Hay Girl Hay...

addictedequine
Aug 3, 2018
3 min read

Hey ya'll, I'm working on this post right before the August long weekend. Just as excited as I am to head out on my riding trip with my best friend, this topic is pretty important. Some horses go their whole life on grass, but for those of us that can't keep ours on grass all year, finding good quality hay for our horses can certainly be a big task.

I'm going to put some stuff down here, that will hopefully help, if your looking to find some good quality forage in your area!

We will discuss why some equine medical conditions require certain types of forage in their diet. For now we can assume that your animals are all in good health.

First I thought I would show you a super cool chart courtesy of sweetwaternutrition.com

Most of the horses in the Alberta will be fed a grass mix hay with a little bit of alfalfa. I find horses fed too much alfalfa will get quiet 'hot' unless they are expending a lot more energy during the days.

I thought it would be handy also to include some pictures of each grass (that are most commonly in hay), so you know what they look like.

Okay, so now we know what we are looking at, lets talk about how it should look! Everyone would assume that bright green would equal the best hay, but that's not totally true! there are several other factors you should consider when buying.

So visually,

- Green hay does usually indicate high protein and lots of vitamins.

- Beige hay can mean the hay has been sunbleached or rained on.

- Dark Brown hay is a no go, it commonly indicated heat damage or mold present.

- you should check for leafs and stems. The bulk of nutrients come the leave of type of grass, back to the green hay comment earlier, I would much prefer a slightly beige hay that has a way more leaf in it, versus a green hay that is all stems. This also pushes us right into feel. Rightfully so, if the hay feels rough and scratchy and stiff in your hand, chances are your horse isn't going to want it eat it either. Touch they hay and feel if the stems are soft and pliable, your horse will thank you later!

Next look for any foreign material in the hay, such as trash, big weeds like thistles, larger insects etc.

Alright, stay with me, we are almost there! Stick your nose in the hay... yup I said it, take a big whiff! If it smells old or musty don't buy or throw it out, your hay should smell clean and fresh. now pick that flake up and give it a shake, make sure your hay isn't dusty. If any dust that does come out, is gray or white it likely indicates mold.

The last task is to get a chemical analysis of the hay. If you buy from a professional producer, likely they have already done this on your hay, just ask to see it before you buy.

The chemical analysis should show...

Moisture content should be between 10-17 % under 10% means its to dusty and dry, which is extra bad for horses with respiratory problems. Obviously anything about 17% increases the risk greatly for the hay to develop mold, if it hasn't already!

Crude protein (CP) will vary depending on the grass type. Younger cut hay will automatically have higher protein content. Grass hay should have roughly 8-14% and legume hay will have 15-22%

Growing horses should get 12-18% of CP in their diet

Mature horses should get 10-12% CP

Training or heavy work horses should get 12-18% CP

Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) will be listed in in your analysis as well. You should remember that any horses with insulin resistant diseases should be on LOW NSC diets.

Lastly, check that the calcium and phosphorus ratios are correct. these micro nutrients should always between 3:1 -1:1 calcium to phosphorus respectively, with the higher values being preferred!