Ask The Equine Nutritionist

Is there any health considerations to take into account when determining the order of feeding hay and grain? My barn manager said that one must never place both hay and grain in front of the horse at the same time as they are digested differently and eating them closely together may cause colic. A friend told me that one should feed hay first, then grain because the hay is digested slower, therefore slowing the digestion of the grain and allowing the grain to be more safely absorbed, with a less chance of the grain causing ulcers. But I know that many people just put both in the stalls, letting the horse eat the grain then move on to the hay. Does it really make any difference?

It really does not make very much difference in what order you offer the feed. Most normal horses will eat grain before hay if given the chance as it usually tastes much better. They won't colic if they eat both at the same time. Greedy horses who bolt their feed are better slowed down by wetting the feed or by putting a brick in the manger that they have eat around.

What is much more important is the relative amount of each one that you feed. If you give too much grain you will put the horse at risk of all kinds of problems., keep the grain to a minimum and feed plenty of hay.


Dr. Melyni Worth Ph.D. - 2004 (c)

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