During winter you may be stabling your horse more and increasing their hay ration to accommodate this. Increasing forage is important in mimicking the natural wild diet of horses[1]. Barbara Hardman and co discussed the importance of having forage available around the clock at the 2019 ISES conference. They talked about how even a gap in forage of 4 hours can increase risk of colic, gastric ulcers, and stereotypical behaviours like crib biting[2]. Because of this risk it is common to try and slow horses eating down and make hay last longer. Hay can be presented in a variety of manners such as hay nets, hay bags, hay balls or slow feeders. Hay nets are commonly used as they have been well researched in slowing horses down[3] and come in many different hole sizes. They are also versatile to use as they can be hung in different locations and sometimes used as double or triple netting.
Source: BLivingProducts; Warehouse; Shires
So how effective is a hay net in slowing down hay consumption? Any haynet with holes smaller than 30mm has been shown to almost double eating time[3,4] however even this increase doesn’t seem to extend eating time past 10.30 pm[4] suggesting that most horses go around 8 hours without forage. Considering the risk of colic and ulcers, is it any wonder our horses are often aggressive in the morning? On top of not increasing eating time till morning, hay nets can also create frustration[5,6] with frustration seeming to increase as hole size decreases[7]. There is also a possibility that hay nets may also cause neck pain, although this hasn’t been further investigated past a dissertation[8]. Lower hay positions may be better as it mimics natural eating positions[9].
Source: TrickleNet
A slow feeder can also be used, they can be directly on the hay bag or a secondary item. Usually they have a grill over the hay made of plastic, metal, or twine. Plastic will impact the teeth less than metal, and twine has a risk of catching on their legs if it is too loose, however hanging slow feeders are also available, reducing risk of stepping in it. Slow feeders have shown to reduce frustration, slow eating time, reduce stereotypies (“stable vices”), and increase positive interactions with humans[5]. They have also been shown to increase welfare by increasing eating time[10] and reducing coprophagy (eating faeces)[11].
Sources: Equinique; Emily Fought; Denise Crain
Presenting multiple types of forage at the same time even if only a few times a week could be beneficial in encouraging foraging and feeding behaviour[12]. Horses also choose multiple forage over single forage when given the option[13], but will generally eat easier to access hay before harder presentation[14]. An increased forage presence can also reduce aggression in group housing[15].
Increasing time taken to eat hay rations is important for welfare[11] and reducing risk of gastric upset[2]. This is particularly true when horses are stabled for long periods as there is no opportunity for horses to search for food as they would when turned out. For horses stabled long hours in winter or otherwise, or on box rest, using a slow feeder, having hay in multiple positions in the stable, and using other devices such as hay balls when supervised, can make a big difference. Even if using a haynet or hayball, hay should be provided loose on the floor to reduce frustration and allow the horse to choose if they browse or forage. You can provide higher amounts of hay to your horse and increase time spent eating by using lower quality forages as they are less nutritious[16] however this blog is not given as a nutritionist, but from a behavioural perspective. As such if you have any concerns about presentation, volume or type of forage please ask a nutritional consultant as they can give tailored information to your horse.
References:
1 - Harris PA, Arkell K. How understanding the digestive process can help minimise digestive disturbances due to diet and feeding practices. Harris, PA, Gomarsall, GM, Davidson HPB, Green, RE (Eds. ), proceedings of the BEVA Specialist Days on Behaviour and Nutrition. Newmarket, Equine Veterinary Journal 45 1999; 49.
2 - Hardman BJ, Lancaster B, Ellis AD. A preliminary study investigating the effect of Slow/Trickle Feeders on nocturnal feeding behaviour and time budgets of stabled horses. In: DuBois C, Merkies K, Widowski T, Wentworth-Stanley C (eds). Proceedings of the 15th International Equitation Science Conference. University of Guelph, 2019, p 45.
3 - Glunk EC, Hathaway MR, Weber WJ, Sheaffer CC, Martinson KL. The Effect of Hay Net Design on Rate of Forage Consumption When Feeding Adult Horses. Journal of equine veterinary science 2014; 34(8): 986–991. DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2014.05.006.
4 - Ellis AD, Fell M, Luck K, Gill L, Owen H, Briars H, Barfoot C, Harris P. Effect of forage presentation on feed intake behaviour in stabled horses. Applied animal behaviour science 2015; 165: 88–94. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.01.010.
5 - Rochais C, Henry S, Hausberger M. ‘Hay-bags’ and ‘Slow feeders’: Testing their impact on horse behaviour and welfare. Applied animal behaviour science 2018; 198: 52–59. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2017.09.019.
6 - Morozova M. An Investigation into Four Different Styles of Hay Presentation Measuring the Impact on Consumption Time, Behaviour and Muscle Activity Across Muscles in the Neck and the Back of Equus Caballus. 2020.
7 - Garrett M. Hay Net Preference in Quarter Horse Mares. 2017.<https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/92188>.
8 - Morgan PR. The Effect of Eating from a Haynet on Neck Pain in Horses. 2020.
9 - Raspa F, Roggero A, Palestrini C, Marten Canavesio M, Bergero D, Valle E. Studying the Shape Variations of the Back, the Neck, and the Mandibular Angle of Horses Depending on Specific Feeding Postures Using Geometric Morphometrics. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI 2021; 11(3). DOI: 10.3390/ani11030763 doi:10.3390/ani11030763.
10- Hallam S, Campbell EP, Qazamel M, Owen H, Ellis AD. Effects of traditional versus novel feeding management on 24 hour time budget of stabled horses. In: Forages and grazing in horse nutrition. Wageningen Academic Publishers: Wageningen, 2012, p 319–321.
11 - Correa MG, Rodrigues e Silva CF, Dias LA, da Silva Rocha Junior S, Thomes FR, Alberto do Lago L, de Mattos Carvalho A, Faleiros RR. Welfare benefits after the implementation of slow-feeder hay bags for stabled horses. Journal of veterinary behavior: clinical applications and research: official journal of: Australian Veterinary Behaviour Interest Group, International Working Dog Breeding Association 2020; 38: 61–66. DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2020.05.010.
12 - Thorne JB, Goodwin D, Kennedy MJ, Davidson HPB, Harris P. Foraging enrichment for individually housed horses: Practicality and effects on behaviour. Applied animal behaviour science 2005; 94(1): 149–164. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2005.02.002.
13 - Goodwin D, Davidson HPB, Harris P. Responses of horses offered a choice between stables containing single or multiple forages. The Veterinary record 2007; 160(16): 548–551. DOI: 10.1136/vr.160.16.548.
14 - Ellis AD, Redgate S, Zinchenko S, Owen H, Barfoot C, Harris P. The effect of presenting forage in multi-layered haynets and at multiple sites on night time budgets of stabled horses. Applied animal behaviour science 2015; 171: 108–116. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.08.012.
15 - Burla J-B, Ostertag A, Patt A, Bachmann I, Hillmann E. Effects of feeding management and group composition on agonistic behaviour of group-housed horses. Applied animal behaviour science 2016; 176: 32–42. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.01.011.
16 - Blickle A. Winter enrichments and activities for horses. The Horse. 2022.<https://thehorse.com/197991/winter-enrichments-and-activities-for-horses/> (accessed 3 Jan 2022).
Comments