Why do horses eat hay ? Just like every other animal likes to feed on a particular kind of food horses love hay. This is because horses need a lot of fiber. Thus they graze on small amounts of forage continuously. This provides them with enough fiber, vitamins and other nutrients they need. However in the case where hay is not available, they can live on other feeds. But since no body knows the absolute minimum or fiber, the horses will risk suffering from gastric ulcers and may turn to chew wood.
You might also be asking if horses can survive on grain. The truth is horse quality hay or pasture works. However hay is best since it can be available even late at night. In reality a horse should not go above 4 hours without grazing on forage. That is and even more reason why hay will be preferable to fresh grass. Add grain to forage in times of shortage. But note that a very big percentage of horse’s calories comes from roughage. Their digestive system is designed to use the nutrition on grassy stalks. Thus they are meant to eat roughage.
Hay Alternatives for Horses
In as much as we insist you feed horses with hay, there are days you might not have. However your horses should not die or go hungry over long periods for such reasons. Thus, below is a list of a few horse hay alternatives.
1) Bagged chopped forage: It should not replace horse hay. But it should be a standby or a back up plan.
2) Hay cubes: Chopped cubed hay which should be either timothy hay or alfalfa hay or a mix of the two. The trick is to soak cubes to reduce choking.
3) Hay pellets: This is dehydrated forage, ground and cooked to make pellets. They can help a horse to survive while waiting for hay. Horses always need to chew so if you make them wait for long, they turn to chew wood.
4) Complete feed: A mixture of grains, forages, vitamin and minerals may seem like a perfect replacement of hay for horse. However, the need of horses to chew is still a problem. Thus this can be a little expensive.
5) Beet pulp: It is a great source of highly digestible fiber. It provides protein also the same as some grass hays. However it still won’t satisfy the chewing need of a horse.
6) Soybean hulls: Rich in protein, high in fiver, digestible and most accepted alternative by most horses.
Be that as it may be you will notice that the above hay alternatives for horses are not enough to satisfy the chewing urge. Thus always make sure you contact your reputable supplier early enough. In face you can click here to see hay for sale near me. Quality is the key and good timing will take you places. So when someone ask why do horses eat hay , my best shot is they love chewing and they need fiber. Or simply say their digestive system is loves for fiber.