When times of severe drought or other weather phenomenon result in poor quality or availability of pastures and hay, horse owners often turn to complete feeds (those that contain a full diet of roughage, protein, vitamins, minerals, and other needed nutrients) or hay stretchers/replacers (designed to replace the fiber component of the hay/pasture that is no longer available).

These products can be extremely useful to horse owners to help them through the tough hay times, but they do come with some usage guidelines to keep horses happy and healthy. Remember:

Follow the recommended feeding rate. This is of particular concern if the product is being used as the sole diet. To keep gut health intact, enough fiber must be consumed each day for regular gut function. And, to keep the horse healthy overall, it is critical to ensure they are receiving all the balanced nutrients that they would normally get through a combination of hay, pasture, and added concentrate feed.

Horses tend to crave long stem fiber to chew on, which is missing in the diet made up of complete feed or hay stretchers. Owners might start to see unwanted behaviors (such as wood chewing, cribbing, or weaving) without some grass or hay to keep their horse’s mouth and mind busy. While the full daily allotment of hay might not be available or affordable, it is a good idea to offer at least a flake or two each day to help prevent these behaviors (and save your fences). Hay cubes are an option if pasture or traditional baled hay is unavailable