Hay replacer

Hay replacers are most commonly used for older horses with poor teeth who are struggling to chew or digest their hay or haylage. Replacing long stem forages with an easier to chew forage mash can improve weight maintenance and allows them to be managed relatively normally. Using a mature cut grass product replaces their forage like for like with very comparable nutrition to support good digestive function and minimise starch intake.

Horses can require hay replacers for a wide range of other reasons be that young horses who are teething, competition horses who can be fussy or inappetent when working hard or post-dental treatment. Soaked hay replacers help increase fluid intake which can be useful for refeeding post-colic or surgery whilst compressed forage blocks offer a novel option to provide enrichment.