The importance of fibre in your horse’s diet
Fibre plays a vital role in your horse’s overall health, supporting both digestive function and body condition. Our Winter championship sponsors HorseHage & Mollichaff explain why a diet high in fibre is essential for the horse’s physiological and psychological well-being.
Providing your horse with a diet that is high in fibre closely replicates the natural diet of wild horses. It is essential that the modern horse has access to fibre sources of the correct amount and nutrient levels to meet their energy requirements, support digestive health and fulfil their psychological need to chew. Saliva is only produced when the horse is chewing, making this a crucial part of the digestive process. Not only does it provide daily mental stimulation to support natural behaviour but also helps to neutralise stomach acids.
A diet lacking in fibre can be detrimental to the mental and physical wellbeing of the horse and may lead to significant health complications such as colic, diarrhoea, stomach ulcers and other illnesses.
If forage availability is limited, due to the weather or other factors, such as poor harvest and lack of availability, adding a forage replacer to your horse’s diet may be necessary.
Forage replacers are an excellent way to supplement or fully replace traditional forage sources such as hay or haylage, particularly for horses that struggle with long forage strands or are prone to weight loss during the winter months.
If you are concerned about your horse’s weight or condition, please consult your vet.
When to use a forage replacer?
Forage replacers can be used in place of long stem forage and help to increase the fibre allocation in the horse’s diet.
It is important to divide and spread out the forage replacer during the day and night, to ensure the horse is not without food for long periods.
Offering short, chopped fibre chaff can support your horses’ fibre intake, as well as providing a useful base to mix supplements or medications.
Which forage replacer is best for my horse?
Try to pick a forage replacer that has a suitable nutrient specification to suit the individual horse and is soft, finely chopped in texture and palatable.
You may need to continue to monitor your horse’s eating habits and adapt the diet further to include a fibre mash for horses whose ability to eat short, chopped products declines further.
What is a partial forage replacer?
A partial forage replacer is a fibre-based feed product designed to supplement or partially replace some of the standard forage intake, such as hay, haylage, or grass, which can help existing supplies last longer
These products are formulated to help increase fibre intake when availability, quality, or palatability of long fibre sources is compromised.
As with all new feeds, and especially with straw, if included, introductions should be made gradually to allow the gut microbiome adequate time to adjust. For horses and ponies with metabolic or endocrine issues, it is important to pick feeds that are low in starch and sugar.
by Sarah Turnbull – HorseHage and Mollichaff Feed Adviser.