A close look at teff as a forage option for horses.

By Madeline Boast, MSc. Equine Nutrition

Hay comprises the majority of a horse’s diet. Therefore, when owners are able to source a forage that complements their horse’s nutritional requirements, there are numerous benefits. These benefits range from ease of management to better equine health and even lower feed bills. Teff is a species of grass that is gaining popularity for use as horse hay. It is thought to be a great option for both easy-keepers and metabolic horses.

Equine Obesity & Nutritional Management 

A prevalent concern across the industry is equine obesity, with research reporting that 40-50 percent of sampled equine populations are considered obese. This is a serious welfare issue that predisposes horses to a plethora of health issues such as metabolic syndrome. Consequently, sourcing forage that better matches the nutritional requirements of these horses is becoming increasingly critical to their management.

Obesity, a significant welfare concern across the horse industry, predisposes horses to numerous health issues such as metabolic syndrome. Teff hay may be a good option for managing easy-keeping horses and those with metabolic issues. Photo: AdobeStock/Aurency

Owners of these horses understand how challenging they can be to optimally manage. Oftentimes, hay must be restricted to prevent unnecessary weight gain. In metabolic cases, hay that is too high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) can be detrimental to the horse’s health, causing issues such as laminitis. When hay that does not match the horse’s nutritional needs is being fed, it puts a strain on management with challenges such as soaking hay and safely restricting the forage intake. Could teff hay provide a solution to this complex management issue?

Related: Winter Water Woes and Equine Colic Prevention

About Teff

Teff grass (Eragrostis tef), also referred to as Summer Lovegrass or Annual Lovegrass, is a warm-season grass that originated in Africa. Historically, teff has been used as a grain crop in many countries, but in recent years has gained popularity as a forage. This grass species tends to thrive in warmer conditions but adapts well to varying environments. A key difference between teff and other common plant species used in horse hay, such as timothy or alfalfa, is that it is an annual not a perennial, which means that it must be replanted each year. Additionally, teff is very sensitive to frost; when the temperatures drop, the plants will die.

Teff hay is gaining popularity among North American horse owners and is now grown in several states in the US and in some areas of Canada. In southern Ontario, for example, it is mostly seen available from suppliers that specifically grow horse hay, with some pre-selling it and growing it for committed buyers. Photo: Clix Photography

In most cases, horses that are fed teff hay consume it well. In palatability trials, it has been documented that horses prefer alfalfa and timothy over teff, but once acclimated to the teff they readily consume it. While this grass species is fibrous, which can contribute to the reduced palatability, the softer stems generally make it sufficiently palatable for most horses.

A nutritional consideration that should be made prior to feeding teff is that some varieties contain synephrine, which is a vasoconstrictor. This is important to remember as any FEI (International Equestrian Federation) competing horses or racehorses could produce a positive drug test. Additionally, teff hay may contain oxalates, which impact calcium absorption and can cause deficiencies. A nutritionist will account for this when balancing the horse’s ration if they are on teff hay that contains oxalates.

Related: Equine Metabolic Syndrome and Equine Cushing’s Disease

If you are considering growing teff as a hay crop, there are a few key considerations. Initially, due to its sensitivity to frost and being an annual crop, planting cannot commence until the threat of frost has passed and soil temperatures reach 12 degrees Celsius. Additionally, weed control presents a challenge when growing this forage as broadleaf weeds can be controlled, but annual grass weeds can negatively impact the crop since there are no herbicides available to control them.

An annual grass, teff is a species of lovegrass native to the Horn of Africa. One of the earliest plants domesticated, it is believed to have originated in Ethiopia between 4000 BC and 1000 BC. A fine-stemmed tufted grass, teff is cultivated for its edible seeds, and is an important cereal crop in Eritrea and Ethiopia. In Ethiopia teff straw is also used as cattle feed and as a building material when mixed with mud. Photos: (main) Shutterstock/Robin Weeks Images; (inset) Wiki/Rasbak 

The climate that the forage is grown in will determine how early in the season it can be planted. Teff is easily established and when growing conditions are ideal first cut can take place as soon as 40 days after planting. With optimal management, teff crops can be cut three or even four times in a growing season to produce an annual yield of about four to seven tonnes per acre, depending on the growing conditions of the season.

With teff being a warm-season grass species that is adapted to a variety of growing conditions, it continues to gain popularity in Canada and across North America. Teff is typically lower in NSCs and digestible energy, which makes it sought-after for many easy-keepers, metabolic horses, and horses with polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM).

Hay for Horses with Metabolic Issues 

Managing easy-keepers and horses with metabolic issues is an ongoing challenge across the industry. Sourcing safe forage for them is a critical aspect of management. For horses that are overweight, finding hay that is lower in digestible energy is crucial to a healthy and sustainable weight loss. It is recommended that their forage does not exceed about 1.90 Mcal/kg on a dry matter basis.

How to Feed and Care For the Senior Horse

The energy that a horse requires to maintain a healthy body condition will differ between individuals. For many easy-keepers, forage must be restricted to ensure they do not become obese. Despite this, the digestible energy content of the forage they are consuming is commonly overlooked. To highlight the importance of knowing the digestible energy content, if you have an easy-keeper that is on a forage with 2.2 Mcal/kg it is going to be next-to-impossible to restrict that hay enough to elicit weight loss without causing health issues such as gastrointestinal upset, or stereotypical behaviours due to inadequate fibre consumption and chew time. On the other hand, if you are able to find a forage that is 1.6 Mcal/kg, they will be able to consume more of it without gaining weight as it provides significantly less calories to them.

