Hay Alternatives for Horses: Pellets, Cubes, and Silage

Last updated: January 11, 2025

By: Miles HenryFact Checked

Hey there, I’m Miles Henry. As a lifelong horseman, I’ve spent countless hours ensuring my horses receive the best nutrition possible. In this article, “Hay Alternatives for Horses,” we’ll explore reliable substitutes for hay, including pellets, cubes, and silage.

Rising hay prices and unpredictable weather can make sourcing quality hay a challenge, and like many of you, I’ve faced these issues. This article will guide you through understanding these alternatives, how they can benefit your horse, and when to consider them. Read on to learn more about how you can provide the best nutrition for your horse, regardless of hay availability.

Why Consider Hay Alternatives?

When good quality hay is unavailable or costs are high, explore alternative feedstuffs for horses to maintain proper nutrition. Here are some scenarios where these options might come into play:

• High Hay Costs or Low Availability: When quality hay is hard to find or too expensive, alternatives can be lifesavers.
• Poor Hay Quality: Mold, dust, or contaminants in hay can pose significant health risks.
• Storage Challenges: Small storage spaces or improper conditions can make storing traditional hay impractical.
• Specific Nutritional Needs: Senior horses or those with dental issues may require feed that’s easier to chew or digest.
• Travel Convenience: Hay alternatives are easier to transport and feed while traveling.

By understanding these situations, you can determine when and why to incorporate hay alternatives into your horse’s diet. To learn more about feeding horses check out, Feeding Performance Horses: Nutrition for Peak Performance

Hay Pellets: A Convenient Option

Hay pellets are made from compressed, ground hay and are available in various sizes. They’re often used as a supplement or partial hay replacement.

Pros:

• Consistent Nutrition: Pellets offer uniform nutrient content, making diet management easier.
• Reduced Dust: Great for horses with respiratory issues.
• Easy to Handle and Store: Compact and easy to transport and store in small spaces.

Cons:

• Faster Consumption: Horses eat pellets faster, which can lead to overeating.
• Less Natural Chewing: Pellets don’t encourage natural grazing behavior.
• May Need Soaking: Some pellets require soaking to prevent choking.
• Lacks Long-Stem Fiber: Pellets don’t provide the long-stem fiber essential for digestive health.

I often use hay pellets as a supplement for horses recovering from injuries. However, I always pair them with other roughage to ensure my horses get enough fiber. Pellets are a reliable option when you need to understand your forage alternatives to suit specific horse needs.

Hay Cubes: Longer Fiber, More Chewing

Hay cubes are typically available in a variety of types to suit different dietary needs:

• Alfalfa Cubes: High in protein and calcium, ideal for performance horses or those needing weight gain.
• Timothy Cubes: Lower in calories and protein, suitable for easy keepers or horses with metabolic conditions like Equine Metabolic Syndrome.
• Mixed Hay Cubes: A blend of alfalfa and timothy, offering a balanced option for horses with moderate nutritional needs.

Nutritional Insights:

For example, one of my older Thoroughbreds thrived on a mix of timothy and alfalfa cubes during a cold winter. The blend provided enough calories without overwhelming his system.

Hay cubes are compressed blocks of chopped hay, commonly made from timothy, alfalfa, or a mix of both. They’re a step closer to traditional hay in terms of fiber content.

Pros:

• Longer Fiber Length: Supports digestive health by providing more natural chewing.
• Encourages Chewing: Promotes saliva production, which aids digestion.
• Consistent Quality: Offers reliable nutrition compared to loose hay.
• Easy to Handle: Compact and convenient for storage and transport.

Cons:

• May Need Soaking: Especially for senior horses or those prone to choking.
• Potential for Overeating: Horses may eat cubes too quickly without proper portion control.
• Higher Cost: Cubes can be more expensive than traditional hay or pellets.
• May Contain Binders: Some cubes include additives that may not suit all horses.

I’ve found hay cubes particularly helpful for older horses. Soaking them creates a soft, palatable meal that’s easy for seniors to chew and digest. Learn more about best practices for forage substitutes for senior horses or those with dental issues.

Silage: A High-Risk Alternative

Silage, also known as haylage, is fermented green forage with high moisture content. While it can be used as a feed option for horses in specific scenarios, silage carries significant risks and requires meticulous management. For most horse owners, silage is not recommended unless sourced from a highly reputable producer with guarantees of quality and safety.

