Do Horses Need Better Hay Than Cows?

While it is true that horses digest fibrous foods less efficiently than their ruminant counterparts, a horse’s unique needs dictate how much nutrition it actually requires from hay. Therefore, it’s a myth that all horses always require higher quality hay than cattle.

Can horses survive on just hay?

Many pleasure and trail horses don’t need grain: good-quality hay or pasture is sufficient. If hay isn’t enough, grain can be added, but the bulk of a horse’s calories should always come from roughage. Horses are meant to eat roughage, and their digestive system is designed to use the nutrition in grassy stalks.

What kind of hay is best for a horse?

Legume Hay for Horses
Alfalfa, white clover, red clover and birdsfoot trefoil are common types of legumes, with alfalfa being the most popular choice. Benefits: Legumes are higher in protein and calcium than grass hay, and may also provide more energy and a higher level of total digestible nutrients, such as vitamin A.

What is the best hay for cows and horses?

Orchardgrass is one of the highest quality grasses that is a good hay option for horses, cattle and other livestock. In cattle, sheep and goat diets, it produces a superior body weight gain and milk production compared to other grasses, making it a great choice for pregnant, lactating and even growing animals.

What can replace hay for horses?

Six Hay Alternatives for Horses

• Bagged chopped forage. It can replace all of your horse’s hay, if necessary.
• Hay cubes. Chopped cubed hay (usually alfalfa or timothy or a combination) is another 100-percent replacement.
• Hay pellets.
• “Complete” feed.
• Beet pulp.
• Soybean hulls.

Do horses prefer hay or grass?

While most horses do well and thrive on a grass hay diet, other horses with different needs and medical conditions are better suited to being fed a diet of grass/alfalfa mix, or an exclusively all alfalfa.
Feeding Grass vs Alfalfa Hay.

How many hours can a horse go without grazing?

The horse shouldn’t be left overnight or longer than 8 hours without food as this can predispose them to colic. Eliminate grain and other concentrated and high-sugar feeds. Limit pasture access in some way during the spring and autumn when the grasses tend to be highest in their sugar/starch content.

Is there a difference between cow hay and horse hay?

“Cow hay” is generally viewed as lower quality hay that is ideal for most beef cattle. “Dairy hay” is an extremely high protein, high energy hay suitable to support milk production in dairy animals. “Horse hay” is extremely clean, no dust or mold, hay that contains moderate levels of both protein and energy.

What hay is toxic to horses?

Endophytes present in tall fescue and ryegrass produce mycotoxins that are toxic to equines. Endophyte-infected fescue hay can cause reproductive problems resulting in dystocia (foaling difficulties) and poor milk production.

What hay should horses not eat?

Types of Hay for Horses—What to Avoid

• Perennial ryegrass and rye.
• Dallisgrass.
• Argentine bahiagrass.
• Johnsongrass, Sorghum grasses/Sudangrass.
• Switchgrass, which causes photosensitivity, peeling skin, mouth ulcers and liver disease.
• Foxtail Millet (aka German Millet) and Meadow foxtail.

Can horses eat the same hay as cows?

Most horses graze in cow pastures and are fed hay or silage from those pastures. Horses find this grass very palatable, but it is actually far too high in energy (fructan) and contains too little effective fibre for them. This may make a horse sick, often leading to complaints such as laminitis or tying up.

Can you feed cow hay to horses?

The protein content of dry cow hay ranges anywhere from 10 to 22 percent. It is often off color, very mature, and may contain a little mold. While dry cow hay is fine for cattle in the feedlot, it is not fine for horses.

What eats more hay a horse or a cow?

(source) A healthy horse that weighs 1200 pounds will eat up to 30 pounds of average quality forage daily. Cows will eat about 2.05% of their body weight each day. (source) You can expect a 1200-pound cow to eat approximately 24.6 pounds of average quality forage each day.

Do horses actually like hay?

As we adapted the horse for colder climates, the horse was well-suited to thrive on hay and other conserved forages. Many pleasure horses on small acreages subsist on hay 365 days a year, and their only involvement with “pasture” is a place to exercise. (Right) Forage should be the foundation of the horse’s diet.

Do horses need hay if they have grass?

A horse’s digestive tract is designed to consume foods 24/7; therefore, it is essential to provide hay to a stalled horse.

Do horses need hay all day?

Because we like to think our horses follow the same schedule that we do, many people think that horses need less hay at night because they’re asleep (and therefore, not eating). However, that’s a myth. Horses need access to forage at all times of the day.

Should horses eat hay or alfalfa?

Tradition holds that timothy hay and oats are the best feeds for horses, and that alfalfa and corn spell disaster. Alfalfa hay may not be the best feed for all horses in all situations, but it contains nutrients needed for many classes of horses.

How many acres of hay do you need to feed a horse for a year?

With excellent management, one horse can live on as little as one mud-free acre. However, keep in mind that a single horse will chew through 27 acres of pasture per year or that equivalent in hay.

Should horse pastures be mowed?

Mowing your pastures to a height of 4 inches three to four times a year will keep the grasses less mature. Young plants are more desirable and palatable for horses. Make sure to mow weeds at or before flowering to prevent seeding.

Can horses go all night without water?

A horse can live for almost a month without food, but within a mere 48 hours without water a horse can begin to show signs of colic and can quickly become life threatening.

Do horses need water at night?

All horses must have access to clean drinking water 24 hours a day. Horses should always be provided with more water than they need so that there is no risk of them not getting enough to drink.