The Pros and Cons of Feeding Free Choice Hay in Winter

How to feed horses in winter, especially those who tend to be hard keepers, is a hot topic as we head into the cold months here in the northern hemisphere. Top of the list of best winter feeding practices (and year round too), is giving horses free access to hay around the clock. I have been fortunate to receive quite an education in the equine digestive system in the last year, and as result this is one of my number one priorities in my horse care routine. Fortunately, free choice hay in the winter and pasture grass access in the summer are offered at the barn where I board Ace.

If you are new to horse ownership, are struggling with a hard keeper, or are just learning more about how to feed and manage your horse yourself, here are the basics of why you should give your horse free choice hay.

Cons of Feeding Free Choice Hay

Beware, that when you give your horse hay around the clock, you may show up at the barn to discover some interesting changes in your horse like I did yesterday …

I got to my barn yesterday afternoon to find that, now the grass is pretty much gone, the hay feeders had been placed in the fields and filled to overflowing. As I wandered towards the back field to retrieve Ace, I soon discovered that I was now owner to a headless horse. He was standing at the feeder buried up to his neck in hay. He had his entire head shoved into the mound of hay, and had clearly been there all day. That was peril number one.

As much as my horse loves his food, he loves me more. So when I walked into the field and called to him he did manage to extract himself from the buffet to look at me. When I got to him and clipped on the lead rope, I immediately started laughing. Peril number two of feeding freed choice hay? The most gigantic hay belly I have ever seen on my horse. I couldn’t stop laughing the entire time I was grooming him because his belly was so big.

And finally peril number 3 of free choice hay? And incredibly satisfied and happy horse. As I groomed Ace, I also couldn’t stop laughing about how incredibly pleased he looked with himself. Talk about having a content horse.

Hopefully you figured out by now that there aren’t any real cons to feeding free choice hay.

Pros of Feeding Free Choice Hay

If you want a healthy horse, free choice hay when good pasture grass is not available should be a staple of your feeding routine. Whether it’s winter and the grass is dead and buried under a foot of snow, you live in a dry area without good pasture, or you keep your performance horse stabled much of the time, almost constant access to hay is a must. Here are a few key reasons plenty of hay is so important to your horse’s health.

Supports a Healthy Digestive Tract

Naturally, horses are trickle feeders. Their digestive systems are designed to handle to a constant trickle of fibrous food going through their systems. In the wild or left to pasture 24-7, they will graze up to 18 hours a day. Smaller amounts of food being digestive constantly helps them to not only avoid serious problems like ulcers and colic, it allows the breakdown and absorption process to function better so that horses get the most out of their food. This is good for optimal nutrition, weight gain and maintenance, and the health of the digestive tract.

Provides Additional Calories Necessary for Warmth

In colder weather, horses require more calories to stay warm. Hay, which is easily digestible, is much healthier for horses than grain to provide the needed calories. And also, the constant digestion process generates much-needed heat. Horses generally need to eat 1.5-2% of their body weight in grass or hay. These requirements increase in the winter time.

Helps Maintain Weight

For horses who tend to be hard-keepers, such as thoroughbreds like my boy Ace and older horses, plenty of hay is critical to maintaining their weight in winter for both of the reasons already listed above. Horses use a lot of energy to keep warm in winter, so you don’t want your horse losing pounds because he’s using more than he’s got in generating heat. And the healthier his digestive tract, the more effectively it will be able to process and utilize food.

Share Your Tips & What Do You Do With Your Easy Keepers?

Even if you have a horse who is an easy keeper and you need to carefully manage his weight, plenty of access to hay is necessary for his health. You still need to keep that digestive tract healthy and he still needs to be able to generate warmth. Feeding a lower quality hay with less calories is a good option for limiting caloric intake and weight gain while still getting the benefits of constant grazing.

Because most of my horse experience is with thoroughbreds who are notoriously difficult about gaining and maintaing weight, I know a lot more about pumping food into them than I do about managing a horse prone to extra pounds. If you have experience with an easy keeper, what are your suggestions for keeping them healthy in the winter?