Hay Alternatives for Horses

Hay and pasture provide horses with the fiber that is essential for their well-being, but what to do when pastures dry up and hay is scarce?  The alternatives may be more expensive, but they can help your horse get through periods when hay cannot be found.  The key is to not be fooled into thinking you can replace forage with concentrates--the effects could be detrimental to your horse, upsetting the digestive system and increasing chances for colic.  A horse needs to eat roughly one pound of roughage for every 100 pounds of body weight, and even most complete feeds can't offer this when fed in directed amounts.

When hay is scarce, you may want to increase your concentrates some, but finding an alternative fiber source is important.  Here are some options:

• Alfalfa cubes (best to feed soaked to reduce chances of choke)
• beet pulp
• high quality haylage or silage
• Soy or cottonseed hulls
• Ontario Dehydrated Timothy Cubes
• Chopped hays

It's best not to substitute these 'hay replacers' for a horse's full ration of hay, but use them instead to help stretch your limited hay supply.  If no hay can be found whatsoever, they are definitely better than just feeding concentrates though.  

Ta-ta!

Oral Glucosamine and Chondroitin for Horses

Over the years, I, like many horse owners, have spent a small fortune in oral supplements for my horses.  Of course, I assumed they were doing some good, but that little voice in the back of my mind would often pipe up, "Are these things really working?"  Well, there's no way to really tell, is there?

Well, the good news is, studies are showing that neutraceutical agents, such as glucosamine and chondroitin DO have an effect, especially on horses with mild osteoarthritis.  Glad to know not all of my money went down the drain (or into the manure)!

I recently wrote an article published by The Horse about the effects of glucosamine and chondroitin on equine OA.  According to the scientific study I wrote about, urinary GAG's (glycosaminoglycans) are a reliable indicator of cartilage turnover rates.  When horses were fed glucosamine and/or chondroitin sulphate, urinary GAG's increased, indicating that cartilage was most likely trying to repair itself.  GAG output remained high even after a 30-day  supplementation ended--this seems to show that the supplements had an ongoing effect in the horse. 

According to well-known equine nutrition expert, Dr. Eleanor Kellon, the amount of glucosamine and chondroitin you give your horse is important.    Her recommendation for a 1000 lb horse is 7.5-10 grams of glucosamine and 5000-6000 mg of chondroitin a day.  Of course, this amount will need to be adjusted for a smaller or larger horse.  She also recommends givng the two nutraceuticals, together.  Fortunately, many joint supplements contain both.

Dr. Kellon says, "I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that oral joint supplements work."  She's participated in or led several studies to help prove that as well.   Between Dr. Kellon's work and other studies I've read, I'm convinced.  Before you go to get joint injections for your horse, you may want to try glucosamine and chondroitin.  It just may make a difference and save you money in the long run.  

Ta-ta!