Short of grass or hay? We can help!
Horses are ‘trickle feeders’ and have evolved to eat a high fibre diet. They should be grazing for approximately 18-20 hours a day and so forage should be available at all times. If your horse isn’t getting enough fibre it can result in serious consequences including gastric ulcers, colic and dehydration. As a horse owner, you may need to feed a hay replacer at times when grass or hay are in short supply, your horse or pony struggles to chew long stem fibre or you own a fussy feeder who would benefit from additional fibre in the diet.
Both Honeychop Lite & Healthy and Chopped Oat Straw are soft, short chopped fibres that are ideal to feed as partial hay replacers, up to 50% of your horse or pony’s daily forage ration.
Lite & Healthy is a natural fibre blend of oat straw and timothy grass with a light coating of linseed and rapeseed oil, blended with cinnamon, marigold and a mix of real herbs all known for their natural antioxidant properties. It is free from molasses, soya and cereals, making it a non-heating low sugar fibre blend suitable for all horses and ponies. Cinnamon is an antioxidant and is known to help balance the blood sugar levels, which combined with an NSC of 3.1% makes Lite & Healthy perfect for those with or prone to laminitis, EMS or cushings.
For those on a very restricted diet or simply looking to add extra fibre without the calories, Honeychop Chopped Oat Straw is the answer. It is a straight high fibre feed which is screened to remove small straw particles and dust extracted, a pure natural product with nothing added. It is ideal for natives, overweight horses, ponies or donkeys. Chopped Oat Straw is the lowest calorie feed in our range with an NSC of only 1.7%.
Tips for feeding a hay replacer
- Firstly, it’s important you know how much to feed your horse or pony. Seek the advice of the manufacturer or equine nutritionist if you aren’t sure
- As with a new feed, make sure the hay replacer is introduced to the diet slowly, over a period of 7-14 days
- Hay replacers are best fed from a large bucket or split between a few buckets to simulate natural foraging behaviour
- If your horse or pony is prone to bolting his feed, then add a smooth stone or brick to the bucket to slow him down
- Always make sure clean water is available
If you have any questions, please click here to contact our friendly team for advice.