Why Consider Silage? (But Often It’s Not Worth the Risk)

• Palatability: Silage’s sweet and moist texture is highly appealing to picky eaters, often encouraging better feed intake.
• Energy Density: It provides a concentrated source of digestible energy, making it potentially beneficial for high-performance horses or those needing weight gain.
• Cost Efficiency: In regions where silage is readily available, it may be a cost-effective alternative to traditional hay.

Significant Risks Associated with Silage

• Botulism: Improperly stored silage can harbor botulism, a life-threatening condition for horses.
• Storage Challenges: Silage requires airtight sealing and specific storage conditions to prevent spoilage and contamination.
• Variable Quality: Batches of silage can vary greatly in nutritional value and safety, necessitating thorough inspection for mold and freshness.
• Not Suitable for All Horses: The calorie-dense profile of silage makes it inappropriate for easy keepers or horses with metabolic issues like Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS).
• Inspection Requirements: Every batch of silage must be carefully inspected to avoid feeding contaminated or moldy forage.

Identifying Spoiled Silage

If you decide to use silage, be vigilant for signs of spoilage, including:

• Discoloration: Healthy silage is green or brownish. Avoid silage with black spots or white mold.
• Odor: Proper silage has a sweet, acidic smell. Musty or foul odors indicate spoilage.
• Texture: Silage should be moist but not excessively wet. Clumpy or slimy silage should be discarded.

Is Silage Right for Your Horse?

For most horse owners, the risks associated with silage outweigh its benefits. Horses are particularly sensitive to botulism, making it essential to consult with an equine nutritionist or veterinarian before including silage in their diet. Even under expert guidance, safer forage alternatives often provide comparable benefits with fewer risks.

While silage can be energy-rich, I’ve found hay cubes to be a more reliable and safer choice for my horses. They require less stringent storage and still meet my horses’ nutritional needs.

Recommendations

1. Avoid Unless Necessary: Only consider silage if sourced from a reliable producer with strict quality control measures.
2. Prioritize Safer Alternatives: Hay pellets and cubes are safer, easier to store, and offer consistent nutritional benefits without the risks tied to silage.
3. Pair with Long-Stem Fiber: If silage is used, it must be combined with long-stem fiber sources to maintain healthy digestion.

Key Takeaways

• Silage Pros: Palatable and energy-rich, silage can benefit specific horses, such as high-performance athletes or those needing weight gain.
• Silage Cons: The risks of botulism, spoilage, and storage challenges make it unsuitable for most horses.
• Expert Advice: Always consult with a veterinarian or equine nutritionist before introducing silage into your horse’s diet.
• Safer Alternatives: Hay pellets and cubes offer practical, safer, and more reliable options for maintaining equine nutrition.

Comparison Table: Hay Alternatives at a Glance

Alternative	Pros	Cons	Best For
Pellets	Consistent nutrition, easy to store	Lacks long-stem fiber, may need soaking	Horses with dust allergies
Cubes	Long fiber, supports chewing	Hard texture, potential choking risk	Senior horses or those needing fiber
Silage	High energy, palatable	High botulism risk, requires careful storage	High-performance horses, picky eaters

Balancing the Diet

When incorporating hay alternatives, maintaining a balanced diet for your horse is crucial. Here are some key considerations:

• Fiber First: Ensure your horse gets enough long-stem fiber from hay or alternatives like cubes. For instance, when I used pellets for a recovering horse, I made sure to supplement with soaked hay cubes to meet their fiber needs. This combination helped maintain proper digestion.
• Vitamins and Minerals: Hay alternatives may lack essential nutrients like selenium or vitamin E. Testing your forage can help identify gaps. For example, when I switched to cubes during a hay shortage, I added a vitamin E supplement to ensure my horses didn’t miss out on this critical nutrient.
• Calcium and Phosphorus: Balancing these minerals is vital, especially if you use feeds like beet pulp. Once, I noticed a horse developing weak hooves while on a beet pulp-rich diet. After consulting with a nutritionist, I added a biotin rich hoof supplement, which resolved the issue.
• Professional Guidance: Always consult an equine nutritionist or veterinarian when making significant dietary changes. During one particularly harsh winter, I relied on a nutritionist to create a feeding plan with a mix of cubes, pellets, and fortified concentrates. This ensured my horses stayed healthy despite limited hay availability.

Fiber is essential for a horse’s digestive health, and properly storing hay alternatives is just as important. Always ensure that you have appropriate, dry storage for any bulk purchases of forage to avoid contamination, mold, or spoilage. For more tips on storage, visit Selecting Hay for Your Horse: Practical Guide.

