Long-Stem Hay vs Hay Cubes and Pellets: Which Is Better for Horses?

Long-Stem Hay vs Hay Cubes and Pellets: Which Is Better for Horses?

By Dr Duncan Houston

Forage is the foundation of a horse’s diet, but the form of that forage matters.

Long-stem hay, chopped hay, hay cubes, hay pellets, haylage, beet pulp, and complete feeds can all provide fibre. But they do not all affect chewing time, saliva production, feeding behaviour, choke risk, dental comfort, respiratory health, or boredom in the same way.

For most healthy horses, long-stem hay or pasture should remain the main forage source. But for some horses, especially seniors, horses with poor teeth, horses with choke history, horses with dust sensitivity, or horses that need precisely measured intake, short-stem forage can be extremely useful.

The real question is not “Which one is best?”

The better question is: which forage form is safest and most useful for this horse?

Quick Answer

For most healthy horses with good teeth, long-stem hay is usually the best daily forage because it encourages longer chewing time, more saliva production, slower intake, and more natural feeding behaviour. Long-stem forage is commonly defined as forage particles around 2 inches or longer, and MSU Extension notes that forage particles should ideally be at least 2 inches to help stimulate the horse’s gut. (Agriculture & Natural Resources College)

Short-stem forage, including chopped hay, hay cubes, and hay pellets, can be useful when long-stem hay is unavailable, too dusty, hard to chew, or not safe for a specific horse. Merck Veterinary Manual notes that cubed or chopped forages are often recommended as substitutes for long-stem hay or pasture, especially for horses with trouble chewing, but some products may need soaking to reduce choke risk. (Merck Veterinary Manual)

What Is Long-Stem Hay?

Long-stem hay is the traditional baled hay most horse owners recognise. It contains longer pieces of forage, usually around 2 inches or more, and more closely mimics the chewing and fibre pattern of grazing than pellets or finely chopped feeds.

Examples include:

• Grass hay

• Meadow hay

• Timothy hay

• Oaten hay

• Teff hay

• Lucerne or alfalfa hay

• Mixed grass and legume hay

• Pasture, when the horse is grazing normally

Long-stem hay takes more time to chew than pellets or many chopped forage products. That chew time matters because chewing stimulates saliva, keeps the horse occupied, and helps maintain a more natural feeding rhythm.

In practice, if a horse has good teeth, no choke history, no major respiratory sensitivity, and can safely eat hay, I usually want some long-stem forage in the diet.

What Is Short-Stem Forage?

Short-stem forage means forage that has been cut, chopped, ground, compressed, pelleted, or otherwise processed into smaller pieces.

Common examples include:

• Chopped hay

• Chaff

• Hay cubes

• Hay pellets

• Lucerne or alfalfa cubes

• Lucerne or alfalfa pellets

• Timothy pellets

• Grass hay pellets

• Complete feeds with forage included

• Some forage-based total mixed rations

Beet pulp is not hay, but it is often used as a digestible fibre source or forage extender. Rutgers describes beet pulp as a good source of fermentable fibre, but it should not be used as the sole source of nutrition without proper balancing. (esc.rutgers.edu)

Short-stem forage is not automatically worse. It is simply different.

That difference can be helpful or risky depending on the horse.

Why Stem Length Matters

Stem length affects chewing.

Chewing affects saliva.

Saliva affects stomach buffering, swallowing, feed movement, and comfort.

The Horse explains that chewing results in saliva production, and saliva contains bicarbonate and calcium that help buffer stomach acid. It also notes that horses naturally spend much of the day foraging and chewing, which continually supports saliva production. (The Horse)

This is one of the big reasons long-stem hay is so valuable. It keeps horses chewing for longer.

When horses eat pellets or finely processed feeds, they often consume the same weight of forage much faster. That can reduce chew time and leave long gaps with nothing to chew, especially if the horse is meal-fed.

That does not mean hay pellets are bad. It means they need to be managed carefully, especially if they become the main forage source.

Why Saliva Matters for Gastric Ulcer Risk

Horses produce stomach acid continuously.

They do not only produce acid when they eat. That is why long periods without forage can increase gastric ulcer risk in susceptible horses.

AAEP notes that when horses are fed just twice daily, the stomach can spend prolonged periods without feed to neutralise acid. AAEP recommends free-choice access to grass or hay where possible, more frequent feeding, and decreased grain to help reduce ulcer risk.

Long-stem hay helps because it promotes longer chewing time and saliva production. Short-stem forage can still provide fibre, but if it is eaten quickly, it may not provide the same behavioural and saliva-buffering benefit.

