grain

What Comes First: The Hay or the Grain?


Study results

The horses consumed concentrate (grain) feed slower when hay was fed before the concentrate meal. In addition:

  • Horses ate textured feed more quickly than pelleted feed.
  • When the horses received textured or pelleted feeds at the same time as the hay, they ate their concentrate meals first and more quickly than if they had been offered hay first.
  • The time of day the meal took place did not influence the rate of concentrate consumption, but the rate of hay consumption was higher in the morning than in the afternoon for all groups of horses.
  • During the study, the team observed that horses expecting textured feed acted more impatient (pawing, banging their feed pans around) and ate the least amount of hay when it was fed prior to the concentrate.

“We found feeding horses hay prior to concentrate can help slow down the rate of intake,” said Dr. Gordon. “This can be an important management strategy for horses that are prone to rushing their meals. The old barn tip of feeding hay prior to concentrate to slow the rate of intake has been proven true. So if a horse eats too quickly or is prone to choking, feed hay first to slow him down.”