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Forages in the Horse's Diet, an Overview
by Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Introduction
Introduction
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Horses Need Forage
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What is Forage?
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Pasture
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Hay
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By-products
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Feed requirements of horses:
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Approximate nutritional value of common forages:
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Changing the Forage in a Horses Diet
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More Info
Any foodstuff that contains at least 18% crude fiber can be classified as a forage. Forage is an essential part of the horse's diet and can come from pasture, harvested feeds like hay, and even food byproducts like beet pulp. As a minimum two thirds of a horse's diet, by weight, should consist of forage. Some show horses get by with only one half of the diet being forage, but they are at increased risk for colic, founder, and stable vices.
Getting enough good quality forage in a horse's diet can present a problem. The season, weather, large amounts of storage space required, tooth problems, heaves (COPD), and pregnancy may all contribute to finding adequate amounts of suitable forage. This article consists of an overview of available forages, their nutritional characteristics, and how they may be used in a feeding program.
~Word Count: 5398 words (The average magazine page contains about 600 words);
~Last Updated: August 16, 2008;
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Discussions on Forages for Horses, an Overview
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Subtopics |
Posts |
Updated |
 | No hay, no pasture, no alfalfa cubes, grain ONLY? | 1 | 5 | Aug 13, 08 |
| Problem buying hay this year | 1 | 27 | Jul 31, 08 |
| Question about current feeding regimen | 1 | 3 | Jul 15, 08 |
| Supplementing hay with cubes or bagged hay products | 1 | 14 | Jun 25, 08 |
| More hay woes | 1 | 2 | Jun 19, 08 |
| Selecting hay for large boarding facility | 1 | 6 | Jun 17, 08 |
| When to feed new hay | 1 | 6 | Jun 11, 08 |
| Fescue Hay | 1 | 3 | Jun 6, 08 |
| Hay compacted | 1 | 6 | Jan 17, 08 |
| Hay Quality/Protein and TDN % | 1 | 5 | Dec 30, 07 |
| Lovin' the round bales! | 1 | 14 | Aug 7, 08 |
| Pasture quality during winter | 1 | 4 | Nov 12, 07 |
| NC to Help with Hay Shipping Costs | 1 | 1 | Sep 19, 07 |
| Hay Quality | 1 | 3 | Jul 31, 07 |
| Is caragana poisinous to horses? | 1 | 6 | Jul 27, 07 |
| Overcome by grass in paddocks with flooding rains | 1 | 29 | Jul 12, 07 |
| Stemmy 1st crop hay | 1 | 24 | Jul 7, 07 |
| Mash Causing Ileum Blockage? | 1 | 7 | Dec 14, 06 |
| What's this weed in our hay? | 1 | 18 | Feb 7, 07 |
| What's this weed in our hay? | 1 | 1 | Nov 10, 06 |
| Mixed hay---free choice? | 1 | 3 | Nov 10, 06 |
| What is Brome hay? | 1 | 5 | Nov 1, 06 |
| The Hay woes!! | 1 | 37 | Jun 29, 07 |
| Hay | 1 | 4 | Oct 8, 06 |
| Hay type comparison - how much to feed? | 1 | 3 | Aug 14, 06 |
| Hay with ironweed content | 1 | 7 | Aug 3, 06 |
| Ca:Ph Ratio and Supplementation | 1 | 3 | Jun 20, 06 |
| A new hay discussion - economics in hay buying | 1 | 19 | Aug 15, 06 |
| EPSM Diet | 1 | 8 | Feb 4, 06 |
| Alfalfa/Timothy Cubes for FAT heavy horse | 1 | 13 | Nov 23, 05 |
| Changing Feed Prior to Moving | 1 | 3 | Aug 29, 05 |
| Hybrid Pearl Millet | 1 | 4 | Aug 11, 05 |
| Peanut hay | 1 | 25 | Mar 3, 08 |
| Help with Nutrition and weight gain. | 1 | 45 | Oct 25, 05 |
| Rye hay | 1 | 3 | May 1, 05 |
| Canary hay | 1 | 3 | Nov 22, 04 |
| Supplement to soft grassy Hay | 1 | 4 | Sep 21, 04 |
| Letting a farm field rest before planting pasture | 1 | 10 | Jun 18, 05 |
| Round Bales of Hay...OK or Not? | 1 | 45 | Nov 17, 06 |
| Alfalfa Only Diet 2? | 1 | 6 | Apr 5, 04 |
| Alfalfa Only Diet? | 1 | 8 | Oct 10, 07 |
| Mixing hay | 1 | 9 | Jan 9, 04 |
| Good pasture...hay needed? | 1 | 3 | Nov 14, 03 |
| Orchard Grass Hay with Wheat stalks | 1 | 2 | Jul 16, 03 |
| Can a horse be this sensitive? | 1 | 23 | Jun 30, 03 |
| Feeding last year's hay | 1 | 21 | Jun 30, 03 |
| Where Is That Chart??? | 1 | 5 | Jun 19, 03 |
| Round bale hay loose--danger? | 1 | 2 | Feb 7, 03 |
| 2 hours of pasture to start? | 1 | 5 | Nov 18, 02 |
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