I immediately called up the trainer and suggested they remove the slow feeders so that the horses could eat MORE of the appropriately matched forage. The horses simply were not eating enough hay on a daily basis to meet their caloric needs. The root of the problem was not the forage or the feed, but the misapplication of the slow feeders. The horses were losing weight fast and the barn was spending a lot of money on grain trying to keep the horses show ready. The use of these slow feeders was the root of this barns feed problem! The alfalfa hay flakes were very tightly packed, so when they loaded the long, skinny hay nets with these flakes, the horses were having to work too hard to pull any hay out. However, the same trainer was concerned with the high cost of their monthly feed store bill. They had designed such feeders to be easily filled with several day's worth of forage, and were very happy with how clean they made the stalls. The trainer was very proud of the homemade slow feed hay nets that had been hung from every stall. Eating too quickly could result in choke, boredom, trouble-making, and formation of gastric ulcers due to prolonged periods between feedings.A) A barn full of performance horses are eating alfalfa hay out of slow feed hay nets. Muzzles slow the rate of ingestion, even when used in the stall.Muzzles are used as a preventive measure in the spring when lush pastures abound and cases of acute colic and laminitis occur.To limit pasture intake, this is particularly salient for overweight horses or those with insulin resistance or laminitis.If round bales are the only option, consider using round-bale feeders with small mesh sizes to keep the hay off the ground, minimize wastage, and decrease the chances horses will plunge their muzzles into the bale, which is less than ideal for respiratory health.Using a hay bag and a durable trough, you can create a slow feeder that helps regulate your horse’s eating without breaking the bank. This is particularly salient for horses low in the pecking order that get excluded. This simple trough hay feederis the perfect addition to any horse pasture. In groups of horses, offering various piles of hay will also ensure all horses have access to the forage.This is beneficial for horses with breathing problems such as heaves. With rounded edges and a sleek smooth body, this corner feeder is safe, easy to clean and quick to secure in your stall or animal enclosure. Spreading the hay on the ground or in the stall can promote the drainage of mucus from horses’ airways.Ensure the feeder is placed at an appropriate height, free from sharp edges, large enough to accommodate all horses in the paddock, protected from rain (to avoid wastage and molding), and easy to clean.To minimize the ingestion of sand and chances of sand colic, feed hay in some type of feeder. In areas with sandy soils, spreading hay on the ground is not advised. Haynets with small mesh sizes stop horses from pulling out a bunch of hay, shaking it around, and generating dust and other airborne particles, which is deleterious for horses with inflammatory airway disease or heaves.Slow-feeders mimic grazing, keeping horses entertained if confined to stalls or drylots.
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