Every feeding method is a choice

Choosing a feeding system is not a product choice, but a choice about how you support your horse's well-being.

Many solutions seem practical at first glance, but have a major impact on eating patterns and the burden on the digestive system. That is why we ask you to take a moment to read this explanation. Not to compare models, but to understand which solution suits your situation and what that means for your horse.

 

The natural eating behavior of horses

Horses are designed to eat small amounts of roughage almost continuously, day and night. In nature, they graze for hours on end, placing a constant light load on their digestive system. In practice, however, grazing is not always possible, and we have to organize feeding in the stable or paddock. This is where choices arise that have a major impact on the horse's well-being.

 

What happens when feeding large portions

When roughage is offered in larger portions, peaks and troughs occur in the gastrointestinal system. A lot of food is consumed in a short period of time, with hay being considerably more concentrated than grass per bite. The small intestine in particular has difficulty processing this peak load, which means that not all nutrients are optimally absorbed. Some of it reaches the large intestine undigested, where gas can form, resulting in colic. Between these feeding times, digestion comes to a standstill again. Unlimited feeding prevents this standstill, but leads to continuous overload of the gastrointestinal system and results in many horses becoming overweight.

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From fixed times to a natural rhythm

Solutions that work with smaller portions at frequent feeding times are a clear improvement over traditional feeding. They provide structure, prevent long periods without food at times when people are not present, and limit excessive food intake. The next step is to approach the natural eating rhythm itself. By offering very small amounts of roughage even more frequently, you prevent stuffing, peaks, and the digestive system coming to a standstill. The gastrointestinal system is loaded evenly and continuously, as the horse is naturally accustomed to when eating grass.

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Why continuous feeding is a challenge

However, this continuous dosing requires a fundamentally different technique. Instead of a few feedings per day, it involves hundreds of small movements, spread throughout the day and night. This places higher demands on mechanics, materials, and reliability. Particularly when installed in outdoor environments, components must be resistant to moisture, temperature fluctuations, and prolonged stress. Solutions for continuous feeding are therefore more complex to design and more expensive to build than systems that feed a limited number of times per day. We understand that not every situation or budget allows for this. That is why we offer multiple solutions, all better than nothing, but not all the same for the horse.

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The right solution

Do you want to take a step forward from traditional feeding by preventing long periods without feed and introducing structure with fixed, predictable feeding times that fit into many daily situations and environments, even if that means that feeding still takes place in separate portions?

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