This is the practical point:

A horse can receive enough fibre on paper and still spend too many hours with nothing to chew.

That is where problems begin.

Is Long-Stem Hay Always Better?

No.

Long-stem hay is usually ideal for healthy horses, but it is not always the safest choice.

Long-stem hay can be a problem if the horse:

• Has poor teeth

• Quids hay

• Swallows poorly chewed stems

• Has repeated choke episodes

• Has severe equine asthma or dust sensitivity

• Is fed mouldy or dusty hay

• Cannot maintain weight on hay

• Has access only to poor-quality, stemmy forage

• Needs very precise intake control

The Horse notes that horses with poor dentition may no longer be able to chew long-stem hay adequately. If they swallow poorly chewed hay instead of dropping quids, there can be impaction colic risk. (The Horse)

So the answer is not “long-stem hay at all costs.”

The answer is “long-stem hay when the horse can chew and tolerate it safely.”

When Are Hay Cubes or Pellets Useful?

Hay cubes and pellets can be excellent tools.

They are especially useful for:

• Senior horses with poor teeth

• Horses missing molars

• Horses that quid hay

• Horses with poor hay availability

• Travel

• Measured rations

• Horses that need a consistent forage source

• Horses with respiratory sensitivity to dusty hay

• Horses needing soaked feed

• Horses recovering from certain dental or throat issues

• Situations where hay waste is excessive

Merck Veterinary Manual states that cubed or chopped forages can be excellent forage sources for horses with poor dentition, and that complete feeds have advantages such as uniform quality, less dustiness, suitability for poor dentition, and easier storage and transport. (Merck Veterinary Manual)

University of Georgia also notes that forage alternatives such as hay cubes, beet pulp, or complete feeds can help when hay or pasture are limited or dentition is poor. (equine.caes.uga.edu)

This is where short-stem forage shines.

It is not second-rate feeding when it is used for the right horse.

What Are the Risks of Short-Stem Forage?

The main risks are reduced chew time, faster intake, boredom, wood chewing, choke, and imbalance if the diet is not properly formulated.

Merck Veterinary Manual notes that pelleted, cubed, textured, and extruded products can have disadvantages including increased choke risk, increased wood chewing, and lack of long-stem fibre when used as the sole source of nutrition. (Merck Veterinary Manual)

Rutgers reports that hay cubes have been used as the sole fibre source in research with good results, but wood chewing increased dramatically and two horses choked when cubes were fed dry. Rutgers states that soaking cubes in water before feeding eliminated the choke danger in those cases. (esc.rutgers.edu)

That is the trade-off.

Short-stem forage can make feeding safer for some horses, but only if it is fed thoughtfully.

Should Hay Cubes or Pellets Be Soaked?

Often, yes, especially for higher-risk horses.

Soaking is most important for horses with:

• Poor teeth

• Missing teeth

• Reduced chewing ability

• Previous choke

• Fast eating

• Dry mouth or poor saliva production

• Older age

• Neurological swallowing issues

• Feed bolting

• History of coughing or nasal discharge after eating

University of Georgia states that soaking forage alternatives should be used mainly to improve feed safety, ease of intake, and suitability for horses with special needs. It specifically notes that horses with dental disease, reduced chewing ability, or prior choke history benefit from soaked forage alternatives. (equine.caes.uga.edu)

Soaking should soften the product fully. A hard cube with a soft outside and dry centre is not good enough.

If you are feeding hay cubes or pellets to a choke-prone horse, make it into a proper mash.

Are Hay Cubes and Pellets Nutritionally the Same as Hay?

Not automatically.

If the cube or pellet is made from the same forage, the nutrient profile may be similar, but processing, ingredient source, maturity, storage, fortification, and formulation all matter.

Extension Horses notes that processing hay into cubes, pellets, or chop has little effect on digestibility, but may be helpful for older horses with poor teeth. (horses.extension.org)

However, forage alternatives still need to be weighed and balanced. University of Georgia notes that forage alternatives can often replace hay on a 1:1 basis by weight, but feed must be weighed because density varies greatly between products. It also warns that unfortified forage alternatives may not meet full nutrient requirements without supplementation. (equine.caes.uga.edu)

So no, one scoop of pellets does not equal one flake of hay.

The scale has to be involved. I know. Tragic, but true.

Should Horses Have Some Long-Stem Forage Every Day?

If they can chew it safely, yes, I generally prefer that.

University of Georgia notes that even when forage alternatives are used as the primary forage source, horses should ideally still receive a small amount of long-stem forage each day to allow chew time, reduce boredom, and support gastrointestinal health, provided they have the dentition to handle it. (equine.caes.uga.edu)

That last phrase matters: provided they have the dentition to handle it.