Hay testing can help identify gaps in your horse’s diet, such as deficiencies in essential nutrients like selenium or vitamin E. Based on these results, a nutritionist can recommend appropriate supplements to ensure balance and safety. For guidance on this, see choosing alternative feedstuffs for horses.

Proper Storage for Hay Alternatives:

• Environment: Store in a cool, dry area away from direct sunlight to prevent spoilage.
• Containers: Use airtight containers or bins to protect hay pellets and cubes from moisture, pests, and contamination.
• Silage Storage: Ensure silage is sealed tightly in plastic wrap or vacuum-sealed bags to maintain fermentation and prevent air exposure.

I once had to throw out an entire bag of hay cubes because I left them exposed to moisture, leading to mold. Proper storage is not just convenient—it’s essential.

Importance of Long-Stem Fiber:

• Long-stem fiber supports natural chewing behavior and saliva production, both critical for maintaining a healthy digestive system.
• Hay alternatives like pellets and cubes should be supplemented with traditional hay or forage to ensure your horse receives enough fiber.

Pellets and cubes are great supplements but should not replace traditional hay as a primary source of long-stem fiber. When using pellets for a recovering racehorse, I paired them with soaked hay cubes to maintain proper long-stem fiber intake. This combination helped prevent digestive issues while meeting nutritional needs.

Hay Testing for Balanced Nutrition

Hay testing is a vital step in ensuring your horse’s diet meets its nutritional needs, especially when using alternatives like pellets or cubes.

Why Test Your Hay?

• Identify Nutritional Gaps: Testing reveals deficiencies in nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin E.
• Guide Supplementation: Accurate results ensure you add only what’s needed, avoiding guesswork.
• Evaluate Alternatives: Understand how pellets or cubes compare to traditional hay in nutrient content.

How to Test Hay

1. Collect Samples: Take portions from different bales or batches.
2. Use a Lab: Send samples to a forage testing lab specializing in equine nutrition.
3. Analyze Results: Review the report to address deficiencies or imbalances.

When relying on hay cubes during a drought, I discovered through testing that they lacked calcium. Adding a supplement corrected the deficiency and maintained my horses’ health.

Key Takeaways

• Regular Testing: Ensures balanced nutrition tailored to your horse’s needs.
• Supports Alternatives: Helps integrate pellets or cubes effectively.
• Professional Input: Work with an equine nutritionist to interpret results.

For detailed guidance, visit Selecting Hay for Your Horse: Practical Guide.

Adjusting a Horse’s Diet with Alternative Feedstuffs

When introducing a new feed, like hay pellets or cubes, it’s crucial to do so gradually. Abrupt changes can disrupt a horse’s digestive system, leading to issues like colic or diarrhea. Start by replacing a small portion of their current feed with the new alternative, such as 25% of the normal ration.

Closely observe your horse’s behavior and manure consistency for any signs of distress for the next few days. If all is well, increase the new feed by another 25% every few days until the desired ratio is achieved. This process should take about 7-10 days.

When I switched my horses from traditional hay to a mix of hay cubes, I started by replacing one flake of hay with about 2 pounds of cubes, and slowly increased the cubes over a week, while monitoring their manure for any changes.

Measuring a Horse’s Weight

Monitoring your horse’s weight is essential for effective diet adjustments. Two common methods are:

• Weight Tapes:
  A weight tape is an easy tool for estimating a horse’s weight by wrapping it around the girth. While not as precise as formulas, it’s excellent for tracking weight trends over time.
• Weight Formulas:
  For greater accuracy, use this formula:
  Heart Girth (in inches)² x Body Length (in inches) ÷ 330 = Weight (in pounds)
  For instance, when transitioning a recovering horse to alternative feeds, I used this formula to closely monitor weight changes.

Both methods are useful, but regular monitoring with a tape can provide consistent insights between formal assessments. Learn more in How to Measure a Horse’s Weight.

Body Condition Scoring (BCS)

Body Condition Scoring (BCS) is a simple system that helps assess a horse’s overall health based on fat coverage, using a scale from 1 (emaciated) to 9 (obese). Here’s what you need to know about the three main categories:

• Underweight Horses (BCS < 4):
  These horses need calorie-dense feed options. For example, I helped a rescue horse with a BCS of 3 by transitioning him to soaked alfalfa cubes and adding a high-fat concentrate. Weekly weight monitoring and gradual increases in feed volume ensured safe weight gain.
• Ideal Weight Horses (BCS 4–6):
  Horses in this range typically thrive on a balanced diet of quality hay and supplemental feed as needed. Regular checks help maintain their condition without significant changes.
• Overweight Horses (BCS > 6):
  For overweight horses, focus on portion control and low-calorie alternatives. I reduced an older mare’s weight by replacing alfalfa pellets with timothy cubes and eliminating starchy concentrates.

