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Benefits Of Using Slow Feeders For Horses

By Walter Murphy


Feeding your horses with forage is essential for their health. However, you must know the right way to feed your favorite animals. When it comes to slow feeding, a horse should eat in small portions for an extended period. The digestive system of equines is designed for constant uptake, and regardless of the kind of food you are giving your equines, it is vital to ensure they are taking it in the right way. Using slow feeders for horses is a perfect way to ensure the animals are feeding in the right way. Here are ways that a horse will benefit from using the feeders.

The occurrence of stress that is associated with their feeding is common with these animals. As such, equines that go through this stress produce hormones called cortisol. When the hormone is produced in large amounts, it results in increased levels of insulin, making their bodies to store excess fat. This, in turn, leads to obesity. Utilizing this program for feeding is an appropriate way of avoiding your horse becoming obese.

Slow feeding helps in preventing ulcers. The constant intake of food causes the stomach to produce acid round-the-clock. This is because saliva production is activated from chewing, which, in turn, buffers the gastric acid produced. Hence, if food is always present in the stomach, it prevents splashing of the acids on the inside, reducing chances of ulcers.

The program helps in increasing digestion. Fermentation and optimal digestion require adequate time. Forage provided in free-choice feeding encourages proper digestion which promotes health, which, in turn, helps in preventing situations that contribute to colic. For a healthy gut, there is the need to keep the balance between the harmful and beneficial bacteria. This is why constant feeding is essential.

Horses primarily focus on feeding. Therefore, if there is not enough feeding, these animals could focus on other unpleasant activities like kicking the stalls and cribbing. A healthy equine sleeps for a maximum of four hours in a day, and they sleep for not long those fifteen or twenty minutes. For this reason, eliminate their boredom by incorporating slow feeding.

The wind can disrupt feeding if it blows away the hay all the time. Furthermore, hay left uncontained can be trampled on such that equines cannot eat it. This will cause a lot of wastage. Hence, having feeders helps in eliminating wastage. This is because the hay is contained all the time.

Equines are comfortable feeding in the open since they are naturally prey animals. They highly depend on sound and sight to detect their predators. If you lock them in their stall, they may feel insecure, and this will cause tension. The best way to help them feel safe is by using this program of feeding. You can put the nets in the compound so that they feed on a ground level.

Horses are violent when eating. You may realize that the less dominant equines are avoiding feeding from the same place with the dominant ones. In such a case, putting food in one source is not a good ideal. With slow feeders, you can allocate the hay in different places so that all the animals can eat peacefully. Additionally, you may separate the equines that require special diets and allow feed with the others later.




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