Is hay or haylage better for horses with ulcers?

Haylage is much closer in texture and nutritional value to the horse's natural diet of grass. It is much more digestible than hay and if your horse is prone to gastric ulcers or colic you will likely opt for feeding haylage over hay. Horse's that are fussy eaters or poor doers often do much better on haylage.
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What is the best hay to feed a horse with ulcers?

Lucerne hay has been shown in multiple studies to be effective in reducing the severity of ulcers in horses by providing superior buffering capacity compared to other forages. Gastric ulcers are very common in performance horses, affecting more than 90% of racehorses and 50 to 70% of other performance horses.
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Is haylage more acidic than hay?

During fermentation, sugars in the haylage are converted to lactic acid and volatile fatty acids (VFA), meaning that contrary to popular belief, haylage is normally lower in sugar than hay.
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Why is hay better for horses with ulcers?

Continuous consumption of alfalfa hay or alfalfa-grass hay results in greater saliva production than horses that are meal fed 2 – 3 times a day. Saliva contains bicarbonate, which neutralizes stomach acid, so continuous saliva production should decrease incidence of gastric ulcers.
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Is soaked hay better for horses with ulcers?

Consider feeding soaked hay. Although not always practical in very cold weather, soaking hay helps to reduce the sugar content and of course, less sugar means less calories! Due to the loss of nutrients (and therefore dry matter) into the water, each haynet will also contain less 'hay' and more water post soaking.
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Hay or Haylage: Everything Explained



Is haylage OK for ulcers?

Prevention of ulcers

Feeding- roughage is vital-hay/haylage; alfa cubes; chopped hay. Giving multiple forage sources can also help (e.g. hang 2-3 hay nets or several piles with different sources of hay or haylage). Ensure there is a form of roughage added to the feeds to encourage plenty of chewing when eating.
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Does haylage cause ulcers in horses?

There is no difference between hay (dry, soaked or steamed) and haylage as a forage source in relation to ulceration. Straw feeding should not exceed 0.25kg/100kgBWT, and it should not be the only forage source.
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Is haylage better than hay for horses?

Many equine nutritionists now recommend feeding haylage instead of hay although there are pros and cons to each. Haylage is much closer to the horses natural diet of grass, both in texture and nutritional value it is more palatable and digestible than hay, has a higher nutritional value and is less dusty.
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What to give horses to prevent ulcers?

Alfalfa-hay is a good choice for reducing ulcer risk in horses that require an energy-dense diet. It has a buffering effect in the stomach due to its higher protein and calcium content. Horses fed alfalfa-hay had a healthy stomach pH and lower number and severity of gastric ulcers compared to bromegrass hay.
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Can hay cause ulcers?

High Grain Consumption

Saliva production during consumption of hay is approximately double that produced during intake of an equivalent amount of grain. In addition, grain empties out of the stomach more rapidly than hay leaving longer periods of time with an empty stomach that is susceptible to ulcer formation.
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Is hay or haylage better for horses with laminitis?

In her book The Truth About Feeding Your Horse (2007), nutritionist Clare MacLeod says "Haylage can be a safe feed for laminitis-prone horses and ponies, but a high dry matter, high-fibre, low-protein haylage with low residual sugars should be selected."
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Does haylage have less sugar than hay?

Haylage is typically lower in sugar in comparison to hay, the reason being that during the ensiling process (post baling when haylage is wrapped and left to ferment), the bacteria that facilitates fermentation utilises sugars within the haylage converting them to lactic acid and volatile fatty acids making the end ...
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Does haylage put weight on horses?

Haylage can provide horses prone to weight gain or laminitis with an excess of energy provided by their forage. People cutting down the amount fed to reduce unwanted weight gain risk their horses having insufficient forage, which can lead to an increased risk of stomach ulcers and other digestive problems.
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What should you not feed a horse with ulcers?

Feeding and Managing Horse with Gastric Ulcers
  • Avoid cereal-based concentrates: Feeding high starch and sugar concentrate feeds is not recommended for horses with EGUS. ...
  • Turn out daily: ...
  • Feed prior to exercise: ...
  • Provide fresh, clean water: ...
  • Provide herbal support: ...
  • We are here to help!
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Is grass good for a horse with ulcers?

Answer – The treatment of stomach ulcers in horses involves a combination of changes to feeding management, medical therapy, as well as reducing stress on the horse. Turnout onto green grass pasture along with altering the feeding regimen is likely the fastest method to allow the ulcers to heal.
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Does alfalfa make ulcers worse?

In the first study feeding alfalfa chaff did appear to increase the severity of glandular ulcers.
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How do you treat ulcers in horses naturally?

Several herbs have been used to aid in the treatment of symptoms of ulcers in horses. Comfrey leaf, Marshmallow Root, Liquorice, Meadowsweet and Slippery Elm have all show signs of mucilaginous properties, which aid in providing a mucous layer over the stomach lining.
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Does alfalfa help with ulcers?

We know from several studies that including a couple pounds of alfalfa hay per feeding will have a really nice buffering effect and we've seen reduced ulcer sores. It's due to the calcium content, and the magnesium and protein levels as well.
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Is Speedi Beet good for horses with ulcers?

In summary, Pavo SpeediBeet contains a high level of pectin which helps strengthen the protective stomach lining. In combination with the capacity of absorbing large quantities of acid, Pavo SpeediBeet can help reduce the conditions in which ulcers occur.
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How much haylage should a horse eat a day?

For example, if a 500kg horse is fed haylage with a dry matter content of 70%, it needs 500 x 15 = 7500g of DM a day. For this horse's haylage, this would mean feeding 7500 x 100 ÷ 70 = 10714 g or 10.7kg of haylage a day.
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Is haylage richer than hay?

Haylage also tends to be more palatable, so you may have to feed it in a smaller holed haynet to slow your horse down. It's much richer than hay, so if your horse struggles with laminitis or is on a restricted diet, it may not be the right option for him.
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Can horses get colic from haylage?

Swapping weight-for-weight hay for haylage could cause such a drop in fibre intake that the horse might colic or tie up, but well managed feeding of the right quality haylage should not cause these issues.
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What do you do for a horse with ulcers?

There is currently only one pharmaceutical treatment – omeprazole – approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for gastric ulcers in horses. Omeprazole is available as a paste formulation and has been very effective in preventing and treating gastric ulceration in all types of horses.
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Can Straw cause ulcers in horses?

Straw's low energy content means it is a roughage option for horses with low energy requirements. Previously, in a field study, straw was associated with an increased risk for gastric ulcers.
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Does haylage affect horses Behaviour?

Haylage also contains around 10% more nutrients than hay so you may need to reduce your horse's hard feed accordingly. Some horses can become more lively when fed haylage so be aware of this. In addition, some horses can become rather looser in their droppings.
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