They should also not be used as a complete hay replacement. 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. Horses need long-stem fiber to remain healthy – in a perfect situation horses will graze for approximately 18 hours per day. Matching the nutrient content of hay with the requirements of the horse is important. Hey, hay is for horses! Types of Hay Explained We know the different types of hay can be confusing, from 2nd cutting Timothy hay to alfalfa hay and everywhere in between. However, I see so many threads about other types of hay and have seen some of them offered locally. It is one of the most common hays fed to horses. Once hay is cured and stored, the vitamins and Omega 3 levels decrease. Both forage and turf types of annual ryegrass are available. Oat hay is an excellent feed for horses. If the horse is truly insulin resistant/glucose intolerant there is no one "type" of hay guaranteed not to trigger a bout of laminitis. A diagnosis of a hay allergy can be difficult, as many of the symptoms are similar to other types of allergies and diseases. Written by the AAEP High-quality hay can be an important source of essential nutrients in your horse’s diet. Hay is made from grass, legumes or cereal crops that have been mowed, cured and baled. 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. Color is an indicator of quality and nutrient content; good hay is a bright green. Horse hay needs to be of good quality. Let’s take a look at grass hay and the different varieties available. Table 1. The Kentucky Extension also states that horses are likely to waste considerably more fescue hay than other types of hay. More specifically, a wain is a type of horse- or oxen-drawn, load-carrying vehicle, used for agricultural purposes rather than transporting people. At Small Pet Select, we know exactly which hay your small animal needs to stay happy and healthy. Changing from grass hay to alfalfa all at once can change the environment in the rumen of cattle, sheep and goats and in the cecum of a horse (because of the shift in pH—the acid/base balance). A bale may range in weight between 40 – 75 lbs. The type of vegetation from which hay has been made can vary based on location, availability and preference of the horse owner. Some hay types are particularly prone to high nitrate levels and should be avoided if there are options. 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. What if the horse owner does not have good pasture? Most horse owners are familiar with only a few types of hay, depending on the part of the country in which they live. Horse hay should be bright green, leafy and fine textured, with a fresh, pleasant aroma. 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. Alfalfa Hay Good quality hay can meet or exceed protein needs. Types of Grass Hay for Horses. The best thing is to have your hay sampled to see what is in each batch, and you can supplement whatever nutrients are lacking. Feeding Hay to Horses and Ponies. That is 15 to 20 lbs for a 1,000 lb horse. The demand for "quality horse hay" is strong with price fluctuations depending on availability. It's low sugar, so perfect for lamintic horses. Hay provides energy from volatile fatty acids from hindgut fermentation, they are a source of calories and provide unique health benefits. 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. Forage types and definitions. types of hay is the cornerstone of most horse feeding programs. There are many types of hay harvested from grasses including alfalfa, timothy, clover and rye. Hay is made from grass, legumes or cereal crops that have been mowed, cured and baled. The horse hay market has been a stable market for many farmers for a number of years. Musty hay or other indications of mold or heating, and dust, weeds and other foreign material in hay can be unhealthy for an animal. 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 … These include: Sorghum, Sudan, Johnsongrass and Pearl Millet. Some of the most important are listed in the table below. A horse should be consuming 1.5% to 2% of their body weight in fiber (hay, pasture, cubes or pellets) per day. 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. 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. 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.. The 1996 Ontario Horse Industry Study indicates that hay valued at $100 million is consumed by horses in Ontario annually. Haylage is a popular and suitable forage for stabled horses, with 45% of UK owners (King, 2012) choosing haylage in preference to hay. There are many different types and uses of horses with different levels of nutrient requirements. 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. 75% of your horse’s diet should be roughage in the form of hay or pasture. 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. 5. Let’s take a look at grass hay and the different varieties available. 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. 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. Meadow hay. 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. Forages are plants or parts of plants eaten by livestock (cows, horses, sheep, goats, llamas), and wildlife (deer, elk, moose, rabbits). Bermuda hay is great. Small square bales are commonly fed to horses. The hay is dried, chopped and compressed, then sold by the bag. The equine digestive system is designed to extract nutrients from grass. in the grass hay. One of the options is to feed hay. In addition, most horses do not need the high plane of nutrition that legumes offer. Grass hays should be the main component in … The type of vegetation from which hay has been made can vary based on location, availability and preference of the horse owner. Grass hays like our Timothy have a high fiber content and are low in protein and calcium. Mouldy hay can also cause colic, a digestive disorder that can be fatal to horses. Hay consists of grasses, and sometimes other types of plants, that are dried and used for livestock feed and other applications. Changing to a legume hay suddenly can make an animal sick, or cause a ruminant animal to bloat. Small bales are easy to move manually and can be stored easily. are usually bought for horse hay. Most horse owners are familiar with only a few types of hay, depending on the part of the country in which they live. Hay can be classified into three general types: legume, grass, and mixed. According to the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, the most popular grass hay choices for horses are Timothy and orchard grass. Therefore, it may be preferable to avoid these types of chaffs for those horses prone to laminitis or requiring a low sugar diet. I have been getting Premium Coastal hay for my horses and understand it to be very good quality for them. 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. Can someone explain to me the difference between the different types of horse hay. And of course, the amount of starchy sugars can vary within a type of hay, due to weather, time of day, etc. There are many different types of forages. 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. 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. Small hay bales with an average weight of 50 lbs. Turf types are low growing and have poor yield. A horse’s protein and energy requirements depend on age, stage of development, metabolism and workload. The choice between alfalfa and oat hay depends on price per unit of energy or protein and the type of horse being fed. Timothy, Orchard Grass, Wheat and Rye. 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. Make sure you are feeding adequate levels of hay to support a healthy digestive tract. How to choose the right Hay: We carry 3 different basic types of hay: Grass, Legume and Grain. These cubes are very hard, and while a horse's jaw is very strong, there is a chance of choking. High levels of simple carbohydrate (sugars, starch) are an issue for horses with insulin resistance and can occur in virtually any type of hay. That's a sampling. Animals that can eat hay vary in the types of grasses suitable for consumption, the ways they consume hay, and how they digest it. 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. Match The Type Of Hay With The Horse. Types of hay Seed hay. 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. 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). Omega 3 levels decrease or oxen-drawn, load-carrying vehicle, used for livestock feed and other applications: carry! 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