# Hay only diets



## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

Talking with friends I know that there is some controversy concerning hay only diets. How many of you feed only hay, no/little grain? Advantages? Disadvantages? My friend says she thinks horses do better on a hay and grain diet and that they'll get hay belly if they eat only hay. We have good grass hay.


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## Tiempo (May 22, 2008)

I'm a strong believer in hay only diets, mine have hay 24 hours and not one of them has a hay belly.

See how awful they look?


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Hay only (good hay) is the most natural way and is good for the horse. A little grain doesn't hurt and can make a horse glad to see you. A couple of handfulls to a horse is like a breath mint to you or me... insignificant.

The exception would be a working horse. One that earns it's keep by working every day.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

A horse shouldn't be fed grain unless it is worked, and even then it may well not need it. Even difficult keepers are generally better off with some type of low starch supplement (which may be grain sourced, but something like soy hulls or beet pulp which will add calories without so much starch). Metabolically, horses are not set up for all the starch they get from grain. They become insulin resistant from it, but lots of exercise counteracts that so an animal that is worked can do better with grain.

A lot of people use grain mixes because of the minerals in them. But you are far better off testing your pasture or hay and then adding the minerals you really need. Because adding a balanced mineral ration to an diet with imbalanced minerals still leaves you with imbalanced minerals! This is a case of not practicing what I preach I'll admit. I've been putting it off for a while but I'm going to send off a sample of my pasture next week and finally get this done, no more guessing and wondering!

Here are my pasture only horses.

Zip
I got Zip as a weanling, he has been pretty much grain free from that time, and didn't get grain before that I'm pretty sure either, just milk and grass 










Doc
I've had Doc for over 3 years. Doc is 100 lbs overweight on pasture alone, I can't imagine him on grain. 











Here are a couple pics of their feet. Notice they don't have much ridges and such, even though they've been moved from one pasture to another, been through season changed etc. 

Zip









Doc










BTW, can you tell where I started them on a magnesium supplement?


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

All of my horses get grass hay only (free choice) and salt and minerals unless they have a specific need for supplemental grain, etc., like a geriatric horse or a hard keeper who just can't weight on. 
Windsong gets grain (Purina Strategy) and a flake of alfalfa at each feeding in addition to lots of good grass hay and loose minerals and salt when she's in full work and training.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

I prefer a grass/hay only diet if at all possible. Only the horses that were being worked got grain when I was in Montana, but we had access to top quality grass/alfalfa or alfalfa hay in the winter and lots of high quality grass in summer.

Here in Kentucky it is difficult to find good alfalfa or alfalfa mix hay and the grass hay is apparantly not as high in nutrition as I was used to. Summer grass the same. Not sure why, maybe because the grass continues to grow here for a much longer time, fields/ ground depleted in nutrients. Anyway, I've had to grain horses here to keep the weight on that I never grained in Montana, but I grain only if I feel it is necessary.


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## CheerfulMom4 (May 21, 2008)

I have an ottb that I got in November. We feed hay only and she has put weight on and looks great. We do have good hay though, there was a time when we didn't have very good hay and the horses we had then looked thin even with grain.


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## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

Our horses are typically on a hay only diet with supplementation of 1#/head/day of Front Runner 30% supplement to provide needed vitamins and tracem minerals and a some protein to even out the amino acids found in our grass hay.

Jim


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

For the most part, our horses are on nothing but grass and/or hay year round. 
They get a little grain as a treat only to keep them coming in to the corral every day. The older horses get oiled grain/feed for the extra calories. 

On days they work, we'll give them a bit more grain.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I have kept everything from thoroughbreds to foxtrotters on hay. Since I now feed a mineral mix, I do give both of my girls a cup of alfalfa pellets with 1/2 c whole oats in the morning so they will not diddle with the mineral mix. 
I prefer a good grass hay but will feed a grass-alfalfa if it is much better than the available grass. 
I suppose if my girls were doing an endurance ride everyother weekend they might need more but until recently they did 20 mile rides with 2-3000 foot climbs frequently without any problem on just hay. They are pretty mcuh retired now due to me rather then them.


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## FarmerChick (Dec 28, 2009)

If worked grain is good.
If horses do little work, have decent winter weather, good pasture etc. hay and minerals should be fine. 

always "watch" the horse. real easy to see if it needs some grain supplement or if it requires more exercise etc. eyeballs truly are the best defense.


