Replacing hay with chaff for older horse

[lhamm]

Hi, I was after some advice. I have noticed my 26 year old horse is struggling to eat hay. He has lost some teeth over the last year or 2 (has regular visits from the dentist) and has loose droppings. I spoke to Dengie horse feeds and they recommended feeding hi-fi light as a hay replacer. He has 1 scoop of Dengie Healthy Hooves morning and night with his supplements in, and a bucket of 4 scoops of hi-fi light in the evening - since having the hi-fi light, his droppings have gone back to normal. He goes out in the field all day, the grass is not so good now obviously, but he still has his head down all day eating. I still leave a small hole haynet in his stable every night which he eats about half of. He had a mild case of laminitus this year, the first time he has ever had it, so I have to be careful about giving him too many calories, but he is starting to look quite lean. Does anyone have any other recommendations on feeding the older horse with poor teeth ? He is a 16 hand warmblood who normally always looks well and round, but now he cant eat hay properly, has started to lose condition. Thank you

 

[bouncing_ball]

I think you need to weigh his ideal Haynet. Weigh it again in the morning. What is left is the weight in kg you need to feed in chaff / fast fibre etc.

A Stubbs scoop of chaff is approx 120gms. So I think you are feeding about 0.5kg of chaff.

My 16.3hh horse eats 13kg of hay a day!

I think you need to match weight for weight.

 

[hobo]

If his teeth are bad do not use a haynet just put it on the floor. I have a pony who is having trouble with his teeth and I have had to stop using the net and that has solved the problem. He has not got to the lean side yet mind so maybe I should have held out longer but I like to know they have plenty of long fibre. Vet said short chop is worse for him as he has big gaps and it wedges in them.

 

[lhamm]

If his teeth are bad do not use a haynet just put it on the floor. I have a pony who is having trouble with his teeth and I have had to stop using the net and that has solved the problem. He has not got to the lean side yet mind so maybe I should have held out longer but I like to know they have plenty of long fibre. Vet said short chop is worse for him as he has big gaps and it wedges in them.

Hi, my horse struggles to eat the hay, I tried putting it on the floor but it made it worse. It seems much better in a small hole haynet, that way he can only pull a small amount out, so has a much better chance of chewing a small piece of hay, rather than a big mouthful. He is much better now he is having the hi-fi light, and he eats that fine.

 

[lhamm]

I think you need to weigh his ideal Haynet. Weigh it again in the morning. What is left is the weight in kg you need to feed in chaff / fast fibre etc.

A Stubbs scoop of chaff is approx 120gms. So I think you are feeding about 0.5kg of chaff.

My 16.3hh horse eats 13kg of hay a day!

I think you need to match weight for weight.

Thank you - I think I need to feed much more chaff !!

 

[bouncing_ball]

Thank you - I think I need to feed much more chaff !!

Definitely worth trying, Google says Stubbs scoop of chaff is 300-500gms, which is higher than I remembered. But possibly worth weighing it.

You could try a higher calorie and protein chaff with added oil such as Alfa A oil? If he’s okay with Alfa A?

 

[HashRouge]

I know you say you need to be careful with calories, but if he is looking lean and dropping weight then he isn't getting enough. I'd consider adding something like Alfa-A Oil for the added calories. I actually had a look at the ingredients and I wonder if Alfa-A Oil might not be better for a laminitic, since it doesn't have molasses and contains less sugar than Hi-Fi light. I'd be more worried about sugar than calories in a lean, laminitis-prone horse, but always wise to speak to your vet too and see what they advise.

 

[lhamm]

I know you say you need to be careful with calories, but if he is looking lean and dropping weight then he isn't getting enough. I'd consider adding something like Alfa-A Oil for the added calories. I actually had a look at the ingredients and I wonder if Alfa-A Oil might not be better for a laminitic, since it doesn't have molasses and contains less sugar than Hi-Fi light. I'd be more worried about sugar than calories in a lean, laminitis-prone horse, but always wise to speak to your vet too and see what they advise.

I have just been looking at the Alfa A Oil, as you say, very low in sugar, so this could work. Dengie did recommend Senior Hi-Fi if he loses too much condition, but the sugar content is quite high so it worried me.

 

[lhamm]

Definitely worth trying, Google says Stubbs scoop of chaff is 300-500gms, which is higher than I remembered. But possibly worth weighing it.

You could try a higher calorie and protein chaff with added oil such as Alfa A oil? If he’s okay with Alfa A?

Yes I think the Alfa A Oil might work - thank you

 

[planete]

Has he been checked for Cushings?

 

[Britestar]

I would check for cushings first.
If you can get short chop hay, that will help too. I managed to get hay that was cut again when bailed, and this really helps my oldies.

Interestingly, I have also got long stem haylage, and I notice the oldest girl has lots of quids of this, but none of hay. She get extra hay, but like to give the haylage a good sook.