If a senior horse is quidding hay, swallowing poorly chewed stems, losing weight, or has repeated impactions, forcing long-stem hay may be unsafe.

For those horses, the better solution may be soaked hay pellets, soaked hay cubes, a complete feed, or chopped forage, with careful feeding frequency and enrichment to preserve chew time and behaviour as much as possible.

Long-Stem vs Short-Stem: Which Horses Need Which?

Healthy Adult Horses

Most healthy adult horses with good teeth should have long-stem hay or pasture as the main forage source.

Short-stem forage can still be useful as:

• A supplement carrier

• Travel forage

• A hay extender

• A measured calorie source

• A temporary substitute during hay shortages

But I would not replace all long-stem forage unless there is a good reason.

Senior Horses

Senior horses need the forage form matched to their teeth.

If they chew normally, long-stem hay may still be fine.

If they drop feed, quid hay, pass long stems in manure, lose weight, or have missing molars, short-stem forage may be safer and more useful.

For these horses, soaked hay pellets, soaked hay cubes, beet pulp, or complete feeds can be excellent options.

Horses With Choke History

Short-stem forage may help or harm depending on how it is fed.

Dry cubes, pellets, and fast-eaten feeds can increase choke risk in some horses. Soaked mashes, slow feeding, dental care, small meals, and veterinary guidance are safer.

UC Davis notes that choke is a common equine emergency and that feed or saliva coming from the nose is a common sign. It advises calling a veterinarian immediately if signs of choke are noticed. (Centre for Equine Health)

Horses With Equine Asthma or Dust Sensitivity

Long-stem hay can be a problem if it is dusty or mouldy.

Some horses with asthma do better with steamed hay, soaked hay, haylage where appropriate, hay cubes, hay pellets, or other low-dust alternatives.

Short-stem forage can reduce dust exposure in some setups, but quality still matters. A dusty pellet, mouldy cube, or poor storage system is not safe.

Overweight Horses and Easy Keepers

Long-stem hay is useful because it increases chew time.

However, overweight horses may need hay weighed, soaked if appropriate, tested for NSC, placed in slow feeders, or divided into multiple small meals.

Pellets and cubes can be measured precisely, but they are often eaten faster. That may leave the horse hungry, bored, or frustrated.

For weight control, the best plan is usually controlled forage intake, not fast-eaten small meals.

Metabolic or Laminitis-Prone Horses

Stem length is not the main issue. Sugar, starch, calories, and pasture access are.

A low-NSC long-stem hay may be ideal. A high-NSC pellet may be inappropriate. A low-NSC pellet may be useful if the horse cannot chew hay.

Test the forage and feed the horse in front of you.

Risk Framework: How Worried Should You Be?

Low Risk

This is usually lower risk if your horse:

• Has good teeth

• Chews long-stem hay normally

• Maintains healthy body condition

• Has normal manure

• Has no choke history

• Has no chronic cough

• Eats clean, mould-free hay

• Has forage available for much of the day

This horse can usually use long-stem hay as the main forage source.

Moderate Risk

This is more concerning if your horse:

• Eats very quickly

• Finishes forage too soon

• Has mild dental wear

• Drops small amounts of feed

• Has occasional coughing with dry hay

• Needs a measured ration

• Is overweight or metabolic

• Has limited hay availability

• Is transitioning to cubes or pellets

This horse may benefit from slow feeders, soaked forage alternatives, hay testing, and closer monitoring.

High Risk

This is high risk if your horse:

• Has poor teeth

• Quids hay

• Has repeated choke episodes

• Loses weight on long-stem hay

• Passes long stems in manure

• Has severe equine asthma

• Coughs heavily when eating hay

• Is eating dry cubes or pellets too fast

• Is fed only short-stem forage without diet balancing

• Becomes bored, wood-chews, or eats bedding after switching to pellets

This horse needs a proper feeding plan, not just a different bag of forage.

Critical

This is urgent if your horse:

• Has feed or saliva coming from the nostrils

• Repeatedly coughs, gags, or stretches the neck after eating

• Shows colic signs

• Stops eating

• Has severe diarrhoea

• Has breathing difficulty

• Has sudden weakness or depression

• Has sudden foot soreness or laminitis signs

• Cannot chew or swallow normally

This is not a forage-selection question. This is veterinary attention now.

When Is This an Emergency?

Call your vet urgently if your horse has signs of choke, colic, respiratory distress, severe feed refusal, or laminitis.

