Think fibre first

Article from RD1's 'Straight from the Horse's Mouth', March 2011.

Horses eat grass! This is a fairly obvious statement but unfortunately so often overlooked.

The horses digestive system is well designed to digest fibre, they are ‘trickle’ feeders eating little and often. Anybody that watches a horse will know they spend much of their day grazing, up to 20 hours.

With the understanding of how the horse naturally functions we can best manage our own horses’ as we put them into a not so natural environment. For many horses they have restricted access to pasture, they are boxed and yarded for a variety of reasons. In these situations it is very important to remember one of the key rules of feeding: horses require a bare minimum of 1% of their body weight in hay/chaff/pasture daily, and ideally more! With New Zealand Horse of the Year just around the corner and many equines having a change in their ‘normal’ routine, that is one message to remember. When horses are yarded and do not have access to pasture we must fill this shortfall of fibre by providing them with plenty of hay and chaff. Providing some green feed in the form of Annandale Lucerne Forage or Annandale full leaf Lucerne Chaff, helps to meet the gap left by their usual pick. As well as increasing the contribution of chaff to the ration, spreading the meals over three or four feeds rather than the usual one or two will also help mimic their natural state of ‘little and often’.

Fibre should always be the mainstay of any equine diet. Some horses will maintain body condition on pasture alone, however many working or growing horses will require additional calorie intake. In these situations think ‘fibre first’ in the form of hay and chaff, then grain/hardfeed second. Fibre is not only necessary for the health of the horse’s digestive system, it is also a very useful energy source, although so often overlooked. As well of course, fibre contributes to the overall vitamin and mineral status of the diet.

Fibre can come in many forms ­– pasture, hay and chaff/haylage. The diet is ideally made up of a combination of these and with hays and chaffs coming in many different types, it provides horse owners with the opportunity to tailor their horse’s fibre requirements to their needs. Annandale has an extensive range of chaff products as well as the inclusion of moist Lucerne Forage which horses love. A hardworking horse or young growing horse will benefit from the higher energy levels and delicious taste of the Annandale Lucerne Fresh Forage. In contrast a ‘good doer’ will be better on the lower energy Annandale Meadow Hay Chaff. Whatever the situation, the inclusion of fibre in the diet is vital so choose the fibre source that best meets the needs of your horse.

Finally, if you are heading away to compete at New Zealand Horse of the Year, good luck and think ‘fibre first’!

For more information about Annandale feeds, visit www.annandale.co.nz or talk to the team at your local RD1 store.

Some products may not be available in all stores but can be ordered on request.
Disclaimer: Any views and comments expressed in this article are not necessarily the opinions of RD1 Limited nor associated agencies. This content is copyright of RD1 Limited.