Question

Is it possible to keep horses on small acreage? What are the drawbacks of not allowing horses to graze for several hours each day?

Answer

Encroaching urbanization has reduced the amount of available land for grazing, and horse owners have definitely felt the squeeze. The best way to manage horses that cannot be on pasture full-time is to mimic natural grazing conditions. In terms of nutrition management, horses should be allowed access to hay for the majority of the day.

Carte-blanche access to hay has numerous advantages. First and foremost, it keeps the gastrointestinal tract in fine fettle, working as it was designed to by continually processing long-stem forage. Horses with forage available to them at all times are less likely to colic than those on a strict meal schedule (feeding two or three times a day). Second, continuous consumption of forage stimulates saliva production.

Saliva buffers stomach acid, so gastric ulcers are diagnosed less frequently in stalled horses that have access to hay than those that stand for long periods without something to eat.

Third, providing hay keeps horses busy. Researchers believe that some horses may crib, weave, chew wood, or stall walk out of sheer boredom. A horse with a pile of hay in front of it may be more inclined to devour the hay than engage in one of these vices.

Care must be taken to choose hay that is most appropriate for the horse. Young horses, broodmares in late gestation or early lactation, and performance horses in hard work might need the energy afforded by alfalfa or another legume, while grass hay might be more suitable for other classes of horses. For additional nutritional advice for your horse, see the equine specialist at your feed store.