10 Tips for Choosing the Best Hay for Your Horse
High-quality hay can be an important source of essential nutrients in your horse’s diet. A horse’s protein and energy requirements depend on age, stage of development, metabolism and workload. A mature horse will eat 2 to 2.5% of its body weight a day, and for optimum health, nutritionists recommend that at least half of this should be roughage such as hay. For a 1000-pound horse, that means at least 10 pounds of roughage each day.
Hay generally falls into one of two categories
– grasses or legumes. Legume hay is
higher in protein, energy, calcium and vitamin
A than grass hays. While hay alone may not
meet the total dietary requirements of young,
growing horses or those used for high levels
of performance, high-quality hay may supply
ample nutrition for less active adult horses.
Once you’ve determined the best category
of hay for your horse, most people select
hay based on how it looks, smells and feels.
Use the following tips from the American Association
of Equine Practitioners to select the best
hay for your horse:
1. It’s what’s inside that counts.
Ask that one or several bales are opened so
you can evaluate the hay inside the bales.
Do not worry about slight discoloration on
the outside, especially in stacked hay.
2. Choose hay that is as fine-stemmed, green
and leafy as possible, and is soft to the
touch.
3. Avoid hay that is overcured, excessively
sun-bleached, or smells moldy, musty, dusty
or fermented.
4. Select hay that has been harvested when
the plants are in early bloom for legume hay
or before seed heads have formed in grasses.
Examine the leaves, stems and flowers or seed
pods to
determine the level of maturity.
5. Avoid hay that contains significant amounts
of weeds, dirt, trash or debris.
6. Examine hay for signs of insect infestation
or disease. Be especially careful to check
for blister beetles in alfalfa. Ask the grower
about any potential problems in the region.
7. Reject bales that seem excessively heavy
for their size of feel warm to the touch,
as they could contain excess moisture that
could cause mold, or worse, spontaneous combustion.
8. When possible, purchase and feed hay within
a year of harvest to preserve its nutritional
value.
9. Store hay in a dry, sheltered area out
of the rain, snow and sun, or cover in the
stack to protect it from the elements.
10. When buying in quantity, have the hay
analyzed by a certified forage laboratory
to determine its actual nutrient content.
Remember that horses at different ages and
stages of growth, development and activity
have different dietary requirements. Consult
your veterinarian or a qualified equine nutritionist
when formulating your horse’s ration.
He or she can help you put together a balanced
diet that is safe, nutritious and cost-effective.
For more information about choosing hay, ask
your equine veterinarian for the “Hay
Quality and Horse Nutrition” brochure,
provided by the AAEP in partnership with Educational
Partners Bayer Animal Health and Purina Mills,
Inc. More information about nutrition also
can be found online at the AAEP’s horse
health Web site, www.myHorseMatters.com.
Reprinted with permission from the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
