April 2022 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN April 2022 Page 11 TheHayPillow.com product line includes Hay Pillow® slow feed hay bags for use on the ground, hanging and horse trailer mangers in addition to toys with a purpose, bale nets, emergency ID tags and more! What makes Hay Pillows so unique? • Available in 4 mesh sizes (3/4”, 1”, 1 1/4” and 1 3/4”) de- pending on your horse’s patience level and the 4” X 6” mesh size in the Manger Hay Pillow for horses not accustomed to slow feeding. • Hay Pillows® are easy to load; their closures do not allow ANY access to hay other than the netting. Perfect for at home use and travel. • The netting is custom made and mounted on the square so the opening size stays consistent regardless of how full the bag is. Innovative Slow Feed Solutions & More • Featuring a solid back; minimizing wasted hay and pre- vents it from blowing away. Recommended by veterinar- ians, dentists & nutritionists. Hay Pillows are a popular slow feed choice for horses, donkeys, mules, goats, sheep, llamas and alpacas! Proudly made in the USA. Heads down, the best slow feed choice...the Standard and Mini Hay Pillow® are the only slow feed hay bags designed for use on the ground (for barefoot horses). They allow your horse to eat in a natural grazing position and encourage movement when used to create multiple feeding stations without the need for hardware or attachments. View our entire product line, see our galleries and visit our blog Enhancing Equine Health at TheHayPillow.com. With the price of groceries, fuel and animal feeds rising, horse owners are wondering how to make cheaper horse feeds. Especially during these volatile economic times, horse enthusiasts need to understand the difference between least cost and fixed for- mula feeds, and why digestibility of ingredients is important. Least cost feeds do not have locked in formulas; therefore, when the cost of ingredients increases, formulas change. For example, if the price of oats rises, a feed with 50% oats may change to 20% oats, 15% barley, and 15% corn and the horse will not be get- ting the same feed from one batch to another. Some least cost feeds list “grain by-products” or “plant products” to allow for non-specific ingredient use and modifications. Fixed formula feeds have locked formulas where the percent- age of ingredients will not change when ingredient costs change. Pric- ing will fluctuate, but the ingredient amounts stay the same along with performance, digestibility of ingre- dients, and nutrition. Fixed formula feeds will list specific ingredients, not vague terms like by-products. The only way to make “cheaper” feed is to use less or less expensive ingredients result- ing in decreased digestibility and lower percentages of vitamins and minerals. Feeding less-digestible ingredients means more feed will be needed to maintain body con- dition. While the bag of feed may cost less, more feed will be needed, and no money will be saved. How Do You Make a “Cheaper” Horse Feed? It is vital to make “apples to apples” comparisons with horse feeds because of the sensitive equine digestive system. The equine team at FCA is available to evaluate feeding programs at no cost or obligation and assist horse owners in finding creative ways to save money during these challenging times. Contact Lisa Phillips (VA, WV, NC) 757-536- 9037 or Weston Specht (MD, PA, DE, NJ) 301-639-0772. Please submit your events to steph@eastcoastequestrian.net . Please provide event name, location, city, state and contact information for inclusion at no cost in East Coast Equestrian's calendar. Attention Event Organizers!

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