Straw as Horse Forage: Pros, Cons & Feeding Tips

Straw often gets dismissed as "just bedding," but for many horses it can play a genuinely useful role as a forage source. Whether you're managing a good-doer who inhales hay in record time, trying to extend forage availability overnight, or looking for a cost-effective way to keep the gut ticking over, straw deserves a place in the conversation.

But — and this is a big but — straw isn't a straight swap for hay. It has a very different nutritional profile, and feeding it incorrectly can cause serious problems, from impaction colic to nutritional deficiencies.

In this guide, we'll break down everything you need to know about feeding straw to horses: what it offers, what it lacks, which types are safest, and exactly how to introduce it into your horse's diet.

What Exactly Is Straw?

Straw is the dried stems (stalks) of cereal crops after the grain has been harvested. The most common types you'll encounter are:

• Barley straw – the most widely fed to horses
• Wheat straw – commonly used as bedding, sometimes fed
• Oat straw – the most palatable and nutritious of the three

Because the grain has already been removed, straw is essentially a structural fibre source with very little nutritional value compared to hay or haylage. Think of it as the skeleton of the plant — lots of fibre, very few calories, vitamins, or minerals.

The Nutritional Profile of Straw

To understand why straw is useful — and where its limits lie — let's compare it to average meadow hay:

The takeaway? Straw provides roughly half the energy of hay, far less protein, very low sugar, and significantly more structural fibre. That's precisely why it's valuable for certain horses — but also why it can't be a sole forage.

The Pros of Feeding Straw to Horses

1. Low Calorie Forage for Weight Management

This is the number one reason people turn to straw. For overweight horses, those with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), or native breeds prone to laminitis, restricting hay intake alone may not be enough — or it may leave the horse without forage for long stretches, which is bad for gut health and mental wellbeing.

Replacing a portion of hay with straw means you can keep a constant supply of forage in front of your horse without piling on the calories. The horse still chews, still produces saliva to buffer stomach acid, and still has something to occupy its time.

2. Extends Forage Availability

Horses are designed to eat for 16–18 hours a day. When we restrict hay to manage weight, we can end up with horses standing in empty nets for hours. Straw fills that gap. Mixed in with hay, it slows consumption and extends eating time.

3. Very Low in Sugar and Starch

For horses that need a low non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) diet — particularly those with laminitis, EMS, or PPID (Cushing's disease) — straw's extremely low sugar and starch content is a real advantage. While hay can vary dramatically in sugar levels, straw is consistently low.

4. Promotes Gut Motility

The high structural fibre in straw helps keep the hindgut moving. In appropriate quantities, this long-stem fibre supports healthy gut function and provides a substrate for beneficial hindgut microbes.

5. Cost-Effective

Straw is generally cheaper than hay, which makes it an economical way to bulk out the forage ration without breaking the bank — especially during years when hay prices spike.

The Cons of Feeding Straw to Horses

1. Risk of Impaction Colic

This is the most serious concern. Straw's high lignin content makes it difficult to digest. If a horse eats too much straw — especially without adequate water intake — the fibrous mass can compact in the large intestine and cause impaction colic.

This risk is highest when:

• Straw is introduced too quickly
• The horse eats large quantities (e.g., eating their bedding)
• Water intake is low, particularly in cold weather
• The horse has poor dental health and can't chew the straw thoroughly

2. Low Nutritional Value

Straw simply cannot meet a horse's requirements for energy, protein, vitamins, or minerals on its own. If too much of the diet is straw, your horse will lose condition, develop nutrient deficiencies, and suffer poor hoof and coat quality.

3. Mycotoxin and Mould Risk

Just like hay, straw can harbour mould and mycotoxins if it was baled in poor conditions or stored badly. Dusty, grey, or musty-smelling straw should never be fed. Horses with respiratory conditions like Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO) may be sensitive to even good-quality straw.

4. Potential for Awns and Sharp Stems

Barley straw in particular can have sharp awns (the bristle-like tips) that may irritate the mouth, throat, or gut lining. This is less of an issue with well-threshed, modern barley straw, but it's worth checking your bales.

5. Not Suitable for All Horses

Straw is generally not appropriate for:

• Horses in hard work with high energy demands
• Underweight or elderly horses that need calorie-dense forage
• Horses with a history of impaction colic
• Horses with significant dental problems
• Very young horses whose digestive systems are still developing

Which Type of Straw Is Best for Horses?

Barley Straw

The most commonly recommended for feeding. It's softer and more palatable than wheat straw, and most horses will eat it willingly. Just check for awns — good-quality barley straw intended for feeding should be relatively awn-free.

Oat Straw

The most palatable and marginally more nutritious than barley or wheat straw. The downside? Horses tend to eat it eagerly, which somewhat defeats the purpose if you're using straw to slow down consumption. It's also harder to source in some regions and can retain more grain remnants, increasing the sugar and starch content.

