Let’s take a look at grass hay and the different varieties available. As with hay it is the grass species it contains and the quality of the conservation process that influences the nutritional and hygienic quality of the forage. One of the options is to feed hay. However, a vast array of hays are commonly fed to horses in the United States, including timothy, orchard, alfalfa, coastal, oat, fescue, clover and rye, to name just a few. A horse’s protein and energy requirements depend on age, stage of development, metabolism and workload. A diagnosis of a hay allergy can be difficult, as many of the symptoms are similar to other types of allergies and diseases. are usually bought for horse hay. The hay is dried, chopped and compressed, then sold by the bag. Turf types are also infected with a fungal endophyte that lives inside the plant, protecting it from insect attack, but producing a toxin reducing performance of grazing animals. High levels of simple carbohydrate (sugars, starch) are an issue for horses with insulin resistance and can occur in virtually any type of hay. For a 500kg horse, eating 1.75% of its body weight as hay (8.75kg), if you fed alfalfa, it would cost $631.45/year, while only $463.55/year if you fed a grass hay (US prices). 5. Hey, hay is for horses! Hay before a horse exercises creates a floating barricade in your horse’s stomach, separating the mucous covered lower part from the bare upper part of the stomach. Seed hay is taken from pasture grown especially for hay making from grass seed, has a higher nutritional value than meadow hay, and is lighter in colour. The type of vegetation from which hay has been made can vary based on location, availability and preference of the horse owner. Types of hay Seed hay. Timothy, Orchard Grass, Wheat and Rye. Therefore, it may be preferable to avoid these types of chaffs for those horses prone to laminitis or requiring a low sugar diet. Meadow hay. Hay can be classified into three general types: legume, grass, and mixed. Hay is made from grass, legumes or cereal crops that have been mowed, cured and baled. Horse hay should be bright green, leafy and fine textured, with a fresh, pleasant aroma. At Small Pet Select, we know exactly which hay your small animal needs to stay happy and healthy. Written by the AAEP High-quality hay can be an important source of essential nutrients in your horse’s diet. It's low sugar, so perfect for lamintic horses. Small hay bales with an average weight of 50 lbs. Often, horses can live productive lives on diets of forage alone, but optimizing the types and amounts of hay fed will enhance a horse’s well being and productivity and can be economical as well. Hay is usually fed to an animal in place of allowing the animal to graze on grasses in a pasture, particularly in the winter or during times when drought or other conditions make pasture unavailable. The type of vegetation from which hay has been made can vary based on location, availability and preference of the horse owner. After a physical exam, any symptoms and their history, as well as details about your horse’s environment and feed, can help your veterinarian begin to narrow down a diagnosis, though more tests are often needed. Forage types and definitions. Both forage and turf types of annual ryegrass are available. Feeding Hay to Horses and Ponies. Some of the most important are listed in the table below. Bermuda hay is great. Matching the nutrient content of hay with the requirements of the horse is important. Some people replace a portion of their horse's hay with hay cubes, and they are useful if your horse can't tolerate even a small amount of hay dust. These include: Sorghum, Sudan, Johnsongrass and Pearl Millet. However, a vast array of hays are commonly fed to horses in the United States, including timothy, orchard, alfalfa, coastal, oat, fescue, clover and rye, to name just a few. What if the horse owner does not have good pasture? Horse owners with more pleasure horses—they might have a higher percentage of grass: 70% grass, 30% alfalfa.” Smith noted that grass is more fibrous: “It tends to make more air circulation in the swath so the hay is more ‘fluffy.’ With better air circulation, there’s better curing or drying of the hay. Match The Type Of Hay With The Horse. That is 15 to 20 lbs for a 1,000 lb horse. A bale may range in weight between 40 – 75 lbs. The demand for "quality horse hay" is strong with price fluctuations depending on availability. Oat hay is an excellent feed for horses. They should also not be used as a complete hay replacement. However, I see so many threads about other types of hay and have seen some of them offered locally. Let’s take a look at grass hay and the different varieties available. If the horse is truly insulin resistant/glucose intolerant there is no one "type" of hay guaranteed not to trigger a bout of laminitis. Turf types are low growing and have poor yield. There are many different types of forages. According to the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, the most popular grass hay choices for horses are Timothy and orchard grass. The best thing is to have