grain

What Comes First: The Hay or the Grain?

grainPurina study indicates feeding order can affect the rate of a horse’s nutritional intake • QHN file photoA Purina study has shown that feeding horses hay prior to grain (concentrate feed) can help slow their rate of intake. This can be an important management strategy for horses who are prone to rushing their meals and, as a result, are at greater risk of choking.

“It’s long been thought that feeding hay prior to concentrate can help a horse slow its feed consumption,” said Dr. Mary Beth Gordon, director of equine research, Purina Animal Nutrition. “However, some horses seem to gobble up their feed regardless of when they are fed hay. We wanted to test the hypothesis that feeding hay before grain can help slow intake.”

In addition to feeding hay prior to a concentrate meal, the equine research team at the Purina Animal Nutrition Center in Gray Summit, Missouri, examined factors such as time of day, type of concentrate (e.g., textured versus pelleted feed) and how long the horses ate a particular diet to see if these affected consumption rates.

Study specifics


Ten of the farm’s Quarter Horse geldings between the ages of 4 and 12 participated in the study. The horses were randomly assigned to one of five feeding regimens and were kept on them for five days.  Each week, the horses were switched to a different regimen until all had received each one. Regimens consisted of the following.

  • Hay only
  • Hay before pelleted feed (hay fed 20 minutes prior to pelleted feed)
  • Hay before textured feed (hay fed 20 minutes prior to textured feed)
  • Pelleted feed and hay fed simultaneously
  • Textured feed and hay fed simultaneously

Four pounds of concentrate feed were offered at each feeding with hay offered at 0.5 percent of body weight for each horse. Feeding times were 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. (On weekends, the horses ate their typical rations.) All measurements of intake were captured with Purina’s in-house feeding scale system, which allows staff members to measure every bite of hay and concentrate eaten.

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