Feeding of forage.

[MrA]

Was doing some reading about ulcers and was interested to find that current research suggests this sort of feeding pattern might help prevent ulcers.

I have read before that horses would eat more during the day than the night naturally anyway so that's when the bulk of their forage should be. It's very interesting to me and I was wondering if anyone who doesn't feed as lib follows this pattern? Ale is out 24/7 but I must admit I currently give a smaller morning haynet and a larger afternoon or evening one. Think I will swap this round now!

 

[Kite_Rider]

More by accident than design, but I imagine I do, the size of Belle’s night time net is tiny really (advised by vet many years ago) but so far so good.

 

[Jessey]

Interesting, how big was the study? was it stabled horses? I should just go read it shouldn't I
I give more at night than in the day currently but that's because the day period is 8-10 hours but the night is 14-16 hours, in the summer when it's 12/12 then they get equal amounts day and night, either way the quantity is planned to ensure they haven't run out by next feeding but I find although mine rest more at night, they still eat the same amount/hour. I will definitely bare this in mind though if Jess has to go back on haylage (she has been great but was coughing up a storm this morning ).

 

[Jessey]

So I looked it up https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19927584/ and to me it suggests it warrants further study, but isn't enough to base decisions on alone. I say this because it's a study of only 6 horses and only a total study time of 6 days, plus it only looks at squamous and not glandular ulcers, so it's not a massively comprehensive study. It's also specifically referring to horses not on grass, so I believe your situation is slightly different @Ale.

 

[MrA]

So I looked it up https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19927584/ and to me it suggests it warrants further study, but isn't enough to base decisions on alone. I say this because it's a study of only 6 horses and only a total study time of 6 days, plus it only looks at squamous and not glandular ulcers, so it's not a massively comprehensive study. It's also specifically referring to horses not on grass, so I believe your situation is slightly different @Ale.

I was being lazy sorry and just screenshot a page that had written it out nicely, there are quite a few comparisons on horse stomach acid, although they do all seem to be small samples. Can't really fault the methodology with the sensor being in their stomach though but yes of course could vary with breed and age etc. I know very minimal about stomach ulcers, just found it really interesting that there is a drop in pH between night and day!

 

[carthorse]

Yet I've always found that horses on box rest with free access to hay choose to eat mostly at night? Likewise in the summer horses seem to graze less in the day, preferring to loaf around either staying in the shade or sunbathe. I'm not saying the research is or isn't valid, but it doesn't tie up with the choices I've seen horses make.

 

[Jessey]

I was being lazy sorry and just screenshot a page that had written it out nicely, there are quite a few comparisons on horse stomach acid, although they do all seem to be small samples. Can't really fault the methodology with the sensor being in their stomach though but yes of course could vary with breed and age etc. I know very minimal about stomach ulcers, just found it really interesting that there is a drop in pH between night and day!

No it's one of the best methods I've heard of, most are just watching for behaviors and open to interpretation etc. it is just the small sample that makes me more wary, and without a similar study for glandular ulcers there's no way to know if following this feeding protocol could be increasing those...….

 

[Trewsers]

I've always fed more at night because for a long while the girls have been stabled at night. During the day when they're not in their paddocks - just free ranging on the yard they get a tiny net because they don't seem that interested in it. Zi gets a night net but it's not huge as he can wander the fields if he chooses. Personally I've always found ours do eat more at night than during the day. They don't seem to have come to any harm for that system either.