Equine Feed: Triple Crown-Importance Of Fiber In Equine Feed Explained

Equine Feed: Fiber in the Horse's Diet

Horses need two things for survival, water and fiber. The quality, freshness and temperature of a horse’s drinking water is crucial for proper intake, especially when the weather is excessively hot or cold. Many of the calls we receive with regards to colic and choke are directly related to reduced water intake, which is often the result of dirty buckets or tubs, lack of availability and this time of year, frozen water buckets.

While most horse owners understand the importance of water, many overlook the importance of fiber. Research indicates that a minimum of 1% of body weight in fiber is necessary to maintain a healthy gut function. Hay and pasture provide the major source of calories, protein, vitamins and minerals in your horse’s diet and is the determining factor on what type and how much feed you need. One of the advantages of the Triple Crown line of feeds is that they are predominantly fiber based. Products like Triple Crown Complete can be used as a safer version of a typical grain diet where you are feeding to supplement additional calories, vitamins and minerals, but it can also be used to supplement fiber if hay or pasture are in short supply or of poor quality. In the past, high fiber feeds were just considered “hay replacers” or “hay extenders” Triple Crown feeds are primarily designed to provide a better way to replace grain based diets to keep soluble carbohydrates lower, but the high fiber also provides a supplemental benefit of adding to the 1% minimum fiber your horse needs to thrive. Some good articles on our website concerning forage quality and benefits of a high fiber diet can be found at www.triplecrownfeed.com/article/forage-quality-horses and www.triplecrownfeed.com/article/benefits-high-fiberlow-carbohydrate-and-high-fat-diets

Other Triple Crown products like the Chopped Forages and Forage Cubes are designed to help maintain a consistent supply of hay and reduce the amount of hay you need to haul.