Quick facts
You may consider alternative feedstuffs due to high hay costs or poor hay availability. When selecting an alternative feed, evaluate the pros and cons, and always work with your veterinarian or nutritionist.
You may pursue an alternative feedstuff for your horse for one of the following reasons.
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High costs or low availability of hay.
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Presence of mold, dust, insects, trash etc. in hay.
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Lack of storage space for hay.
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Poor consistency of hay.
When possible, quality hay should make up a large portion of a horse’s diet. However, the following alternatives can replace hay in partial or in whole when needed. Always consider the pros and cons when selecting an appropriate alternative feedstuff for your horse.
Before feeding an alternative feedstuff, consult your veterinarian and equine nutritionist.
Last year’s hay stored properly
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Nutrition content is similar to the current year’s hay except vitamins.
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High in fiber and bulk, which supports the horse’s digestive tract.
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Contains little or no vitamin A and E.
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Requires vitamin supplementation.
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Hay cubes
Hay cubes are generally alfalfa or a mix of alfalfa and grass. You can purchase hay cubes from your local farm supply or feed store.
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Nutritional content is similar to hay.
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Nutrition information is present on the feed label.
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High in fiber and bulk, which supports the horse’s digestive system.
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May have less dust and less waste than hay.
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You can use it as a total replacement to hay.
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Easy to handle, transport and store.
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May be costly.
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It takes horses less time to eat it than hay.
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Horses may overeat.
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May contain feed binders.
Alfalfa pellets
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Nutritional content is similar to hay.
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High in fiber.
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May have less dust and waste than hay.
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You can use it as a total replacement.
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Horses spend less time eating.
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Horses may overeat.
Beet pulp
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High in digestible energy.
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Relatively high in calcium.
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High in fiber and bulk, which supports the horse’s digestive tract.
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Palatable.
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You can feed up to 5 to 10 pounds daily.
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You can use it as a partial replacement to hay.
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May need to supplement phosphorus to balance calcium.
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Calcium to phosphorus ratio should be 2:1 for an adult horse.
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Vacuum-packed, chopped alfalfa
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Nutritional content similar to alfalfa.
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High in fiber and bulk, which supports the horse’s digestive tract.
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You can use it as a total replacement to hay.
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You’ll need to feed a greater mass than hay.
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May mold after opening the bag.
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Feed it within 2 to 3 days.
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Complete feeds
Complete feeds are commercially produced feeds that contain a mixture of grains and roughages.
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Nutritionally balanced.
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Adequate in fiber.
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You can use as a total replacement.
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It takes horses less time to eat than hay.
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May not have enough total fiber.
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You may need to divide it into small meals.
Rice bran
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High in fat and phosphorus.
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High in fiber and bulk, which supports the horse’s digestive tract.
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You can use it as a partial replacement to hay.
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You must provide a calcium supplement to balance the phosphorus content.
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Calcium to phosphorus ratio should be 2:1 for an adult horse.
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It must be stabilized to prevent spoilage.
Other feedstuffs
You can feed straw or corn stalks to horses but we don’t recommend it. These feedstuffs have little nutritional value for the horse and can be harmful to their health.
Haylage is another feedstuff you may use in place of hay. However, you must exercise caution to avoid mold and botulism contamination which could be very harmful or deadly.
Feeding whole roasted soybeans would likely result in excess protein in the diet and may not be very palatable.
Reviewed in 2021