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

I was taught a hors ein decent flesh does not need anything more then hay, water and mineral blocks. It has worked well for me for years. Of course there are just som ehorses that we struggle to put wt on..and this rule doesn't apply to them, or to growing horses. But a mature horse in decent flesh usually doesn't need all that grain. 
years I can't find enough hay I do grain and used soaked beat pulp to stretch my hay.


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

my girls


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

I did an experiment last year and fed only good quality hay to all of mine. No one dropped a pound except the old fellow, and I have shipped him to the next field over so he can get grained with another senior guy along with his hay for the winter. So far he is doing great, and the young ones are off to another great start. In the Spring, they eat only grass and do great with that. I can't wait for Spring, I want my old man back home.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Spencer is trying to convince me he needs grain since he works so hard 
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b...M2bloyYg9vPgY/cC/f=0/ps=50/r=0/rx=550/ry=400/
Just good grass hay here and a 1 cup of BOSS at night for a treat.


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## FarmerChick (Dec 28, 2009)

cool pic--is he for hire?
will work for hay? LOL


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

Hay only, here, except for a few times a year when they are really working hard, like during haying season or the wagon train, or when they need a reminder to come a-running when I call for them. No hay bellies here.


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## mayfair (May 7, 2006)

Mine had dry, flaky skin on just hay and salt/mineral blocks. I added a supplement for skin and coat and they look better. My senior guy gets a joint supplement, too.

They're all easy keepers and have no problem maintaining weight on hay/pasture.


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## 2horses (Jul 19, 2004)

lamoncha lover said:


>


What kind of headgear is this horse wearing?


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

What is a "hay belly" anyway? Technically, I mean. I've seen pictures of horses with a "hay belly" and can't imagine how *hay* causes a pot belly. I'd be more inclined to think that is related to fitness or improper deworming? Or possibly very poor nutrition? I don't know?

Just curious. My TB mare gets about 4#/day senior feed in the winter but otherwise gets 1# TC Lite when she is on pasture for the minerals/vitamins. My boarder's haflinger cross gets the 1# TC Lite all year round. (It's a tiny amount, literally about a handful morning and night). Neither is in heavy work but the TB will drop weight in the winter if I don't watch her.


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

2horses said:


> What kind of headgear is this horse wearing?


Um..usually ridden in a shanked walking horse bit....after enlarging this picture my guess would be...........something the son drug out of the tack room?


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## pookshollow (Aug 22, 2005)

Shame on all of you for showing pictures of those poor starving animals! 

Hay/pasture only here as well. My old boy will be 19 this spring - he still bops around like a six-year old. The two-year old draft cross gelding grew close to six inches this summer - no grain, and he looks fabulous.

I am getting a hard keeper back - one of the "dumped" horses I had last year. The friend who took him has a husband complaining about what it costs to feed him. He'll need extra rations and blankets to make it through the winter, but that's ok!


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

offthegrid said:


> What is a "hay belly" anyway? Technically, I mean. I've seen pictures of horses with a "hay belly" and can't imagine how *hay* causes a pot belly. I'd be more inclined to think that is related to fitness or improper deworming? Or possibly very poor nutrition? I don't know?
> 
> Just curious. My TB mare gets about 4#/day senior feed in the winter but otherwise gets 1# TC Lite when she is on pasture for the minerals/vitamins. My boarder's haflinger cross gets the 1# TC Lite all year round. (It's a tiny amount, literally about a handful morning and night). Neither is in heavy work but the TB will drop weight in the winter if I don't watch her.



A "hay belly" is a nutrition issue. It is usually caused by feeding only low-quality "empty" hay as forage. In an attempt to get adequate nutrition, the horse constantly overeats the hay. Additionally, the hay is retained in the digestive tract longer in an attempt to siphon as much nutrition out of it as possible.


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

My three are also on a hay diet. We do give them about a cup each of sweet feed as a treat to keep them coming up to the front gate so we can check them over. We have to be careful as if I feed them early and then DH goes out later, they'll call and tell him they have not been fed yet - liars!

Mine aren't expected to do anything but look pretty in the pasture. As they get older there may come a day when they'll need a different diet. We always fed the youngsters more, and separated them at feeding time to make sure they got their share, but the youngest is now near 9 so that is not an issue - boy, now I feel old, I remember when we bought her as a weanling.

Cathy


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## crtreedude (Jun 14, 2006)

Ours are on pure hay, no grain and they work every other day. They keep very fit that way. Working means 2 to 3 hours of riding. If they don't get the work, they get fat!


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