your hay sampled to see what is in each batch, and you can supplement whatever nutrients are lacking. The equine digestive system is designed to extract nutrients from grass. Table 1. Once hay is cured and stored, the vitamins and Omega 3 levels decrease. Good quality hay can meet or exceed protein needs. These cubes are very hard, and while a horse's jaw is very strong, there is a chance of choking. There are many types of hay harvested from grasses including alfalfa, timothy, clover and rye. Can someone explain to me the difference between the different types of horse hay. Depending on the area of the country in which it is grown, oat hay can be low in protein and contain only marginal calcium, phosphorus, and carotene. I have been getting Premium Coastal hay for my horses and understand it to be very good quality for them. Haylage is a popular and suitable forage for stabled horses, with 45% of UK owners (King, 2012) choosing haylage in preference to hay. Mixed hay is usually defined as a blend of grass and legume plants, though some hay producers and horse owners may define it as a combination of several grasses. Small square bales are commonly fed to horses. It is one of the most common hays fed to horses. For most adult horses, a crude protein concentration of 10-14 percent DM from hay will provide maintenance protein requirements when the hay is fed at 1.5-2 percent of the horse’s body weight. Changing to a legume hay suddenly can make an animal sick, or cause a ruminant animal to bloat. If both types of hay cost $100 per ton, then the horse owner is paying $.29 per pound of crude protein and $.53 per 100 Mcal of digestible energy in the alfalfa and $.58 per pound of crude protein and $.63 per 100 Mcal of D.E. Most horse owners are familiar with only a few types of hay, depending on the part of the country in which they live. In addition, most horses do not need the high plane of nutrition that legumes offer. Small bales are easy to move manually and can be stored easily. Alfalfa Hay 75% of your horse’s diet should be roughage in the form of hay or pasture. A mature horse will eat 2 to 2.5 percent of its body weight a day, and for optimum health, nutritionists recommend that at least half of this should be roughage such as hay. In addition to the times when hay quality is low, when prices are high, some horse owners switch completely from baled hay to the alternatives, such as hay cubes, hay … More specifically, a wain is a type of horse- or oxen-drawn, load-carrying vehicle, used for agricultural purposes rather than transporting people. Hay provides energy from volatile fatty acids from hindgut fermentation, they are a source of calories and provide unique health benefits. Some hay types are particularly prone to high nitrate levels and should be avoided if there are options. Color is an indicator of quality and nutrient content; good hay is a bright green. Most horse owners are familiar with only a few types of hay, depending on the part of the country in which they live. And of course, the amount of starchy sugars can vary within a type of hay, due to weather, time of day, etc. The horse hay market has been a stable market for many farmers for a number of years. There are many different types and uses of horses with different levels of nutrient requirements. Forages are plants or parts of plants eaten by livestock (cows, horses, sheep, goats, llamas), and wildlife (deer, elk, moose, rabbits). How to choose the right Hay: We carry 3 different basic types of hay: Grass, Legume and Grain. Musty hay or other indications of mold or heating, and dust, weeds and other foreign material in hay can be unhealthy for an animal. Hay is made from grass, legumes or cereal crops that have been mowed, cured and baled. Meadow hay is taken from permanent pasture and may contain a wider variety of grasses than seed hay as well as clover, herbs and wild flowers. Animals that can eat hay vary in the types of grasses suitable for consumption, the ways they consume hay, and how they digest it. Grass hays like our Timothy have a high fiber content and are low in protein and calcium. Types of Grass Hay for Horses. The 1996 Ontario Horse Industry Study indicates that hay valued at $100 million is consumed by horses in Ontario annually. types of hay is the cornerstone of most horse feeding programs. High quality hay can be an excellent source of nutrition for - including protein and calcium - for horses and ponies and is a very palatable feed.. A horse should be consuming 1.5% to 2% of their body weight in fiber (hay, pasture, cubes or pellets) per day. Horses need long-stem fiber to remain healthy – in a perfect situation horses will graze for approximately 18 hours per day. If hay is below 10 percent crude protein, it may not meet protein requirements for a horse if hay is the only feed provided in the diet. The choice between alfalfa and oat hay depends on price per unit of energy or protein and the type of horse being fed. The cornerstone of most horse owners are familiar with only a few types of hay: we carry different... 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