Can horses eat barley grass?

Asked by: Shawn Johansen

Due to the high amounts of anti oxidants and chlorophyll, wheat grass and barley grass are important for performance horses to reduce cellular damage and increase oxygenation.

Is barley grass OK for horses?

This plant has fair to good forage value for horses up to the time when seed heads develop. During the vegetative stage before seed head development, foxtail barley can be safely grazed. However, as common with most grasses, forage quality begins to decrease after seed head development.

Can horses eat green barley?

Barley hay should be green. Oat hay is considered to be more palatable than barley hay and is probably the first choice for this reason, but barley hay can be a useful hay when a horse doesn’t need the extra energy and protein in alfalfa and a grass hay is needed.

What is the best grass to feed a horse?

Of the grass mixtures evaluated, horses preferred a stand of endophyte-free tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, and timothy. However, over time, these pastures evolved to mostly tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. Horses had less preference for any pasture mix with 30 percent or more orchardgrass.

Is barley straw OK for horses to eat?

Feeding a mixture of barley straw and hay is a safe and cost-effective way of promoting weight loss in grazing ponies over winter, according to recent research. Obesity is a widespread problem in pleasure horses and ponies.

Can horses eat barley pasture?

Barley or wheaten hay can also be fed to horses and if well-made can have a similar value to oaten hay.

Why horses should not be fed grain?

The amount of energy being consumed by the horse to keep the grain out is greater than the amount of energy being produced by the digestion of the grain. A net negative energy consumption occurs causing the horse to use fat and muscle to maintain life.

Is barley toxic to horses?

It’s considered a good feed for putting condition on a horse, but it’s certainly not the perfect feed. It has a poor phosphorous/calcium ratio (Corn and oats aren’t great either, but barley is the worst of the three). It also lacks vitamins A and D, so alternative sources will need to be found by horse owners.

What are the benefits of feeding barley to horses?

More energy-dense than oats, and a higher fibre content than maize, barley is seen as an ‘in between’ grain. Micronised barley increases digestive efficiency so it has an elevated energy level over that of uncooked barley. Barley has been historically fed to increase the bulk of a horse (to put weight on).

Is barley high in sugar for horses?

Because most feed barley contains the hull, fiber content is relatively high at around 5 to 7%. Starch makes up nearly 65% of the kernel. Additionally, the kernel has approximately 1% simple sugars and 2% sucrose.

How much barley should I feed my horse?

Usually about 1.5kg wet weight of boiled barley, mixed into the normal hard feed is adequate in most horses. Hint: Boiled barley is easily prepared for one horse in a CROCK POT Slow Cooker. Cover the amount of barley with about 3cm of water, and set on ‘low’ for 6-8 hours.

What can you feed a horse instead of grain?

Many pleasure and trail horses don’t need grain: good-quality hay or pasture is sufficient. If hay isn’t enough, grain can be added, but the bulk of a horse’s calories should always come from roughage. Horses are meant to eat roughage, and their digestive system is designed to use the nutrition in grassy stalks.