In a nutshell, an underweight horse (BCS < 4) may require calorie-dense feeds like alfalfa cubes, while an overweight horse (BCS > 6) benefits from reduced starch and lower-calorie options like timothy hay.

To learn more about BCS scoring and its application, visit this resource on BCS.

As someone deeply involved in horse racing, I’ve faced challenges balancing diets for horses with unique needs:

• Transitioning to Alternatives: During a hay shortage, I had to switch an entire barn to hay cubes and pellets. While some horses adapted quickly, a picky eater required extra care. I softened cubes with warm water and added a touch of molasses to encourage consumption.
• Performance Horses: One of my Thoroughbreds struggled with weight loss during intense training. Adding silage to his diet, paired with a vitamin E supplement, improved his energy levels and overall condition.

Tailoring Diet Adjustments

For both weight gain and loss, consistent monitoring and adjustment are key:

• Weigh horses weekly using a weight tape or formula.
• Evaluate BCS monthly to track progress.
• Consult an equine nutritionist or veterinarian when making significant changes.

Hay testing can reveal deficiencies, helping determine if supplements like vitamin E or calcium are necessary. Note: every horse is unique, and dietary changes should always be guided by a veterinarian or equine nutritionist.

Spotting Signs of a Feed Issue

• Changes in Manure: Pay attention to the consistency of your horse’s manure. Loose manure or diarrhea can indicate a problem with the feed.
  • Example: When introducing silage to one of my performance horses, I noticed a change in manure consistency. This was a sign that the feed was too rich for him, and so I reduced the amount of silage.

• Loss of Appetite: If your horse is reluctant to eat or suddenly loses its appetite, it could be a sign that the feed is not palatable or is causing digestive discomfort.

• Changes in Behavior: A horse that is usually calm but becomes irritable, lethargic, or restless may be experiencing a digestive issue.
  • Example: One of my horses became lethargic and reluctant to lie down after a diet change which I was able to identify and correct after consulting my vet and nutritionist.

• Choking: Watch for signs of choking, such as coughing, drooling, or difficulty swallowing. This is more common with pellets and cubes, especially if they are not soaked. Soaking hay cubes can create a soft, palatable meal that’s easy for seniors to chew and digest.
  • Example: I have found that soaking cubes for at least 30 minutes prior to feeding greatly reduces the chance of choking.

• Weight Loss or Gain: Unexplained weight loss or excessive weight gain can indicate that your horse’s diet needs adjusting.

• Respiratory Issues: If your horse is coughing or has increased nasal discharge after a feed change, it could be due to dust or mold in the feed.

• Physical Signs: Look for signs like abrasions on the knees or fetlocks, which can indicate a horse that is struggling to get enough REM sleep, and is therefore drowsy or collapsing.
  • Example: If you have a horse prone to respiratory problems, using dust-free pellets or soaking any hay product before feeding can help to mitigate issues.

• Consult a Professional: If you notice any of these signs, consult with an equine nutritionist or veterinarian before making any more significant dietary changes.
  • Personal Experience: After noticing changes in my horse’s manure, I contacted my equine nutritionist and she adjusted his diet and suggested adding a probiotic.

Where to Source Hay Alternatives

When selecting hay alternatives, sourcing from reliable suppliers is essential to ensure consistent quality:

• Reputable Feed Stores: Visit trusted local farm supply stores, such as those listed in directories like US Farm Supply Stores.
• Direct from Producers: Some regions offer farm-direct purchases; use resources like Local Harvest to find producers.
• Online Retailers: For a wider selection, try online suppliers such as Valley Vet Supply.

Developing a good relationship with a reliable supplier can ensure that you get a consistent supply of quality forage for your horse, no matter the weather or hay price. I’ve used hay testing to adjust my horses’ diets, ensuring they receive adequate selenium levels when switching to hay cubes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Alternative Feedstuffs for Horses

Conclusion

Hay alternatives offer flexibility and convenience, but every horse has unique nutritional needs. To ensure your horse’s health and well-being, it is essential to consult with an equine nutritionist or veterinarian before making any significant dietary changes. Learn more about horse care in my article: Horse Care Checklist: Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Routines

We’d love to hear from you. Have you tried hay alternatives for your horse? Share your experiences in the comments or reach out to me.

This article is for informational purposes only. Consult with a veterinarian or equine nutritionist for personalized advice.