Choke signs can include feed or saliva coming from the nostrils, coughing, trouble swallowing, excessive salivation, stretching the head and neck, sweating, and restlessness. UC Davis notes that some cases resolve, but others need veterinary intervention and can lead to aspiration pneumonia. (Centre for Equine Health)

Colic signs include repeated pawing, looking at the flank, rolling, sweating, stretching as if to urinate, loss of appetite, depression, abdominal distension, and decreased manure. (Merck Veterinary Manual)

Call a vet urgently if your horse has:

• Feed or green discharge from the nose

• Repeated coughing while eating

• Difficulty swallowing

• Severe or repeated pawing

• Rolling

• Sweating without exercise

• No manure with discomfort

• Sudden refusal to eat

• Laboured breathing

• Sudden foot soreness

• Heat in the hooves

• Strong digital pulses

• A rocked-back stance

Do not keep offering more feed to a choking horse. Remove feed and water and call your vet.

What Else Can Look Like a Forage Problem?

Not every issue is caused by stem length.

Important rule-outs include:

• Dental disease

• Esophageal disease

• Choke

• Gastric ulcers

• Poor hay quality

• Mouldy or dusty hay

• Equine asthma

• Parasites

• Sand accumulation

• Impaction colic

• EMS or insulin dysregulation

• PPID

• Poor water intake

• Liver or kidney disease

• Chronic pain

• Herd competition

• Another horse stealing feed

• Feed not being weighed properly

• Sudden diet changes

If a horse loses weight after changing to hay pellets, it may not be because pellets are “bad.” The horse may simply be receiving fewer calories by weight, eating too fast, missing minerals, or having an untreated dental or medical problem.

If a horse coughs on long-stem hay, the issue may be dust, mould, asthma, or feeding position.

If a horse chokes on cubes, the issue may be dry feeding, fast eating, dental disease, esophageal disease, or inadequate soaking.

This is why the horse, not the forage form, has to guide the decision.

What Should You Do Next?

1. Watch Your Horse Eat

This is one of the simplest and most useful checks.

Watch for:

• Quidding

• Dropping feed

• Slow chewing

• Packing feed in the cheeks

• Coughing while eating

• Long stems in manure

• Bolting pellets or cubes

• Refusing certain textures

• Weight loss despite feed being available

If you see these signs, book a dental exam and review the forage form.

2. Decide Whether Long-Stem Hay Is Actually Working

Long-stem hay is ideal only if the horse can chew and tolerate it.

Ask:

• Is the horse maintaining weight?

• Are they chewing properly?

• Is the hay clean and low-dust?

• Are they coughing?

• Is manure normal?

• Are they passing long stems?

• Are they eating enough?

• Are they leaving coarse stems behind?

If the answer is no, short-stem forage may be safer.

3. Weigh the Forage

Forage alternatives should be fed by weight, not volume.

University of Georgia notes that forage alternatives are generally used to replace hay on a 1:1 basis by weight, but density varies widely, so weighing matters. (equine.caes.uga.edu)

One scoop of pellets can weigh far more than the same scoop of chopped hay.

Your feed scoop is not a nutritionist. It has confidence, not accuracy.

4. Soak When Risk Is Higher

Soak cubes or pellets if the horse has:

• Poor teeth

• Choke history

• Fast eating

• Trouble swallowing

• Reduced saliva

• Older age

• Neurological disease

• Feed bolting

Soaked feed should be fully softened, fed fresh, and removed if it ferments, freezes, or spoils.

5. Keep Some Chew Time Where Safe

If the horse can safely chew it, keep some long-stem forage in the diet.

This can help:

• Chew time

• Saliva production

• Boredom reduction

• Feeding behaviour

• Gut fill

• Reduced wood chewing

If the horse cannot safely manage long-stem hay, use other strategies: multiple small meals, soaked forage mashes, slow pellet feeders, safe enrichment, turnout, or chopped forage that the horse can chew.

6. Balance the Diet

Short-stem forage does not automatically provide all nutrients.

Check:

• Calories

• Protein

• Calcium

• Phosphorus

• Copper

• Zinc

• Selenium

• Salt

• Vitamin E

• NSC if metabolic risk exists

• Whether the product is fortified or unfortified

If the horse is on pellets, cubes, beet pulp, or complete feed as the main forage source, a ration review is important.

7. Transition Slowly

Make changes gradually over 10 to 14 days where possible.

University of Georgia recommends introducing forage alternatives gradually, and Merck also warns that sudden changes in feeding programs can disrupt gut balance. (equine.caes.uga.edu)

The hindgut likes boring consistency. It is not a fan of surprise menus.

Common Mistakes Owners Make

Assuming Long-Stem Hay Is Always Best

It is usually best for healthy horses, but not for horses that cannot chew it, cough on it, or lose weight while eating it.