The other focus when sourcing hay for these types of horses is the starch and sugar content. Oftentimes, the term non-structural carbohydrates will be at the forefront of horse owners’ minds. NSCs are a calculated value that adds the starch with water soluble carbohydrates (WSCs). The general guideline is that the hay should not exceed 12 percent NSCs.

Recently, there has been debate among nutritionists about whether NSCs or hydrolysable carbohydrates (HCs) should be used as the guideline for metabolic horses. HCs are a calculation of the ethanol-soluble carbohydrates (ESCs) and starch. The difference between ESCs and WSCs is that WSCs include fructans.  The intake of NSCs needs to be controlled in these horses to ensure their glycemic response is not too great and their blood insulin remains controlled. When sugar content is too high in the hay the owner may have to resort to soaking it prior to feeding, or for safety reasons purchase a different hay that does meet the recommended guidelines.

Nutritional Trends in Differing Forage Species 

When sourcing hay for your horse, there are many different forage species that you may hear mentioned. Understanding how the nutritional content generally differs between them can guide your purchasing decisions. As previously mentioned, teff is a warm-season grass. Others include bermudagrass, switchgrass, and modified crabgrass. These species are known to have a higher neutral detergent fibre (NDF) content and lower NSC content when compared to cool-season grasses and legumes. Examples of popular cool-season grasses include timothy grass, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass, bromegrass, and tall fescue. These forages also tend to be more fibrous with lower energy and protein but have higher NSC contents, which therefore may make them the less ideal choice for easy-keepers.

Related: Fast Forage Switches Not Recommended for Horses

Harvesting teff in northern Ethiopia, where it is the most important commodity produced and consumed and provides a livelihood for approximately 6.5 million small farmers. Teff flour on a plate and teff grain in a bowl (inset photo) — seeds can have a colour from white to deep reddish brown and are very small at only about a millimetre in length. Photos: (main) Wiki/A Davey; (inset) Shutterstock/Katrinshine

The differences in NSC content between these grasses stem from how they turn carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar. The plant will either use the C3 or C4 pathway during photosynthesis. This refers to the number of carbon atoms in the first molecule created during the process. Cool-season grasses are C3, therefore, the first molecule has three carbon atoms, and warm-season grasses are C4. The cool-season grasses such as timothy tend to store more NSCs in the leaves and stem to reserve for energy, whereas warm-season grasses like teff tend to be more efficient at utilizing carbohydrates for growth and have less stored in the plant. These differences make the grass species able to thrive in differing environments.

Cool-season grasses will grow earlier in the season and have seed heads by late spring or early summer, then become more dormant in the warmer months. The opposite is true for warm-season grasses. This relates to their differences in NSC content. Cool-season grasses require stored NSCs to survive colder temperatures, while warm-season grasses grow in warm temperatures where the demand for stored energy is lower and the plant relies on continuous photosynthesis instead of large energy reserves to fuel growth.

Legumes differ as they have greater protein content and are higher energy, but typically lower in NSCs than cool-season grasses. Alfalfa, bird’s-foot trefoil, and clover are examples of popular legumes fed to horses. The reason they are typically higher in protein is that they have the capability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere to then make protein. Grasses are not able to fix nitrogen as easily, hence the lower protein content.

Related: 8 Steps to Prevent Colic as Horses Transition to Hay

Therefore, warm-season grasses tend to be preferable for easy- keepers and metabolic horses due to their lower energy and sugar contents. However, because many of those species cannot be successfully grown in colder temperatures, it presents a challenge for horse owners who require this type of forage but are not in a warm environment. That is why, with the adaptability of teff, it is gaining popularity as a forage in Canada, specifically for these horses.

Factors That Influence Nutritional Value of Hay 

General trends in the nutritional value of hay, depending on the grass and legume species present, are important to understand. However, they are simply trends and not a hard rule. It cannot be assumed that any hay is safe for a metabolic horse no matter the species present. This is because there are numerous variables that heavily influence the nutritional content of the forage. The growing conditions, time of harvest, storage conditions, and soil health will all have a significant impact. Therefore, all hay must be tested prior to feeding.

Harvesting conditions are of the utmost importance to consider as the maturity of the plant largely impacts the nutritional value of the hay harvested. It is well known that the more mature the grass, the lower the digestibility tends to be and the greater the fibre content. Very mature grass hay can also be less palatable due to the fibre content.

Importance of Hay Testing 

Hay testing is the only way to know the nutritional content of forage and to determine if it is acceptable for your horse’s individual needs. Working with your local feed store or equine nutritionist to collect an accurate forage sample and have an equine analysis done prior to it being fed to horses is recommended. A hay analysis will provide information on the digestible energy content, protein, fibre, sugar, and minerals. When you are equipped with this information you can be confident in your horse’s nutrition program as it takes the guesswork out.

Health issues arising from poor nutrition are numerous and negatively impact the welfare of the horse. Therefore, the yearly investment in a hay analysis is critical to optimizing equine well-being and doing the best for our beloved equine partners.

Take Home Message 

Equine obesity is an epidemic across the industry, and many horse owners face challenges in effectively managing these horses. Investing in forage options that have a nutritional profile better aligned with these horses’ needs can make a significant difference in their well-being and the ease of management. As a warm-season grass, teff hay would generally suit the nutritional needs of these types of horses, and with the adaptability of growing conditions it can be grown in cooler climates. Remember that many factors above and beyond plant species impact the nutritional value, so testing remains critical.

Related: What is Grain-Free for Horses?

Related: How to Accurately Feed Your Horse a Forage-Based Diet

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Main Photo: AdobeStock/Vprotastchik