{"id":244,"date":"2017-09-04T15:24:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T15:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/?p=244"},"modified":"2023-02-01T15:24:41","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T15:24:41","slug":"the-benefits-of-slow-feeding-horses-in-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/2017\/09\/04\/the-benefits-of-slow-feeding-horses-in-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"The Benefits of Slow Feeding Horses in Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>In many parts of Queensland, it feels like Spring has already arrived. A forage-first diet is essential for your horse\u2019s health, wellbeing and performance. In this article, we discuss the benefits of slow feeding.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the start of Spring, many horse owners take caution when returning their horses to pasture. For horses at risk of pasture-induced health problems, slow<br>feeding is immensely important. However, slow feeding provides many positives to all horses, including those in work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Healthy digestion<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Above all, slow feeding promotes healthy digestion. In nature, horses graze up to 18 hours per day, promoting digestion and movement. Slow feeding allows<br>horse owners to replicate this natural environment. This Spring, place slow feeding hay nets in multiple locations around the paddock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"2\">\n<li>Reduced stress<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Your horse\u2019s natural grazing behaviours are also important for their mental wellbeing. Limiting any horse\u2019s feed intake to one small meal a day promotes<br>the release of cortisol \u2014 the stress hormone. Instead, slow feeding hay nets ensure forage is available at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"3\">\n<li>Weight management<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Under no circumstances should food be withheld from horses. Even overweight horses must receive 1.5-2.5% of their bodyweight in low-NSC hay per day. Slow<br>feeding has been shown to lower cortisol, stimulate metabolism and regulate insulin \u2014 for a healthier bodyweight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"4\">\n<li>Lowered risk of ulcers<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Within just six hours of food deprivation, ulcers begin to form inside a horse\u2019s stomach. Saliva buffers the stomach acid your horse produces 24 hours<br>a day. By using slow feeding hay nets, your horse continuously chews, in turn, helping to prevent the formation of stomach ulcers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"5\">\n<li>Dental health<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>When you picture a horse grazing, what do you see? Slow feeding at ground level allows your horse to wear their teeth evenly and maintain their natural<br>grazing position \u2014 a lowered head and neck, allowing maximum jaw movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"6\">\n<li>Positive experience<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>As prey animals, horses prefer to eat outside in unrestricted environments. Otherwise, their peripheral vision is impaired. Slow feeding hay nets should<br>be placed in open areas, so your horse will feel safe, confident and secure when eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"7\">\n<li>Herd harmony<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Horses benefit physically and psychologically when kept in herds. However, meal times can often encourage dominant behaviours. When spaced apart, slow<br>feeding hay nets allow all members of your herd to eat together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Running Cool, we genuinely care about your horse\u2019s health and wellbeing. Our superior horse feed range supports your horse at every stage of life with well-balanced vitamins, minerals and protein for pleasure and performance. Click here to learn more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In many parts of Queensland, it feels like Spring has already arrived. A forage-first diet is essential for your horse\u2019s health, wellbeing and performance. In this article, we discuss the benefits of slow feeding. At the start of Spring, many horse owners take caution when returning their horses to pasture. For horses at risk of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":245,"href":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244\/revisions\/245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runningcool.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}