feed horse laminitis
What is meant by free choice feed?
Does that mean you just put a bunch of hay out and they just eat as much as they want? How can this be. I don’t think my mare would ever stop eating. My mare is on 3/4 of an acre so has a little, not much though, to forage on. The vet makes me weigh out her food. She only gets 10 pounds a day and still remains heavy. I feel bad but the people I bought her from let her get terrible overweight (big fat cresty neck and all) and I’ve just never been able to get all the weight back off. Anyway I was just wondering how people can do this without a horse getting laminitis or something. Thanks.
If she is overweight, unrestricted access to free choice hay is not the best idea for her. However, I have one easy keeper and one hard keeper. They have free choice hay year round, and good pasture all summer 24/7. The easy keeper wears a grazing muzzle. This allows her to be out exercising without getting too much to eat. I use the Best Friend’s Deluxe muzzle (best one available), and my horse couldn’t live a normal life without it. Also, I would have to keep her separated from the hard keeper if she didn’t have her muzzle. She doesn’t wear it 24/7. I do 4 hours on and 4 off, with variations. How many hours it is needed depends on your horse.
It is best for horses to munch all day, so with the muzzle that still happens, but the calories are restricted. They just have to work a little harder to get the food through the opening, which is good for them. Free choice hay 24/7 prevents a myriad of common horse ailments, and is the best thing for horses. It should also be fed low so they reach down as in grazing to eat it. I feed mine on rubber mats in the run in shed.
How to feed the Laminitis horse.mp4
