Slow Feeding Theory.

I have decided to publish this web site even though it is far from finished because this is a dynamic web site that never will be finished anyway. You will just have to check back frequently to see what direction the evolution has taken.

What is Slow Feeding?

Slow Feeding is to, by use of some mechanical device (usually a restricting feeder), make it impossible the horse to fill his mouth with hay. By slowing down the eating pace the same amount of hay will last longer and therefore will keep the horse occupied and stimulated for a longer period of time. A free roaming horse spend most of his waken hours searching for food. Since horses only sleep about 4 hour per day and seldom for longer periods than about 20 minutes each time food is in his main focus for about 16-20 hours each day. Many traditionally kept domestic horses are still being fed 2-3 (or maybe 4) times per day and often not more than they will eat in an hour or two each time.

To really understand how horrific this traditional feeding method is to the horse we need more knowledge about how horse’s digestive system works than most horse people have.

1. The horse’s receptors for feeling content and full is located in his chewing muscles not his stomach. This makes it essential that he chews his food slowly and rigorously. If he eats too fast he will not feel content when he is supposed to and therefore over eat if he has the chance or else feel stressed over the fact that never becomes content. He will think he is starving to death even though he is not and that might very well make him nervous and edgy. By restricting his possibilities to rush through his daily hay ration he will chew every single strand much more rigorously and therefore both prepare the food much better for digestion and get a better chance to reach the chewing level where he feels content and happy with the amount of food he receives.

Of course I understand that it might take a little longer to put his hay in a restricting feeder compared to just throwing it on the floor but to be honest who buys a horse to save time? Asking your horse to eat from the straw bedding is cruel since horses do not eat close to their own fecals if he has a choice and force him to eat with his nostrils close to the ammonium fumes created by urine is harmful. If you can feel the smell of ammonium the concentration has already passed the limit for what is considered harmful to horses 50 times. Food and bedding must therefore be separated to different parts of the available floor space. The solution is not to serve the hay high up in the air since that creates unnatural eating angles but instead putting a restricting feeder in a separate feeding corner that does not get polluted.  

What is Continuous Slow Feeding?

Continuous Slow Feeding is taking Slow Feeding to the next level.

2. The horse’s stomach is fairly small and food might pass through in as little as 12 minutes. From the stomach the food passes on to the small intestine where it only stays for about an hour and a half. This means that 1.5 hours after the stomach is empty the small intestine has become empty too. This creates a problem for the horse because he can not stop the production of digestive fluids and these fluids burn the inside of the digestive system if there is not food there to absorb them.

One study made in Australia and one made in Japan both show that cribbing horses usually start cribbing 2 hours after they have stopped eating. I do not believe it to be a coincident that this length of time is the same as when the food has passed though both the stomach and the small intestine and the burning sensation from the digestive fluids start to irritate the inside of the now empty small intestine. Even horses that don’t crib often show obvious improvements in behavior, eating habits and over all health status when no longer being forced to this involuntary starvation.

Why Continuous Slow Feeding is so important?

Slow Feeding means that you slow down your horse’s eating and that is really good but not enough. Continuous Slow Feeding means that you manage to balance your horse’s eating around the clock. By making him chew every single strand rigorously enough sound horses feel content after a while and that opens up his mind to other things than food and eating even though there still is hay available. Here an inspiring environment and good playmates makes all the difference to make him chose another activity than eating or sleeping for a longer period of time.

As long as he remembers that the supply of hay ever has run out he will be more likely to choose guarding the feeder and as long as he is he is more likely to keep eating. When he starts believing that the hay grows in the feeder just like grass grows in the pasture he is much more likely to stop guarding the feeder against his herd mates and harmony will be established. No more fighting at the dinner table and much more time for other activities. This is a fine balance between making him chew the food enough by slowing down his eating and creating an inspiring environment.

What you will gain from Continuous Slow Feeding?

When absolute eating harmony is established and he knows for sure that the supply of hay is completely endless his digestive system seems to go into its original and natural balance. Suddenly over weight and under weight horses can eat together from the same Slow Feeder and both reach their perfect weight.

Having your horse on Continuous Slow Feeding makes him always ready for work, increases his willingness and his stamina. He will never again feel the burning sensation of digestive fluids irritating an empty intestine. He will tolerate his herd mates much better and love you even more.

For you Continuous Slow Feeding means that you never again will feel the stress of having to keep his feeding times. You can, with good conscience, roll over and go back to sleep on Sunday morning when it is raining outside knowing that your beloved horse still has plenty of food available.

If you have had your horse on free choice Continuous Slow Feeding will save you a lot of hay since there will be no more wasted hay. If you have been fetching daily rations for your herd from a round bale you can dress the bale in a round bale net and let the herd serve them selves.

Compared to Continuous Slow Feeding traditionally feeding 2-3-4 times per day must be considered both animal cruelty and horse owner cruelty (and why would you?).

How to manage Continuous Slow Feeding.

Getting Continuous Slow Feeding to work is a process. It takes both time and creativity. Horses that are used to be starved can be really frustrated when he suddenly is forced to pull separate strands out of a feeder instead of filling his mouth from loose hay laying on the ground but as soon as they have been accustomed to the feeders lots of horses prefer the feeders to loose hay on the ground and they often prefer hard bales in the feeders over loose hay in them.

If your horse is stalled during the night and gets frustrated when you start feeding through a Slow Feeder my suggestion is that you start giving him 75% of his ration on the floor (as he is used too) and 25% in the night feeder and then gradually reduce the amount on the floor and increase the amount in the night feeder. As soon as he starts with the hay in the feeder before he eats what is on the floor you put his whole ration in the feeder. Personally I want the Slow Feeders to contain hay for 36 hours because then I can fill the feeder on Saturday morning and again on Sunday evening if I’m away over the weekend.

The problem I have found with most web sites showing different kinds of Slow Feeders is that most often the pictures are published as soon as the Slow Feeder is ready

I believe we owe it to our horses to be honest about the success or failure with our Slow Feeder constructions. By telling the world about why the old construction did not work the way we hoped it would our fellow horse owners don’t have to do the same mistakes and therefore give up but instead help pushing evolution forward