Hay
Hay, along with grass, straw and haylage, belongs to the category of roughage. It forms the basis of every horse’s diet. The official recommendation is 1.5 kg of hay per 100 kg live weight per day. The long feeding duration and intensive chewing supports saliva production, which buffers stomach acid and helps prevent stomach problems. It also satisfies the horse’s natural need to chew.
So-called horse hay consists of late-cut, more heavily lignified grass from the first cut, which mainly contains grasses and fewer herbaceous plants. Depending on weather conditions and vegetation stage, this hay is typically mown from around the end of May to mid-June. Hay cut at this stage contains fewer easily soluble sugars and fructans, which can trigger laminitis among other things, as well as less protein and energy. However, protein from late-mown horse hay is also poorly digestible in the small intestine, which can lead to a deficiency in essential amino acids.
See also: Amino acids and Protein
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