Silvermoor do veteran haylage which is short chop.

My other oldue with debtal issues doesn't like Alfa A, as he finds it too spikey.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Halley’s alfalfa blox are brilliant. I gave them to my old boy, you soak them and they make quite a big bucket of soft fibre for them. I used to mix it into beetpulp with linseed or corn oil added and leave ad-lib in his stable. Helped him no end. I also sourced nice soft hay for him.

 

[jhoward]

https://www.dengie.com/horse-feeds/...VDgaueUV6lrN1BsmKs5m22q-_kKFqWFRoCPwMQAvD_BwE

Have a Google of redigrass there are various brands out there

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Hi, I was after some advice. I have noticed my 26 year old horse is struggling to eat hay. He has lost some teeth over the last year or 2 (has regular visits from the dentist) and has loose droppings. I spoke to Dengie horse feeds and they recommended feeding hi-fi light as a hay replacer. He has 1 scoop of Dengie Healthy Hooves morning and night with his supplements in, and a bucket of 4 scoops of hi-fi light in the evening - since having the hi-fi light, his droppings have gone back to normal. He goes out in the field all day, the grass is not so good now obviously, but he still has his head down all day eating. I still leave a small hole haynet in his stable every night which he eats about half of. He had a mild case of laminitus this year, the first time he has ever had it, so I have to be careful about giving him too many calories, but he is starting to look quite lean. Does anyone have any other recommendations on feeding the older horse with poor teeth ? He is a 16 hand warmblood who normally always looks well and round, but now he cant eat hay properly, has started to lose condition. Thank you

Haycare from Simple Systems is good for older horses

 

[SEL]

A few buckets of soaked grass nuts or hay cobs can also help if the teeth are a problem

 

[Lady Jane]

My nuritionist advised me to feed soaked grass nuts for my elderly horse with dental issues. Ideally they should nibble like hay or grass but mine just guzzled them so I split into 4 feeds a day. He had about 3kg/day of dry nuts plus however much hay he would eat (and balancer etc) - but all low sugar and starch. You do need to check the labels

 

[tda]

I just bought some Hay Care from simple systems for my old lady, it's Timothy grass

 

[Landcruiser]

For added calories I give my old boy a big feed of Coolstance Copra, his teeth are "expired" according to my EDT. He also has a scoop of Agrobs Museli and some added veg oil, plus micronised linseed. All those things are lami friendly and he can easily eat the soaked feed. He found chaff type feeds really difficult to chew.

 

[Gloi]

Like the others have said, make sure he is tested for Cushing's which could have been the cause of the laminitis.

 

[lhamm]

Like the others have said, make sure he is tested for Cushing's which could have been the cause of the laminitis.

When the vet checked him over, he did not think he had Cushings, he was checked for Cushings the year before and was fine. Vet did not want to test for Cushings as he really did not think he had it ? He done blood tests and everything was normal apart from slightly high insulin, which was 56. He said it was a mild case of Lami

 

[lhamm]

I just bought some Hay Care from simple systems for my old lady, it's Timothy grass

Ive just spoken to Simple Systems and the Hay Care sounds good - thank you

 

[ester]

So we have a similar problem - 28yo started struggling with hay a couple of years ago. He also used to dunk a lot. He's not 100% with chaff either, and has been able to have free access to grass since he quids a fair bit of that too (having spent his life restricted).

Initially he was better with soft double baled hay (we have a very good hayman)- so its big baled on the field and then re-baled into small bales.
Since that stopped being enough he moved onto the equivalent soft haylage (he's dreamt of having haylage all his life!) He hasn't had a net for years as he needs to be able to pick through it and he also possibly has some jaw arthritis so just tried to make it as easy as possible for him.

I've treated him as metabolic for the last 8 years but he only recently came up positive for cushings. Given that yours has been laminitic it is best if any hay replacer is <10% sugar starch combined which a lot of grass chaffs/grass nuts suggested on this thread are not.

Mine wouldnt' get on with an alfalfa product as it's too stalky.

Grass chaff options that are would be simple systems timothy/agrobs leichtgneiss or aspero/thunderbrooks equivalent
grass nuts meadow magic (from emerald green) or hay cobs from agrobs/TB.
The more complete soaked feed options I'm not that familiar with, if we need to add more then I will likely just give him speedibeet as supplementary too but currently he's it pretty good condition considering. The haycare would definitely be a good option (we just dont have any simple systems suppliers near the horse, and there's only so much I can fit in my car between cambridge and somerset ?)

 

[tda]

Simple systems deliver

 

[Puzzled]

Chaff isn’t always good for older horses as it can become stuck between their teeth. Have you thought about Fast Fibre or soaked grass nuts?

 

[Fjord]

Can he have Speedibeet or Fast Fibre? Both low sugar/starch but easy to eat.

 

[ester]

Simple systems deliver

I think everyone does these days but it does cost and more importantly needs someone to be there to receive it.