Can your horse give up grain?
For decades, even centuries, horse owners have been feeding their horses some kind of ‘hard feed’ or grain to supplement their diet. In some cases, there has been no choice, for example if the horse was working all day long, or didn’t have access to pasture. But is feeding grain a necessity, or has it become a habit? Does your horse really need grain?
Why not feed grain? The first, and best reason is that it simply isn’t natural for your horse. Their digestive systems are designed for grasses and forage, not hard grains. Their metabolisms don’t handle the glycogen spikes caused by high glucose or high protein feeds, and the high incidence of conditions like equine ulcers, colic, laminitis, and choke are largely down to grain. Even equine diabetes is on the rise, and the culprit is usually grain.
Another reason is that grain is expensive. Pound for pound of your horse’s feed, grain costs much more than even top quality hay. And it doesn’t just hit your wallet – the high price reflects the conditions of the grain industry. Grain production often relies on heavy subsidies, uses up extensive acreage, and requires a lot of water. Add to that the pesticides, herbicides, and genetic modifications used in the industry, and the next reason not to feed grain is to protect the environment.
Finally, chances are your horse doesn’t actually need grain, and the grain you feed it may be doing more harm than good. Most pleasure and riding horses, even those that work for an hour or so daily, can thrive on good quality forage alone. Investing in top quality meadow hay is enough for most horses, especially if they also have access to good grass. In winter, or if your horse is working regularly, topping up the meadow hay or timothy grass with some alfalfa will give your horse added protein and energy.
Horses in light work, on good quality rich grass, can get all their dietary needs from pasture alone if they have enough acreage. Keeping your grass clean (picking up droppings or harrowing regularly) and well managed and chances are your average riding horse will get all the nourishment it needs – maybe even too much, especially for ponies!
If your horse needs more, or you don’t have any access to pasture, then consider using haylage. Unlike silage, which is dangerous for hoses, haylage is only part-fermented hay. It comes sealed in plastic bags, in varying sizes depending on how much you will use – buy the smallest parcels you need as once opened, the haylage will sour and be unusable after about three days. Haylage is very rich in natural sugars and protein, and makes an excellent supplement to dry hay for horses in hard work, during the winter months, or for horses that have trouble keeping weight on. Feed only a fraction of the amount of dry hay you would use, and only use haylage produced for horses – haylage is powerful stuff!
If you really feel your horse needs grain, then choose your grain carefully. Look for grains low in sugars and Non Structural Carbohydrate (NSC); these are easier for your horse to digest and avoid dangerous ‘glucose spikes’. Choose organic feeds, and if you aren’t sure about how your grain is produces, call the supplier. All the major feed suppliers will have nutritionists available who can tell you how the grain was produced and what chemicals and additives it may contain. But before you do, take a good look at your horse and how much work it is really doing, evaluate the quality of your hay and see if you can find better, and then ask yourself if you could give up the grain!
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