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the hay used. This offers balanced nutrition.If good quality hay (protein, mineraland digestibility) is not available for individuals without dental challenges, pellets,cubes and chopped hay can be used as thecore diet. Be sure to have hay available foradditional chew time. Ideal Carrier For SupplementsSoaked pellets or cubes are ideal as acarrier for supplements without addingconcentrated sources of calories. You caneasily mix in concentrates, salt andflaxseed or chia for individuals currentlyon a grass hay diet.HAy PELLETS, CUBES& CHOPPED HAy - CONSDifficult To Assess QualityThe quality of hay is not visible oncethe pelleting, cubing or chopping processhas been completed. Some visible contributing factors in determining the quality of hay are:• Color• Dirt• Stage of maturity at harvest• Texture• Presence of foreign material• Mold• Most Contain Binding AgentsMost processed or pelleted hay contains binding agents. Molasses is probably the most common binder. Barley,wheat, various oils/fats and lignasol (lignosulfonate and polymethylolcarbamide),an artificial binder, can be present inbagged/processed forage. These are typically not required to be listed on the ingredients tag if they are less than 1% of theproduct.Hay pellets without binding agents areavailable. These use only steam and highpressure to form the pellets. Lower Saliva To Forage RatiosDue to the decreased chew time ofprocessed feeds, less saliva is produced. Ifnot soaked prior to feeding, their digestion requires absorption of bodily fluids(to compensate for lower saliva amounts)as it travels through the digestive tract.Often times the foodstuff expands as itprogresses along. This compensatoryfunction can dehydrate your horse.If feeding pellets or cubes, soakingthem prior to feeding is recommended.Soaking cubes or pellets one- to two-partswater to one part pellets or cubes for 20minutes - 2 hours can help slow the rate ofconsumption and provide hydration.If soaked in water, grass hay pelletstypically expand two to four times in volume. The amount of expansion whensoaked decreases relevant to the particlesize. Cubes average 1.5 – 3 times in volume and chopped hay 1 – 1.5, respectively.Note: Individuals with dental challenges may not be able to properly masticate dry dense pellets or cubes.More Expensive Pelleted, cubed and chopped foragecosts more per pound than baled grasshay.Challenging To Slow Down Consumption Rate Feeding smaller particle sizes does posechallenges if you want to slow down yourhorse's consumption rate and increasechew time. Slow feeder options for pellets, cubes, and chopped hay are limited. Bottom LineIf your horse or herd do not have dentalchallenges, the best and least expensiveform of forage is to provide pasture orbaled grass hay as the core diet.For horses with dental challenges,soaked pellets, cubes or chopped hay maybe your only option to provide a grass haycore diet.oMonique Warren invented the Hay Pillow®slow feeder and is the owner of Hay Pillow Inc. Warren has been an equine guardian for overforty years and slow-feed advocate for over 10years. She contributes equine nutrition, digestive, and slow feeding articles to publicationssuch as Equine Wellness, The Journal, TheNaturally Healthy Horse, Arizona Horse Connection Magazine, Natural Horse Magazine,Nicker News, The Horse's Hoof and MiniatureHorse World Magazine. Equine nutrition,welfare, and horses feet are her passions. She resides in Southern California. A Gift That Truly Gives Back The state of Arizona provides an incredible incentive for taxpayers who donate to certain qualifying charities like Horses with Heart (HwH). Thanks to the Arizona Charitable tax Credit, you can donateup to $495 per person, or $98787685473281073/4.-8and get it right back on your Arizona tax return. With your tax credit donation, HwH can continue providing therapeutic horsemanship for individuals,7/+8*7)('747/7&)8(3*8%&/&$(3)87380#$8\05/8%u0015$2(37%u0014(/7038(3*88(8%u0013%u0012%u0011fi8ff3/&$3(/703(48%u0013${body.pageText}!7&$8%u0012\\fffi%u000b%u0018ffl%u000b%u000e8ff8%u0012$7%u001403(8%u0011(8%u0010${body.pageText}*7/8\t%u0010%u00158%u00100*&\b8%u0007ffi%u0018%u0006%u000bStep 1Donate to HwH to provide therapeutichorsemanship for our communitiesStep 2File your taxes and claim the creditby #)7328%u0012%u0005%u0004%u0015%u000380$!8%u0018%u0007flStep 3%u0003&\8\(up to $987) Horses with Heart44 Arizona Horse Connection February, 2026