FIVE FIBRE FACTS
from HorseHage&Mollichaff
feeds. Here are five facts on the importance of fibrefromHorseHage and Mollichaff:
I
1) FEED FIBRE FIRST. Thehorse,throughevolutionaryadaptationwhich
hasoccurred overa period of 65 million years, has become a‘trickle-feeder’.His digestivesystem, with itssmallstomach andvery large bacteria-filled hind gut is designed to contendwith an almost continuous supplyofgrass andherbage. Food is movedalongthe digestivetract by muscular contractions or wavesknown as
peristalsis.The gutisdesignedtoreceive asmall butregular andfrequent supplyoffood(trickle feeding) to encourage these ‘waves’tocontinue.Aperiod of as little as eight hours without food maycausea slowing of these muscular contractionsand impair thedigestiveprocess.A high fibre diet isamore natural waytofeed youhorse comparedtoa high cereal dietand forage canprovide70-100%ofthe diet.(If 100%ofthe dietisprovided by forage,a broad spectrumvitamin or mineral sourcesuch as a good quality balancer should alsobeprovided.)
2) FIBRE –IT’SNOT
JUST AFILLER! Many horseowners feed asmall amount of chaff justto bulk out theconcentrate feed butthere areother beneficial reasonsfor
itsuse.Horses arepredominantly fibre digesters or hindgut fermenters. Withinthe hindgut, aremillionsof micro-organisms thatplayavital role in breaking down thedigestible fibre content of the natural herbage diet, releasing energy-givingsubstances which thehorse then uses. Contrary to somebeliefs, fibre is not justa‘filler’,
22 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER2021
as the hindgut micro-organisms create adelicate microbalancewhich, ifupset,may result in health and performanceproblems and alsomay suppress the immune status of the horse,often creating a downward spiralofhealthproblems.
3) FIBRE CANHELP
BUFFER STOMACH ACID Tricklefeeding fibresuch as chaff(alittle at atime) encourages horsestochew, producing much more salivathanwhen concentrates arefed on their own and this alkaline salivabuffers thestomach acid. The presenceofa high fibrefeed such as chaff in the stomach helps to neutralise stomach acid. Chaff will also encourage chewing,prolonging feeding timeand the production of increased amounts of acid-buffering saliva. Furthermore, alfalfamay
In this issue we aretalkingall about fibre in your horse’s diet. This can be provided by thehorse’s natural grazing, forage,chafforhigh fibre
actually haveamoreprotectiveeffectthan other hay-based chaffsbecauseofthe high protein and calciumcontentgiving improvedbuffering properties.Feeding abowlofalfalfachaff or any chaffpriortoexercisemay be helpful as this will help to reducethe splashingeffectofacid on an empty stomach.
4) FIBRE CANREDUCE BOREDOM FOR STABLED HORSES
Feeding achaffwill stimulate theproduction of salivaand will satisfy astabled horse’spsychological need to chew, as aproduct such as Mollichaff can requireupto8000 chewsper kilo to eatcompared to as fewas1200
forconcentrates.Byproviding plentyof fibretohorsesthathavetospend increased periods of timestabled canprolong eating timeand decrease the likelihood of stereotypical behaviour caused by stress and/orboredom.
5) FIBRE –FUELLING THE HORSE’S CENTRAL- HEATING SYSTEM
Duringcold weather,access to fibrehas adouble advantage as notonlydoesitkeep thedigestive systemfunctioningcorrectly,but additionally,the digestion of fibreinthe hindgut createsheatasa by-product, quiteliterallywarming your horse up from theinside out! The digestionof fibreinthe horse’ssystemproduces heat so it is also avital tool to keep themwarm, particularlyiftheyliveout or arenot rugged.
Formoreinformationpleasecallthe HorseHageHelplineon01803527274or
visitwww.horsehage.co.uk
Forthe
latestnewsvisitwww.centralhorsenews.co.uk
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