Hay cubes vs. hay

Question
Hi, I am thinking of switching my Percheron mare from a grass hay diet to grass hay cubes. The quality of the hay we get is hit and miss, and I worry about mold and dust. I have found lovely grass hay cubes (timmothy), and my horse loves them. What are the pros and cons of feeding a mostly hay cube diet? Thank you!

Answer
Horses need long stem forage. Hay cubes are not long stem because they have been processed. They are also dehydrated and thats not so great. That means the horse will need more water. That might not be a factor at all if your horse isn't in heavy exercise, always has great fresh clean water and is a good drinker. I have heard many people be afraid of choke with cubes, but am not sure if thats just a wives' tale.....


My advice on it is to use them as supplementation to the regular hay. Not as a full replacement.

The above is assuming the horse has little or no grazing.