Hi. Many of our clients have older horses and we get lots of quetions and comments about their diet and how haylage can be very benificial

COUNTERACTING THE EFFECTS OF OLD AGE WITH HAYLAGE

The most important objective is to provide feed that is easily broken down and digested so that the risk of choke and colic is reduced and nutrient absorption is enhanced.

Forage

Use a soft, leafy forage; the more stalky and spiky a forage looks the more indigestible material it will contain and the more difficult it will be to chew and digest. Fibrous forages generally also contain fewer nutrients due to the lower leaf content. Haylage is a highly recommended fibre source for the older horse as it is generally less dusty than hay. As good haylage has a lower dry matter content than hay, the same weight of haylage would provide less fibre than hay. A lack of fibre can result in a build up of gas and so it is important when using haylage to ensure that you are feeding enough of it.

Improving the population of bacteria and micro organisms in the hind gut may help the older horse to digest fibre more efficiently. Yeast culture supplements help to enhance the existing population whereas probiotic supplements actually contain bacteria and help to re-establish a healthy population in the horse’s gut. Probiotic supplements are particularly beneficial after any incident that may have disrupted the normal population of micro organisms such as a course of antibiotics, stress, travelling and competing, illness or diarrhoea.

Alison.

Alison offers her advise on horse feeding

Link: Alison can you advise me please?

Alison Advises

Feeding older horses using KHC haylage

Horse care

KHC