine, they enter the large intestine. This can cause an overgrowth of harmful bacteria, causing acidity to rise and large amounts of gas to be produced.

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The production of gas puts pressure on the intestines, resulting in gas colic. The intestines can twist, no longer receive blood and die quickly, usually with a fatal outcome. The imbalance in bacteria disrupts the absorption of fluid resulting in diarrhea or faeces. Impaired absorption of sugars and starches contribute to the development of laminitis, a painful and serious hoof condition.

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The ideal solution: a FeedingMaster

If your horse depends on hay, it is essential to offer it in small, frequent portions spread throughout the day or night. This mimics their natural grazing behavior so nutrients are offered at the right rate and keeps their stomachs and intestines continuously active. The FeedingMaster offers exactly this – the ideal way to provide your horse with a continuous but measured supply of hay.

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The FeedingMaster offers the hay in short, adjustable periods of 1 to 1.5 minutes, whereby the hay is pressed firmly against a grid. The horse can grab small tufts of hay with its lips, without touching the grid with its teeth. This technique ensures that the hay stays in place and no dust is released that can irritate your horse's airways. There is an adjustable short break of 5 to 10 minutes between the portions so that your horse naturally loads its stomach and intestines, just like in nature.

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The result? Your horse gets his hay at a rate that does not overload his stomach, allowing digestion to function optimally. The hay stays in the stomach longer so the stomach acid can do its job and the hay is properly digested. This allows the nutrients your horse needs to enter the small intestine in a controlled manner where they are absorbed effectively. The nutrients do not enter the large intestine where they can feed harmful bacteria. The intestinal flora recovers and the risks of a range of gastrointestinal problems are prevented.

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Give your horse the best care and choose the FeedingMaster - the smart choice for healthy digestion and a happy horse.