Easy Keeper

Question
Hi Corlena,
I have a 21 yr old Arab stallion.  He's semi-retired from level 4 dressage career.  We work 3 times a week. He an extremely easy keeper. Can horses metabolism go into "starvation mode" like us humans?  I am a personal trainer/nutritionist so common sense tells me this is possible.  He has hay belly, he eats only 1 cup of grain with vitamins, glucosamine/chondroitin, and on a totally eaten down pasture. His body doesn't seem to want to let go of the belly. Should I be a more balanced but small meals? Help!
Thanks for your expertise and time,
Kris Anderson
Washington State

Answer
Hi Kris,

Thanks for your question.  Horses metabolisms can shift to accommodate different levels of nutrition in starvation mode...but I wouldn't be too quick to find this the case for your horse.  A starved horse will have a hay belly but will also show signs of significant emaciation with visible prominent ribs, spine and hip bones.  Horse's have a much different digestive system than people so it's a little hard to compare directly.

A horse develops a 'hay belly' because it is not digesting forages properly, and all of that undigested forage accumulates in the hindgut giving that appearance of a huge gut.  There are a variety of reasons why a horse may not break down the forages;  the forages could of poor nutritional quality and the horse's hindgut is simply incapable of digesting them, a parasite infestation of the horse's digestive tract can be preventing proper digestion, poor dentition is preventing your horse from properly chewing which slows down the start of digestion, or a poor forage-digesting bacterial population in the hindgut may leave decent forages undigested.  You may need to do a little investigating to figure out which of these issues exists in your horse that is causing his hay belly.

First of all, ensure that your horse is properly wormed and his teeth are in good condition.  

Secondly, evaluate your forages.  If the pasture is in poor condition,  your hay is not very rich in energy or is high in indigestible fiber (which you can only determine from a hay analysis)you may need to find a way to replace part of their pasture/hay diet with better forages.  Beet pulp works well in this case and can safely substitute a portion of your poor quality forage. A high fiber commercial feed can also be added to the diet, and help increase the entire ration's energy content.  This particular scenario is often the greatest cause of hay bellies.  Horses aren't getting enough energy in their diet because they are eating forages that won't digest and just fill up the gut so they keep eating and eating in an attempt to get enough energy.  Their owners complain that all the horse does is eat but doesn't gain any condition, only gut.  And often when you suggest that they feed more (quality forage or grain) they argue that the horse eats enough...it's always eating!  In these cases its about feeding more quality feeds.  

Lastly, think about feeding a quality prebiotic.  A good prebiotic is designed to support populations of forage-digesting bacteria in the horse's hindgut and will improve forage digestion which in turn cuts down on that undigested mass of forage hanging in the hindgut.  I like SmarPak's SmartDigest or SmartDigest Ultra, or Alltech's LifeForce Formula, and would suggest feeding them even if you don't have a digestive problem.

Thanks, Corlena