This little strategy will slow down her consumption rate considerably. However, even the straw you offer should be limited. So if you use straw as your bedding, consider switching to something inedible, such as shavings or peat moss. That's because its fiber is quite fermentable, so your horse will still extract quite a lot of food value from it. However, it is lower in calories and energy than grain, so it can be used in small quantities to give to a horse who's upset that everyone else in her shedrow is getting a grain meal when she's not.
Most horses readily accept it as a substitute.
When your horse first goes on her diet, she might spend a lot of time giving you baleful glares, designed to push all your guilt buttons and make you feel unbelievably cruel. Try not to cave. About The Author Karen Briggs writes for more than 20 equine magazines in Canada, the United States, and Great Britain. Based in Ontario, she also is a Canadian certified riding coach, an equine nutritionist, and an active competitor at the preliminary level of three-day eventing with her Thoroughbred gelding Sweeney Todd.