Diet Planning - Forage: What’s the alternative?

There is growing concern regarding the availability of forage in many areas. With the terrible weather we have experienced this winter, many horses and ponies have had to spend more time in the stable increasing the reliance on forage further. In Everything Explained Katie explains how important forage is in your horse’s diet. Here we explain what to do if you are unable to source forage or if the quality is poor.

Dengie are the largest growers and producers of high temperature dried alfalfa in the UK. This drying process produces consistently clean forage from bale to bale. Although the pure alfalfa products such as Alfa-A Original are not suitable to be fed as forage replacement, as they are simply too much of a good thing, the alfalfa in the Hi-Fi range products has been ‘diluted’ with other fibre sources such as straw, or grass making them suitable to feed in much larger quantities. Below is a quick guide to the Dengie products that can be used to totally or partially replace forage and how to feed them.

 

Hi-Fi Senior – the Dengie forage replacer that looks like chopped hay and is suitable for a wide range of horses and ponies not just veterans!

Hi-Fi Senior combines high temperature dried grasses and alfalfa and can be used to totally replace forage. Despite its name Hi-Fi Senior is not only suitable for veterans, but a wide range of horses and ponies regardless of their age. Hi-Fi Senior has been formulated to be soft and easy to chew and out of all of the Dengie hay replacer products this is the one that looks most like chopped hay. As both the grasses and alfalfa in Hi-Fi Senior have been high temperature dried this is a very ‘clean’ forage source making it especially beneficial for performance horses that those that are respiratory challenged.

Hi-Fi Senior is also very palatable so is ideal for horses and ponies that can be just that bit fussy!

Hi-Fi Molasses Free – the tasty unmolassed option

Hi-Fi Molasses Free combines chopped and pelleted alfalfa and straw with a soya oil coating and the added herbs mint and fenugreek. Hi-Fi Molasses Free contains no added sugar and provides only 2% sugar which is naturally occurring. Hi-Fi Molasses Free is suitable for a wide range of horses and ponies as a forage replacement including those prone to laminitis.

Hi-Fi Original & Hi-Fi Original with Apple- the most economical Dengie forage replacer

Hi-Fi Original combines alfalfa and top quality cereal straw with a light molasses coating and has a calorie level comparable to top quality hay. Hi-Fi Original is suitable for any horse or pony that is at rest or in light work. Hi-Fi Original is also available with tasty Apple Pellets for fussy feeders. For horses in harder work Hi-Fi Senior combines more digestible fibre sources that can make more of a contribution to the ration and for those that hold weight very easily or are over-weight Hi-Fi Good Do-er may be a more appropriate option.

Hi-Fi Lite - the low sugar forage replacer suitable for horses and ponies prone to laminitis

Hi-Fi Lite combines alfalfa and top quality cereal straw with a light molasses coating. Hi-Fi Lite contains on average only 5% sugar, which is about half what you would find in average hay. As Hi-Fi Lite is so low in sugar it is particularly suitable for horses and ponies that require a low sugar ration such as horses and ponies prone to laminitis.

Hi-Fi Good Do-er – the lowest calorie Dengie forage replacer for horses and ponies that maintain weight easily or need to lose weight

Hi-Fi Good Do-er combines top quality cereal straw and alfalfa with a molasses coating, mint flavouring and added vitamins and minerals. Hi-Fi Good Do-er is the lowest calorie product in the Dengie range and is therefore ideal for any horses or ponies that hold their weight particularly well, or are overweight. The added vitamins and minerals on Hi-Fi Good Do-er mean that when fed at the recommended quantity no additional vitamin and mineral supplement is necessary.

Making forage go further

If you have some hay or haylage but need to top up with other fibre sources to get you through the winter, you can use up to 3kgs per day of the Alfa-A range of fibre feeds. The Alfa-A products contain much higher levels of energy and protein than the Hi-Fi range and so will make a significant contribution to your horse's nutrient requirements. This may mean that you can reduce the amount of concentrates you are feeding which has the benefit of keeping costs manageable but also promoting a much healthier digestive system.

Dengie Alfa-Beet which combines alfalfa and unmolassed sugar beet in a convenient 15 minute hot soak or 2 hour cold soak can also be used as a partial forage replacement. Containing highly digestible fibres, Alfa-Beet can be used to provide more fibre in your horse's diet. It is particularly useful for older horses and ponies that struggle to chew and those that are fussy feeders as well as aiding hydration.

How do I feed a Dengie hay replacer?

To feed a Dengie forage replacer you would simply replace your forage on a weight for weight basis. For example, if you would usually feed your horse 5kg of hay in the stable you would replace it with 5kg of one of the Dengie forage replacer products most suited to your horse. As a guide 1 section of hay from a 20kg bale would weigh approximately 2kg. To replace this you would need to feed 2 Measuring Buckets of one of the Hi-Fi products or approximately 5-7 large round scoops.

Unlike hay the Dengie hay replacer products cannot be fed in a hay or haylage net. We would recommend leaving the desired quantity in a large bucket in the corner of the stable for your horse to munch on as required. If you find initially that your horse eats this too quickly then we would suggest using a large football or some very large smooth pebbles on top of the feed to help slow them down.

We often get calls on the Dengie Feedline asking if the Dengie forage replacement products have to be soaked prior to feeding. The answer to this is no apart from Alfa-Beet which must be fed soaked. However, if you have a horse that prefers the Hi-Fi products dampened down then they are fine to feed this way as well.

For further information about feeding Dengie hay replacers please contact the Dengie Feedline 0845 345 5115 or send us an e-mail.