09/06/2025
A horse's digestion is a little different to ours, and knowing when and what to feed can make all the difference during the colder months
โฐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ขโ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ
๐ฅถ Brrrrrrrrrโฆ..
๐พ I am regularly asked what the best time of day is for a horse to be fed, and the answer is generally โwhatever time is most convenientโฆโ however during winter, what time of day you feed hay in particular can be an important management tool for weight loss prevention and temperature regulation.
๐ฅ In order to keep warm during the cold, horses will burn energy to maintain their body temperature through thermoregulation. What is interesting, is that a horse has a built-in fermentation vat inside them known as the hindgut or large intestine. The predominant purpose of the hindgut is to break down fibrous matter and convert it into energy and nutrients that can be utilised by the horse. This biological process is called microbial fermentation, and a by-product of fibrous matter being broken down isโฆ heat.
๐ด Food moves rather quickly through a horseโs stomach and small intestine (1-2 hours on average) however, it can remain in the hindgut for up to 36-72 hours during the microbial fermentation process. Food produces more heat in a horse's hindgut when it first enters as this is when the most active breakdown of fibrous materials occurs, releasing a significant amount of heat. As the food material continues to move through the hindgut, fermentation decreases, and by the time it is ready to exit, most of the fermentable material has been processed, producing less heat.
๐ก๏ธ With that mini biology lesson out of the way, how does this information influence the most appropriate time to feed hay during winter? Given temperatures are generally lowest overnight and in the early mornings, it makes physiological sense to provide a horse with hay of a late afternoon or evening, so that by the time it reaches the hindgut, it can ignite an internal fireplace to help keep the horse warm during the coldest part of the day.
๐ฑ As an additional bonus, legume hays such as lucerne (alfalfa) will produce even more heat during microbial fermentation in comparison to grass hays as a result of the higher protein concentrations. Lucerne can be a really handy โextraโ tool for the harder keeping horses during colder months.
