A horse's diet can influence the development and healing of ulcers, so diet evaluation is an important part of ulcer management. Though any horse can develop ulcers, those that are often in a stall, don't eat a lot of hay, are exercised intensely, are on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, and are excessively stressed are more prone to ulcer formation, reports The Horse.
Ulcers often occur in the upper region of the stomach that doesn't secrete hydrochloric acid or mucus, like the lower, glandular portion does. Hydrochloric acid is produced continually and helps protect the lower part of the stomach from developing ulcers.
Horses should be fed at least 1.5 percent of their body weight in forage each day, preferably continually, to mimic grazing. If the horse isn't turned out often or for extended lengths of time, consider using a slow-feed haynet, which will maximize the amount of time the horse is actively eating hay.
The act of chewing produces saliva, which buffers stomach acid. Chewed forage also forms a “mat” that floats on top of the stomach acid, preventing it from splashing up onto the non-glandular region of the stomach.
Legumes like alfalfa increase the magnesium, calcium and amino acids available to a horse. Adding legume forage to a horse's diet can also help buffer stomach acid and heal compromised cells lining the stomach.
Sweet feed can cause a spike in stomach acid production, but this can be minimized by offering forage first so it can help buffer acid production. If sweet feed can be divided into multiple smaller meals, it may be possible to keep it in the glandular region of the stomach.
Additionally, if the horse must be fed a high-calorie feed to maintain weight and energy, look for one with a higher fat content. These feeds cause less gastric acid production and less feed can be given.
Veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital answer your questions about sales and healthcare of Thoroughbred auction yearlings, weanlings, 2-year-olds and breeding stock. Email us at info@paulickreport.com if you have a question for a veterinarian.
Question: Hay nets or hay on the ground – which is better for the horse's respiratory tract?
Dr. Kate Christie, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital: The hay net can be a useful tool in equine management. It can limit hay wasting, slow down horses who eat large volumes of hay quickly, and be a great way to make a smaller volume of hay last longer when trying to achieve weight loss. Ensuring horses have consistent access to forage may also have some benefit in managing and preventing gastric ulceration. So, should all horses use a hay net? The answer, as always, is that it depends on the situation and the individual horse.
Despite their advantages, hay nets are not appropriate in all cases. Studies have shown increased airborne particulate exposure in horses fed from hay nets as compared to those fed hay on the ground, making them less suitable for horses with inflammatory airway conditions unless the hay is steamed prior to feeding. Hay nets may also force the horse to eat in unnatural positions, adding stress and strain to the back and neck. The raised hay net also prevents the horse from eating in a natural grazing position, which may present a problem for those horses who are unable to properly protect their airway, such as those horses who have undergone surgery for laryngeal hemiplegia or roarers.
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Special consideration should also be given to horses with ophthalmologic issues, as very high hay nets may increase the risk of corneal ulceration and contamination. This may be a larger problem during shipping when hay nets are often hung high and windy conditions may lead to hay and particulate matter getting in the eyes.
As with any piece of equipment, care should be taken to ensure that the hay net is safe to use. Hay nets should be avoided in stalls with mares and foals, as foals are particularly adept at getting their feet stuck places they do not belong. Small hole hay nets may be safer, but care should always to be taken to make sure they stay full as an empty hay net can cause more harm than good. Special consideration should also be given to horses with shoes – it is not unheard of for a horse to catch a shoe in a hay net and become stuck.
Overall, the decision to use or not use a hay net is an individual choice. Hay wasting, weight loss, and concerns for gastric ulceration may be good reasons to choose to use a hay net. Horses with abnormal throats, ophthalmologic disease, or those accident-prone friends of ours who are always getting stuck places may be a little bit safer grazing from the ground. With so many options available, there is a solution for every horse. As always, if you have questions or concerns about using a hay net, ask your veterinarian.
