Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Feeding hay leaves

From: Deborah

Dear Jessica, I'm worried about feeding my horse the loose bits of hay from the bottom of the hay cart. Is this safe? It looks nice, but I wouldn't know if it could be moldy or too old or something. Also, what about the little leaves and pieces of hay that fall out of my horse's hay rack? Should he eat them? I worry that he will eat too much sand off the ground when he eats the little bits of hay that fall. And my instructor says that I should just feed my horse his hay on the ground anyway. But if I do, won't he just eat more of the sand and dirt? Thank you, Deborah

Hi Deborah! This must be a trend, there were two other people worried about exactly the same thing this week. ;-) So, to all of you: don't worry about the bits of hay at the bottom of the hay cart! If it's clean and green and soft and leafy and nice, go right ahead and feed it. If you feed alfalfa out of a hay cart, the best bits -- the leaves -- are the bits that come off when you're separating flakes, and you can end up with several inches of flakes at the bottom of that cart EVERY time you feed. It would be a shame to waste good hay by throwing the leaves away!

Moldy hay has a nasty smell, and most horses that have enough good food will refuse to eat moldy hay. But use your common sense -- if you pick up an armful of hay from the bottom of the feed cart and it smells bad, or looks white-spotted or grey-spotted or terribly dusty, or you begin to sneeze, throw it away. If it looks green, smells good, and doesn't feel harsh to your hands, feed it.

I agree that it's best to feed horses on the ground whenever possible, because the position is the most natural for them, and it allows them to breathe easily while they eat. This doesn't mean that you have to drop their feed into the dirt or onto a sand pile, though -- you can put down a tarp, or a rubber mat, or feeder tubs, or some combination of the above.

When it comes to sand and dirt, you must be the judge. Remember that even if your horse has his hay in a haynet or hayrack, each time he pulls out a mouthful of hay, some leaves will detach and hit the ground -- and most horses spend a lot of time looking for and eating every last leaf of good hay, whether it's in the mud, in the snow, in the sand, or in their bedding!

If you have sand, your horses are probably already eating some of it. Talk to your veterinarian about this. He'll be able to tell you whether it's likely to be a problem. He'll also be able to help you minimize the problem by giving you a feeding protocol for psyllium, which helps carry the sand out of the horse's intestines.

Jessica

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