Skip to content
Home » Blog » What happens after 4 hours without hay?

What happens after 4 hours without hay?

I have a professional distortion that probably affects many people involved with horses. When I see a horse, I immediately pay attention to the expression of its face, the absence or presence of tension, the quality of its movement, and the shape of its hooves. Whereas a "normal" person would simply say, "so beautiful, is that yours?" 🙂
The second thing is the stables. I visit and see many of them. I often see horses and ponies standing in groups or alone, in paddocks where there is usually no hay in sight. Already - because it has been eaten, or not at all - because there are not even crumbs visible. I observe what they do. They usually nap standing in groups or alone. They don't look happy then.
I would just like to say to the owners of these horses and stables that it is not worth it. It is worth considering how long horses can go without hay without harm to their health.

4 hours without hay, why so short?


Horses are grazing animals. Nature has equipped them with a digestive tract adapted to continuous feed intake in small portions. I've already written about it and I'll keep repeating it until it's done. Horses do not have a gallbladder to store bile and their stomach secretes acid constantly. Feed acts as a buffer against high PH - if it is too acidic, it damages not only the gastric mucosa.

In a nutshell. Digestion initially takes place in the glandless part of the stomach - mainly carbohydrates, sugar and starch are broken down here. Then the protein is broken down in the glandular part. This is where hydrochloric acid is found. Mixing it with food pulp causes the PH to drop to a safe level.
A horse's stomach holds only about 8-15 liters and it takes between 4 and 6 hours to completely empty it.. After this time, digestion continues regardless of whether there is food in the stomach. This causes ulcers in the stomach and intestines. It is estimated that 25-50% of foals and 60-90% of adult horses suffer from this disease. Its causes are mainly stress and improper diet.
From the glandular part, the food goes to the small intestine, where it spends the next 1,5 hours. If too much lactic acid has accumulated in the stomach (which happens when a horse is fed large amounts of grain) and the food is too acidic, damage to the intestinal villi may occur.
We are temporarily not interested in the further journey of food through the large intestine, cecum, etc. For the proper functioning of the entire digestive system, it is important to constantly provide small amounts of feed. The more fiber-rich the better.


Are ulcers the only problem?


Not, Lack of feed within reach is a stressful situation for the horse. The longer it lasts, the more cortisol is released. Cortisol blocks the action of insulin and prevents blood glucose levels from being lowered. This stimulates the body to release even more insulin, which in turn causes the accumulation of fat tissue and resistance to leptin (the satiety hormone). Over time, this causes insulin resistance (equine metabolic syndrome). All of these mechanisms are well-known risk factors for laminitis and are caused by short-term starvation (beginning approximately 3-4 hours after stomach emptying). Over longer periods this also begins to affect the muscles and can cause weakness and a lack of endurance, so performance horses also need a constant supply of hay/silage to function optimally.

Let's not forget that horses are living, breathing and feeling animals. They have awareness. Kicking doors, walking around the stall, bucking, weaving, swallowing…. and many other behaviors commonly considered addictive can be explained by extreme stress caused by lack of food. For a horse, prolonged and repeated lack of feed is a life-threatening situation. In nature, lack of forage in one place means wandering and finding it in another place. Horses living in stalls or even on paddocks, under the supervision of guardians, do not have this opportunity. They can only count on them. “Bad behavior” is their way of getting attention.


At night, horses eat me. Is it really?


Not true. Horses only need 20 minutes of deep sleep every 24 hours. They spend the next hours napping, but most of the time is spent eating and moving around in search of food... in nature.
So if you leave it to your horse a net full of hay at 17:00 p.m. and it will be gone by 20:00 p.m. By midnight his stomach will have emptied and by four in the morning he will be in "starvation mode". If you plan your morning feeding around 8 a.m., you will be left with physically and mentally stressed horses in the stable.

Should a horse have constant access to hay?


Yes, interestingly a horse that has constant access to hay will eat much less than the same horse that receives hay in small portions. Horses accustomed to not running out of hay do not eat in a frenzy, they eat slower and less, which reduces the risk of colic, regulates digestion and may be the best method of losing weight for overweight horses.


Attention! Continuous feeding does not mean unlimited feeding.

This means ensuring that the horse never stands without food for more than 4 hours. Eating the daily portion of feed can be extended by providing hay in nets or feeders with a small mesh. If you prefer to feed hay in bulk, you need to make sure it is added regularly. There are many ways to change your caloric intake and control your weight at the same time.



Finally, Mra number of tips that will help you change your horse's eating habits... so as not to go crazy and go bankrupt :)

  1. Horses that have never eaten from a hay net WE ARE GETTING USED TO IT initially for eating through the larger mesh (an 8cm mesh works perfectly for us) Then we reduce it to a 4cm mesh. Nets with a mesh size of 2,5 cm are only suitable for certain horses. Watch your animals.
  2. In the paddock, but also in the stalls, we recommend hanging several nets at different heights. We recommend hanging at least one net more than the number of horses in the herd. This will keep them busy, force them to make an effort to eat, but also encourage them to exercise. Even if it is a movement from one net to another in the box (we especially recommend this solution during the necessary box arrest), it will allow you to avoid stiffening, which is feared by many people who are just starting to use hay nets.
  3. Using nets with different mesh sizes at the same time allows horses to get used to eating from the net and avoid stress and frustration. Even if you are not initially convinced whether your horse will eat from the net at all, rest assured, it WILL :) you just need to give it time to get used to it.
  4. Badź kreatywny. Hanging nets from the ceiling or branches may seem mean to horses (it's hard to eat something that swings), but it will keep them busy. Horses like to play. Tossing the net with your head or scratching against it is a great activity that extends eating time and relaxes animals. Let's remember that stress is the last thing that is good for horses.
  5. You can mix hay with tasty straw e.g. oatmeal. Horses like it, it is tasty and can be used as a hay replacement for overweight horses and to supplement the fiber content in the feed ration.
  6. Common sense above all
  7. Choose a strong net. Preferably made of 5 mm thick fabric.

The author is an experienced rider and instructor, specializing in understanding horses and their needs. For over a dozen years, he has been combining classic dressage with natural horsemanship, integrating ground work with classic equestrian gymnastics. He is constantly looking for new techniques and knowledge to develop the physical capabilities of horses.

She studied at the Faculty of Animal Sciences at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, where she explored biomechanics and psychology of horse training. She has learned from many renowned trainers, but her greatest teachers are the horses themselves. She is passionate about observing them in nature and has two of her own horses, which are her daily work companions.

He conducts equestrian consultations in Warsaw and the surrounding area.

"It's never too late to change. Experience and time don't matter. The moment you start looking in the right direction lasts a few seconds."

Add a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Select your currency
PLN Polish zloty
EUR Euro