Wheat Straw

The least palatable and toughest to digest. Many horses won't eat it at all, which is why it's favoured as bedding. If you do feed wheat straw, it should be in small amounts and mixed with hay. It carries a slightly higher impaction risk due to its coarser structure.

Bottom line: For most horses, barley straw is the go-to choice.

How to Feed Straw Safely

Getting the approach right is essential. Here's a step-by-step guide to incorporating straw into your horse's forage ration.

Step 1: Start Slowly

Never switch a chunk of the diet to straw overnight. Begin by replacing around 10% of your horse's hay ration with straw and increase gradually over two to three weeks. This gives the hindgut microbiome time to adapt to the change in fibre type.

Step 2: Keep It to a Maximum of 30% of Total Forage

The general guideline is that straw should make up no more than 30% of the total forage ration by weight. Some nutritionists set the ceiling at 25% for safety. The remaining 70–75% should be hay or haylage that provides the energy, protein, and nutrients your horse actually needs.

For example, if your horse eats 10 kg of forage per day, a maximum of 3 kg should be straw.

Step 3: Mix Straw With Hay

The most effective way to feed straw is to chop it and mix it through hay in a net or in a pile on the floor. This prevents the horse from selectively eating only the hay and ignoring the straw, or vice versa. Some people use a large-holed haynet with alternate layers of hay and straw.

Pre-chopped straw (sometimes sold as "chaff" or "chopped straw") can also be added to bucket feeds, but be mindful that very short-chopped straw doesn't provide the same long-stem fibre benefits.

Step 4: Ensure Adequate Water Intake

This is non-negotiable. Straw absorbs water in the gut and needs plenty of moisture to pass through safely. Always ensure your horse has access to clean, fresh water — ideally tepid in winter, as horses tend to drink less when water is ice-cold. You can also soak hay to add extra moisture to the overall ration.

Step 5: Check Dental Health

Horses need to chew straw thoroughly to break it down before it enters the gut. If your horse has missing teeth, sharp hooks, or wave mouth, large pieces of poorly chewed straw are much more likely to cause problems. Get dental checks done at least annually — twice a year for older horses.

Step 6: Monitor Droppings and Condition

Keep a close eye on your horse's droppings when you introduce straw. You should see some recognisable straw fragments — that's normal. But if droppings become very dry, hard, or less frequent, reduce the amount of straw immediately and consult your vet.

Also watch body condition closely. If your horse starts losing weight unintentionally, the straw proportion may be too high relative to nutrient-dense forage.

Step 7: Balance the Overall Diet

Because straw is so low in protein, vitamins, and minerals, you'll almost certainly need a balancer or supplement to fill the nutritional gaps — especially if straw is replacing a significant portion of hay. Analysing your horse's overall diet is the best way to identify exactly where shortfalls exist and what your horse actually needs, rather than guessing.

Straw as Bedding: A Word of Caution

If you bed your horse on straw, they're almost certainly eating some of it — especially if they're in the stable for long hours with limited forage. For greedy horses, this can push straw intake above safe levels without you realising it.

Options include:

• Switching to a non-edible bedding (shavings, paper, rubber matting)
• Using wheat straw for bedding (less palatable) and barley straw for feeding
• Ensuring the horse has sufficient hay to reduce the temptation to eat bedding

Frequently Asked Questions

Can straw cause laminitis?

Straw itself is very low in sugar and starch, so it's unlikely to trigger laminitis through a metabolic pathway. However, if straw causes impaction colic, the resulting systemic stress could theoretically contribute to a laminitic episode. The key is feeding it correctly.

Can I feed straw to a horse with PPID (Cushing's disease)?

Yes, straw's low sugar content actually makes it a helpful addition to the diet of a Cushing's horse, provided it's introduced gradually and doesn't exceed 30% of total forage. Always work with your vet and nutritionist.

Is chopped straw the same as feeding long-stem straw?

Not exactly. Chopped straw (chaff) is useful as a bucket feed extender and to slow eating, but it doesn't provide the same gut-stimulating benefits as long-stem straw in a net. Ideally, use both as part of a varied approach.

How do I know if my straw is good enough quality to feed?

Feed-quality straw should be golden in colour, smell clean and slightly sweet, and be free of visible mould, dust, or dark patches. It should feel dry and crisp, not damp or soft. When in doubt, don't feed it.

Final Thoughts

Straw is a genuinely useful tool in equine diet management — but it's a tool, not a complete solution. Used correctly, it can help overweight horses lose weight safely, extend forage time, and keep the gut healthy between meals. Used carelessly, it can lead to impaction colic, nutritional deficiencies, and real harm.

The golden rules are simple: introduce it slowly, keep it below 30% of total forage, ensure plenty of water, and always balance the rest of the diet to make up for what straw lacks. If you're unsure whether straw is right for your horse's situation, speak to a qualified equine nutritionist — getting it right is always worth the effort.