Question

I feed hay to my grade gelding in the winter. While he’s healthy on the whole, he shows some changes to manure consistency that coincide with every new load of hay. I buy hay one load at a time, and the supplier brings whatever he has available at that moment. Given that I cannot change the supplier—we live remotely and he’s the only game in town—is there anything I can do to better manage this?

Answer

Two approaches come to mind. The first is to acclimate your gelding to the new hay slowly.  Add a little new hay to the old, and gradually increase the amount of new and decrease the old over a period of several days. Take a few minutes to fluff and combine the two hays as thoroughly as possible. A gradual changeover will allow the microbial population of the hindgut to become accustomed to the new hay, decreasing the likelihood of manure changes.

The second approach involves supporting the hindgut through targeted nutritional supplementation. In this case, the hindgut buffer EquiShure would be beneficial as it protects the cecum and colon from changes to the microbial population. EquiShure also works well for horses that have a difficult time transitioning from hay to spring pasture.

While it seems you have pinpointed the cause of the manure changes, a consultation with your vet is still in order just to be sure nothing else may be brewing.