Is timothy hay good for Laminitic horses?

Timothy is an excellent choice for any horse that tends towards laminitis or is considered a good doer, provided they're not being worked too hard. Opting for timothy hay is a wise and cost-effective choice, but you need to ensure you're buying quality stuff.

What hay is best for laminitic horses?

Generally, a mixture of grass hay and alfalfa is the best hay combination for horses prone to laminitis.

Is timothy hay good for foundered horses?

Timothy hay is excellent for foundered and obese horses and it has been said to help mares foal 40% easier. We recommend Timothy hay for horses that are confined to a stable and have created bad habits. The chewing time Timothy hay offers can help. . . Horses are pasture animals.

Is timothy hay low in sugar?

Timothy hay is considered a medium sugar hay. This warm-season grass measures at the low end of the normal range for ethanol soluble carbohydrates, measuring between 4.7 percent and 10.9 percent.

What is the best grass for laminitic horses?

It's therefore advisable to reseed any existing grazing areas with a paddock grass mixture that has been specially designed for a laminitis-friendly diet. We would recommend our Choice Horse & Pony Paddock mixture as it is free of grasses such as ryegrass, which are known for their high sugar content.

How to nutritionally manage horses with laminitis?

What can you not feed a horse with laminitis?

Avoid grain or sweet feed that is high in starch and/or sugar. If additional calories are needed, either add a fat supplement or a fiber-based feed with <20-25% NSC. (Horses with a history of laminitis should have feeds 14% NSC or less.)

Is long grass better for laminitis?

Most horses do not need the high nutritional value and benefit from the many fibers and the low nutritional value of long grass. Because older grass also contains less sugar, this is also safer for horses that shed in the summer or are sensitive to laminitis.

What is the lowest sugar hay for horses?

If you are looking for low-sugar hay for a metabolic horse, it's all about how the hay is grown and managed. Teff can be as low as 5% sugar and the only other hay that's this low in sugar is bluegrass straw—which is also used a lot for metabolic horses."

What type of hay has the lowest sugar?

Low sugar hay is extremely important in a horse's diet due to its health properties and the enormous benefits it can offer. While lucerne usually has lower sugar than a lot of grass hays, it more often than not tests HIGHER in sugar, starch & protein compared to our Low Sugar Hay.

Is timothy or orchard grass lower in sugar?

Unfortunately, there is no grass that is consistently low in sugar. Most cool-season grasses, like orchardgrass and fescue, can have high sugar content. Timothy and crested wheatgrass tend to be medium in sugar content, as are most warm season (native) grasses.

Does timothy hay cause laminitis?

Timothy is an excellent choice for any horse that tends towards laminitis or is considered a good doer, provided they're not being worked too hard. Opting for timothy hay is a wise and cost-effective choice, but you need to ensure you're buying quality stuff.

Is timothy hay the same as lucerne?

The primary reasons are that timothy hay is lower in protein and calcium and higher in fibre than most lucerne hay. High dietary calcium has been associated with urine crystal or bladder stone formation. Therefore, feeding timothy hay over lucerne hay can potentially prevent this problem.

Is timothy hay better than alfalfa for horses?

Alfalfa also has more calories per pound than timothy, so it's generally the preferred choice of sport horse owners. However, Timothy hay is higher in fiber and has better calcium to phosphorous ratio than Alfalfa. High fiber helps with horse digestion and reduces the risk of getting colic.

What do you feed a laminitic prone horse?

Hay is likely to form the bulk of the diet for an EMS/PPID/laminitic horse. Late cut, native species grass hay is likely to have lower sugar levels than early cut improved species (e.g. ryegrass) grass hay. High fibre haylage may also be suitable.

What is the best hay for a foundered horse?

Alfalfa hay (lucerne) can be part of the diet during the acute stages. Chaff, beet pulp, and soy hulls can provide part of the fiber intake. If weight loss is required, it is best to stabilize the horse medically before embarking on a weight-loss program with major caloric restriction.

What do you feed a horse with chronic laminitis?

Horses require a minimum of 1.5% of their bodyweight in roughage per day for optimal health and wellbeing. For a laminitic prone horse/pony, low sugar roughage sources may include Teff hay, Rhodes grass hay, lucerne hay, beet pulp or soaked grass hay. Some specialist feed suppliers have analysis available.

Is Timothy grass the same as Timothy hay?

Timothy Grass has a slightly higher protein and is greener in appearance. Timothy Hay is a mix of leaves and stems from Timothy grass, which is a perennial bunch grass. Timothy Hay is high in fiber and low in protein which is a combination critical to the health of rabbits and other small animals.

Is timothy or orchard grass better for horses?

Orchardgrass and timothy hay are both excellent, but orchard grass gets the nod as the best of the two. It has a higher protein and calorie content and balanced levels of calcium and phosphorus.

Can a horse get laminitis from hay?

Feed a low energy forage

Hay is more suitable for horses and ponies at risk of laminitis than haylage. For those prone to the disease and/or overweight, feed hay that has been soaked for 12-16 hours.

Is Timothy hay low in NSC?

Though no hay can be reliably classified as low-NSC without being tested, some tend to be more appropriate for metabolic horses, according to Crandell. “In my experience, warm-season grasses like coastal Bermudagrass and teff tend to be lower in NSC than cool-season perennial grasses, such as timothy and orchardgrass.

What time of day is the sugar content highest in grass?

Sugar content of grasses is higher in the afternoon than in the morning and sugar content is lowest at night, so grazing should be restricted to the safest times of the day to graze, early morning and night times.

Can Laminitic horses have alfalfa?

Feeds with a combined sugar and starch content of less than 10% should be fed to horses with laminitis. If horses are underweight and need to gain condition, consider adding alfalfa-based forages as they contain more calories per pound, but are low in sugars and starches.

When should I turn my Laminitic horse out?

When turning out laminitis-prone horses to graze, turn them out in the early morning and evening because that is when the water-soluble carbohydrate levels are lowest.

Can a laminitic horse ever have grass again?

So, yes, any horse who has had laminitis in the past is at an increased risk of getting it again.

Can too much grass cause laminitis?

There are different causes of laminitis and it is commonly thought that laminitis is caused by over-eating grass only. The disease can be caused by an animal gorging on excess carbohydrate such as grain.