Forage, the Long and the Short of it!

Forage – the long and the short of it!
 

Forage, whether fresh or conserved grass, should be the basis of any horse’s diet and is potentially an abundant source of nutrients so taking time to pick the right forage will be well worth the effort, and help you decide what additional feed your horse may require.

A balancing act

When making a horse feed, nutritionists have to take into consideration how many nutrients the forage is contributing to the diet.  Unlike dog food, where the food will be more or less the sole source of nutrition, the concentrates we give our horses may make up less than 25% of the diet.  To ensure that the overall diet is balanced, it is necessary for nutritionists to prepare a feed that complements the nutrients provided by the forage so, if your forage is particularly low in nutrients, it may mean that even the recommended quantities of a compound feed will not provide a balanced diet.

Make hay when the sun shines

The crucial factor that determines the nutritional value of conserved forage is the stage at which it is cut.  The more mature the plants are when they’re cut, within a particular season, the lower the nutrient levels they are likely to contain.  As grass plants grow taller, they need a stronger stem to support them otherwise they would get blown over by the wind.  To improve their strength the stem becomes more lignified and, as lignin is basically indigestible, the nutrients are effectively trapped and inaccessible to the horse. 

The later the hay or haylage is cut, in the season, the more mature the plants will be, and the less digestible and nutritious it will be.  Forage which is particularly mature and indigestible can sit for longer in the hindgut as the bacteria there attempt to ferment it.  This can result in what’s often referred to as a “hay belly”, which can be further exacerbated by a lack of top line due to the forage also lacking protein content.

We have analysed many forage samples, and collected data going back more than 12 years, which highlights that, regardless of plant maturity, modern pastures and forages are deficient in key minerals and, often protein.  This means that a supplementary source of vitamins, minerals and, in many cases, quality protein, is important to meet a horse’s minimum dietary requirements, even if calorie levels are adequate.

Where forage analysis is not possible, the following tips are useful to help you assess it:

• Find out when the forage was harvested – May and June forages are likely to have a higher nutritional value than those taken in late July or August (assuming they’re first cuts)
• Squeeze the hay in your hand – if it is coarse and causes indentations then it is likely to have a lower nutritional value and is more suitable for good-doers.  Soft leafy hays are better for poorer doers as they are likely to be more nutritious thus reducing the reliance on bucket feed to provide additional calories.
• Forages that have a strong green colour contain more vitamins– these will decline as the hay gets older though.

To soak or not to soak?

This is the question most frequently asked with regards to hay.  There are very few hays that are clean enough not to require soaking so, in most cases, soaking is advisable.  How long to soak for is usually the next question that follows.  About 20 minutes is the time where the balance between nutrient losses and the reduction of dust are optimum.  For horses whose calorie intake needs controlling, it is recommended that hay is soaked for 8 to 9 hours, which will leach out nutrients and calories, leaving just the fibre element.  Feeding a low calorie balancer then becomes even more critical to supply those nutrients lost from the forage, without unwanted additional calories.

What about Haylage?

When preserving grass, it is necessary to remove either the moisture (to make hay) or the air (to make haylage) as these are the components that result in moulding and deterioration.  To reduce the risk of hay going mouldy the moisture content needs to be reduced to about 16% or less.  This can take 3 to 4 days drying time and, as dry spells are a rarity in this country, the popularity of haylage has increased because a lot more moisture is left in so less drying time is required.   

When making haylage it is the air that is removed by wrapping it in plastic.  If the wrapping is punctured, air can get in which usually results in moulding and it is then advisable not to feed it. The moisture content of haylage is usually around 30% or 40%, so you need to feed more haylage, by weight, than you would hay, in order to meet fibre requirements, as a greater proportion of the forage is water. 

Can I use haylage for my good doer?
It always used to be thought that haylage was more calorific than hay so was unsuitable for the good-doer, however, the time of harvest is a more accurate guide to a forage’s calorie content that its method of conservation.  Our analyses have identified hays that contain more calories than some haylage so each batch should really be evaluated individually.  For really good-doers, soaking may be necessary, to wash out water soluble carbohydrate calories/calories and currently, this is only really recommended for hay.
 
Keep your horse chewing
Horses have evolved to spend much of their time grazing so have a natural desire to chew and feeding forage ad lib is particularly desirable for the stabled horse.  Where intake needs to be limited, say for the good-doer, no less than the equivalent of 1.5% of bodyweight (on a dry matter basis) should be fed and soaking will help reduce calorie content.  You can make what you do feed last longer by using small-holed hay nets, double-netting and hanging several nets around the stable.

For poor forage eaters, offering a selection of alterative fibre sources will encourage natural foraging behaviour and increase overall fibre intake.  For stable, yard or barn-bound horses, consider buckets of Alfalfa Blend, Alfalfa Plus Oil, Light Chaff and/or Ultra Grass, according to their calorie requirements.  Fibre Plus Nuggets and High Fibre Complete Nuggets are also great for feeding loose on the ground to encourage natural foraging behaviour.