A myth has been spread stating that all horses do during the night is sleep and, therefore, they don’t need as much hay as they do during the day. This is untrue and here is why:
Humans have a pretty stable routine: we move around and we do our chores during the day. The night is for sleeping only. Because of this, we tend to do all of our horse care and horse activities, such as riding, grooming and feeding, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
When the sun sets, it becomes time to head inside an take the horses to their stables. We assume that just like us, our horses will sleep all night and resume their habits and activities the next day.
This couldn’t be further from the truth! Yes, horses sleep at night but that’s not all they do!
Horses are quite active both during the day and the night. Something they’ll do regardless of the time of the day is eat! Therefore, the amount of hay provided for their feeding shouldn’t be reduced just because it’s nighttime. Horses need access to forage at all times of the day.
Myth debunked! Now you know more about your horses’ feeding needs during the night.
