How to Accurately Feed Your Horse a Forage-Based Diet

Most horses are maintained on a foragebased diet meaning that the primary component of their daily ration is hay or pasture. In the equine nutrition world the term foragefirst has gained popularity. This feeding practice provides a multitude of clearlyreported health benefits such as reduced risk of gastric ulceration and stereotypical behaviours. However simply allowing your horse to have free choice access to hay or pasture is not enough to ensure optimal nutrition.
Additional nutrients are required and there are some key considerations that go into accurately feeding a foragebased diet to optimize the horses nutritional wellbeing.

When considering a foragebased diet for your horse or if your horse is already consuming one understanding the why is important. Horses are herbivores that have evolved as trickle feeders meaning their digestive tract is most effective when consuming small amounts of feed frequently. In the wild horses are freerange on grasslands. This has resulted in horses being adapted to consuming large amounts of highfibre roughages or forages. When given the choice a horse will graze for upwards of 18 hours per day.
ANATOMY 
If we dive into the equine gastrointestinal GI anatomy even starting at the mouth there are clear anatomical features that support a foragebased diet. Did you know that unlike humans horses do not salivate in anticipation of a meal? If you know your favourite meal is almost ready you may salivate in anticipation of consuming it. Not so with horses their salivation only occurs during chewing.
It is wellknown that saliva is important for moistening the feed but it is also a gastric buffer which means it plays a role in buffering the acidic environment. Longstem fibre such as hay has a longer chewing time than concentrates and grains. Therefore when you feed products that require less chew time saliva production is decreased which can result in an increased gastric pH.
In addition to its small size the equine stomach constantly secretes hydrochloric acid. Since horses are grazers and meant to spend most of their day eating they have constant acid production. Therefore when the stomach is empty and no forage is present the pH will drop resulting in a very acidic environment. This can lead to an increased risk of developing gastric ulcers.
The hindgut of the horse cecum and colon is the largest portion of the GI tract. Horses are hindgut fermenters so the health of the hindgut is critical to their wellbeing.