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Fibre
Left
to their own devices, horses would graze for more than 12 hours a day
to take in sufficient 'bulk' feed. Although the use of
concentrates can provide high quality feed in small volume, they
cannot replace the horse's need for bulk fibre.
Fibre
is essential to the horse's digestive process and to stop him feeling
hungry. For the stabled horse, it is provided in the form of
conserved grass - hay, haylage or silage - or with chopped straw/hay
mixes (chaff).
The
quality of hay, haylage or silage is governed by three things - the
quality of the grass when cut, the quality of the conservation process
(often affected by the weather) and the storage time and
conditions. While feeds for ordinary ponies and horses may be
made from poorer quality grasses (meadow hay) as compared to the
forage required by racehorses, which are usually fed seeds hay, all
forages must be properly conserved to remain free of dust, mould and
contaminants (e.g. rat droppings.)
A
mature horse requires approximately 1.5 - 1.75 kg of good quality hay
per 100 kg of bodyweight for maintenance only if he has no access to
pasture.
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