Dr. Kate Christie
Dr. Kate Christie grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she developed her love of horses, actively competing in the show hunter world and watching Standardbred racing with her grandfather. She received her undergraduate degree in life sciences as well as a master's degree in pharmacology and toxicology from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where she continued her riding career and further developed a passion for veterinary medicine. Kate graduated from the North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014 and went on to complete a year-long rotating hospital internship at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital (2014-15) prior to entering a Large Animal Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Georgia. She became boarded in large animal internal medicine in 2018 at the completion of her residency program. Kate remained at the University of Georgia as a clinical associate professor for one year and is excited to be returning to Lexington to join the Rood and Riddle internal medicine team. Her professional interests include gastrointestinal disease, infectious and non-infectious respiratory disease, and equine pharmacology. Outside of work, Kate enjoys spending as much time as possible with her retired show jumper, Skye. When not in the saddle, she enjoys trail running, hiking, and traveling with her husband.
Haynets are often utilized when feeding horses to minimize hay loss. The nets prevent horses walking through, lying in, or otherwise sullying the hay; once the hay has been dirtied, most horses will not eat it.
Horses are biologically designed to put down their heads to graze, so asking the horse to eat out of a hanging net can create unique stresses on his head and neck. Some horses exert a lot of force to pull the hay free of the net, even pulling the haynet up and away from the wall.
British researchers created two experiments to determine how much pressure horses applied to get the forage out of a hay net. Six study horses ate out of hay nets and wore pressure sensors while being recorded for video evaluation.
The first experiment measured posture and pressure in Newtons (10 Newtons equals 2.25 pounds of force) that the horses exerted on a single- or double-layered haynet holding 6.6 pounds of hay, hung either low or high.
The research team discovered that the average and maximum pull forces were higher for the double haynet and the nets that were hung lower were pulled on harder.
The second experiment used 10 horses eating from hay nets holding just over 13 pounds of hay or haylage attached to a wall at one or two points. The scientists found that pull pressure was 1.6 times higher in horses eating haylage than hay. The highest recorded pull pressure was nearly 106 pounds.
Continually exerting this much force to eat hay could have detrimental effects on neck muscles, as well as on the horse's dental health in the long run, the researchers concluded.
The scientists also determined that the type of forage in the haynet had the greatest effect on pull strength. Horses that ate haylage out of the net exerted significantly more pull force than those eating hay: over 50 percent of the former's pulls were higher than 50 Newtons (11.2 pounds).
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Though horses pulled harder to get to the hay in the double hay nets, the overall increase was not extreme, at around 25 percent, researchers reported. This was markedly lower than the maximum pressure horse exerted when trying to eat haylage from a single haynet.
The type of hay also affects how hard a horse must work to get it free. Hay that is cut and easily broken allows for multiple, small, grazing-like bites; horses ate hay 63 percent slower than they did haylage, which was longer and more stemmy. The use of double hay nets for hay may be beneficial to slow hay intake while not requiring an abundance of additional pressure to be placed on the horse's body.
Additional study conclusions included: haynets that were hung higher reduced the pressure horse's exerted while eating, possibly through gravity, and that horse owners should avoid feeding silage out of double hay nets for extended periods of time.
Further research is needed to determine the effects of hay nets on equine body posture.
The horse's hair coat insulates by trapping and warming air; however, wet or muddy hair can reduce its insulating value and increase heat loss. As little as 0.1 inch of rain can cause cold stress by matting the hair and reducing its insulating value. A horse will continue to develop a natural winter coat until December 22 (winter solstice), as the daylight become shorter. Horses begin to lose their winter coat (and start forming their summer coat) as the daylight become longer starting on December 23. Therefore, blanketing before December 22 will decrease a horse's natural winter coat.
Although blanketing tends to be a personal decision, blanketing a horse is necessary to reduce the effects of cold or inclement weather when:
No shelter is available during turnout periods and the temperatures or wind chill drop below 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
There is a chance the horse will become wet from rain, ice, and/or freezing rain. Becoming wet is usually not a problem with snow.
The horse has had its winter coat clipped.
The horse is very young or very old.
The horse isn't acclimated to the cold.
The horse has a body condition score of three or less.
If blanketing a horse, make sure the blanket fits properly. Poorly fitted blankets can cause sores and rub marks along the straps. Remove the blanket daily, inspect it for damage, and reposition it. Make sure the blanket stays dry and never put a blanket on a wet horse.
More information on winter horse care can be found here.
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