Feeding Horses During a Drought: Alternatives to Hay
Feeding Horses During a Drought: Alternatives to Hay
Periods of drought present a serious challenge for horse owners. As paddocks dry out and quality hay becomes scarce which means maintaining a consistent level of nutrition can be challenging.
Yet, fibre remains the cornerstone of equine health, vital for digestion, hydration, saliva production, and overall well-being.
Horses are designed to graze for many hours a day, consuming small amounts of fibrous forage almost constantly. When access to pasture or hay is limited, fibre intake can drop quickly, leading to digestive issues, weight loss, or behavioural changes.
That’s why it’s essential to find safe and effective alternatives that replicate the benefits of natural grazing and support ongoing gut health.
So, what can you do when hay supplies run short?
MultiCube Hay Cubes: A Reliable Alternative
When hay supplies run low, MultiCube Hay Cubes offer a safe, nutritious, and convenient solution.
MultiCube Hay Cubes are feed tested to ensure consistent quality especially for horses suffering from Metabolic Conditions. This is especially important when hay is hard to source.
Made from only 100% Australian-grown forage, MultiCube produces Lucerne, Teff, Pasture, and Oaten Cubes, providing horse owners with consistent quality throughout the year, regardless of the season or region.
Each cube contains hay that has been coarsely chopped to maintain an ideal fibre length and then compressed into 32mm Hay Cubes.
The result is a clean, triple-dust-extracted product that’s easy to handle and store, while providing the same nutritional value as good-quality hay.
Horses require forage with adequate fibre length
It’s important when looking at forage alternatives, that fibre length is maintained. Longer fibres require more chewing, producing saliva which naturally buffers stomach acid. Longer fibres also promote a healthy digestive system by keeping the gut full.
Encouraging Hydration and Digestive Health
As temperatures rise, dehydration can quickly impact a horse’s well-being during a drought. Soaking hay cubes before feeding is an easy way to boost water intake while softening the feed, making it ideal for older horses, those with dental issues, or horses that are poor drinkers.
The added moisture supports gut function by helping fibre move smoothly through the digestive tract and mimics the hydration naturally provided by fresh pasture. It also reduces the risk of impaction or dehydration colic and encourages steady digestion, particularly when horses are consuming dry feeds during drought.
Consistency You Can Count On
All MultiCube Hay Cubes are produced from over 4,000 acres of our own carefully managed pastures, ensuring complete traceability and quality control from paddock to product.
Unlike sourcing whatever scarce hay you can find from multiple suppliers, which can lead to variations in nutrition, contamination risks, or untested feed, our cubes are made from forage grown, harvested, and processed under one system.
Each batch is cut at peak nutrition, feed tested and then chopped and compressed to lock in freshness and preserve fibre quality, giving horse owners confidence that their horses are receiving safe, consistent, and high-quality nutrition every time.
The Hay Alternative That Works
In summary, feeding horses through a drought doesn’t have to mean compromising on quality or fibre.
With MultiCube Hay Cubes, horse owners can maintain essential fibre intake, encourage hydration, and support digestive health all in one reliable, easy-to-handle feed source.
When the paddocks turn brown and hay becomes hard to find, MultiCube Hay Cubes are the dependable alternative to hay, providing your horses with the nutrition, fibre, and comfort they need to stay healthy through the toughest conditions.
With over 500+ stockists Australia-wide via Eastern Distributors, you can rely, trust, and depend on MultiCube for your hay alternative during a drought.
For more information visit www.multicube.com.au