Assuming Pellets Are Not “Real Forage”

Hay pellets and cubes can provide fibre. The issue is chew time, feeding rate, choke risk, and diet balancing.

Feeding Dry Cubes to a Choke-Prone Horse

Dry cubes can be risky in some horses. Soaking is often safer.

Replacing All Hay Without Balancing the Diet

Forage alternatives can be useful, but unfortified products may not meet full vitamin and mineral needs.

Not Watching the Horse Eat

A horse can appear to eat hay but actually be quidding most of it onto the floor.

Feeding by Scoop

Cubes, pellets, chopped forage, and beet pulp all have different densities. Weigh them.

Ignoring Behaviour

Wood chewing, bedding eating, and frustration can increase when chew time drops.

How To Prevent Forage-Related Problems

The safest forage plan is individual.

Do this:

• Keep long-stem forage as the main forage source when safe

• Use short-stem forage when teeth, dust, ration control, or hay availability require it

• Weigh all forage

• Soak pellets and cubes for choke-risk horses

• Make changes over 10 to 14 days

• Keep clean water available

• Provide salt daily

• Check teeth regularly

• Watch for quidding and long stems in manure

• Avoid dusty or mouldy hay

• Use forage analysis for high-risk horses

• Balance minerals if using unfortified forage alternatives

• Monitor body condition every 2 to 4 weeks

• Call a vet early for choke, colic, weight loss, cough, or feed refusal

The goal is not to worship one form of forage.

The goal is safe fibre, enough chew time, and a diet the horse can actually use.

Will My Horse Be Okay?

Most horses do very well when the forage form matches their needs.

A healthy horse with good teeth usually thrives on good-quality long-stem hay or pasture.

A senior horse with poor teeth may do much better on soaked pellets, cubes, or complete feed.

A horse with asthma may improve when dusty long-stem hay is replaced with a cleaner forage source.

A choke-prone horse may need soaked feeds and smaller meals.

A metabolic horse may need tested low-NSC forage, regardless of whether it is long-stem or processed.

The key is to stop thinking in absolutes.

Long-stem hay is usually best when the horse can chew it safely.

Short-stem forage is often best when the horse cannot.

FAQs

Is long-stem hay better than hay pellets?

For most healthy horses with good teeth, long-stem hay is better as the main forage because it increases chew time, saliva production, and natural feeding behaviour. Hay pellets are useful when hay is unavailable, dusty, difficult to chew, or needs to be measured precisely.

Can horses live on hay pellets only?

Some horses can live on pelleted or complete forage-based diets, but the diet must be carefully balanced and usually divided into multiple smaller meals. Merck notes that pelleted and complete feeds may increase choke risk, wood chewing, and lack long-stem fibre when used as the sole nutrition source. (Merck Veterinary Manual)

Should hay cubes be soaked?

Hay cubes should be soaked for horses with poor teeth, fast eating, choke history, or swallowing concerns. Rutgers reported choke problems with dry cubes in research horses, and soaking cubes before feeding eliminated the choke danger in those cases. (esc.rutgers.edu)

Are hay cubes the same as hay?

Hay cubes are made from chopped and compressed hay, so they can provide fibre and nutrients, but they are not exactly the same feeding experience as baled hay. They may reduce chew time and need soaking or diet balancing depending on the horse.

What is the best forage for an old horse with bad teeth?

For many older horses with poor teeth, soaked hay pellets, soaked hay cubes, chopped forage, beet pulp, or complete senior feeds are safer than long-stem hay. The best choice depends on the horse’s teeth, choke risk, weight, manure, and medical history.

Final Thoughts

Long-stem hay is usually the best forage foundation for healthy horses because it supports chewing, saliva, natural feeding behaviour, and steady gut function.

But it is not always the safest option.

A horse with poor teeth, repeated choke, severe dust sensitivity, weight loss, or inability to chew hay properly may need short-stem forage. Hay cubes, hay pellets, chopped hay, beet pulp, and complete feeds can be excellent tools when they are fed by weight, soaked when needed, introduced gradually, and balanced properly.

The real answer is not long-stem or short-stem.

The real answer is: what can this horse chew, swallow, digest, and stay healthy on?

Feed the horse in front of you.

Not the theory.

Not the bag.

Not the stable opinion committee, as passionate as they may be.

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If you are unsure whether your horse should be on long-stem hay, soaked cubes, pellets, chopped forage, or a complete feed, ASK A VET™ can help you work through the signs, diet, dental concerns, choke risk, and next steps before a feeding issue becomes a health problem.