Our Feeds that can be Forage Replacers

Whilst hay or haylage are commonly used alongside pasture to ensure horses and ponies receive sufficient fibre throughout the year, there are some circumstances when a forage replacer for horses is a more appropriate alternative or addition. This includes for:

• Horses with poor dentition: In order to maintain fibre intake, horses with poor dentition need a forage replacer that is easier to chew. Initially this may be a short chop fibre feed, but longer term, an entirely soaked forage replacer for horses may be required.
• Supplementing a lack of forage or poor quality forage: The British weather is increasingly unpredictable. Over recent years there have been several instances of forage shortages in the UK which has meant that an alternative to hay or haylage is required. A forage replacer can help to make the usual hay ration last longer or totally replace it if needed.
• Providing variety in the diet: Offering a bucket or two of chopped fibre alongside the usual forage ration is a great way to keep your horse interested and encourage foraging behaviour. This is beneficial for all horses and ponies but may be particularly useful for those with limited appetites or fussy feeders where offering a variety of fibre sources may help to increase the overall intake.

Although the term ‘hay replacer’ is commonly used, at Dengie we prefer the term ‘forage replacer’. Referring only to hay replacers suggests that it’s just the hay that needs replacing, but in reality, horses who struggle to chew hay typically find other long stemmed forages (like haylage or straw) difficult as well. Poor dental health can also mean that grass pasture intake is reduced while grazing. In these situations, simply replacing the hay isn’t going to be sufficient. Using the term ‘forage replacer’, instead of ‘hay replacer’, more accurately reflects the broader range of forages a horse may rely on, and highlights the importance of considering the entire forage intake when putting together a replacement ration.

• Replace forage on a weight for weight basis. At minimum all horses should have 1.5% of their bodyweight on a dry matter basis of fibre based feeds. e.g 7.5kg for a 500kg horse
• Divide forage replacers into smaller meals to reduce time the gut is empty
• As forage replacers are fibre based it is appropriate to feed larger amounts than you would cereal based feeds even though you feed them in a bucket. Think of them as forage not bucket feed
• Feed forage replacers in a large trug or preferably several trugs to encourage foraging behaviour
• To slow the rate of eating use a large football or some very large smooth pebbles on top of the feed to help slow the rate of consumption
• Adjust the amount of forage replacer given according to the amount of grazing access and your horse’s bodyweight
• Any dietary change should ideally be done gradually increasing the quantity of new feed used over the period of a couple of weeks