Hay You Guys!

Note: Be sure to click on the links for references and much more information.

High-quality forage is probably the best investment you can make in your horse's health. Above all else, a horse is a grazing animal and will require most of its nutritional and caloric needs be met through grazing and roughage. If adequate pasture is not available, then hay becomes the next best thing.

There are many different types of hay available in the US, and many types are area-specific. However, hay is usually broken up into two different catagories:

Legume Hay (alfalfa, clover, lespedeza)

Grass Hay (timothy, brome, prairie, bermuda, fescue, orchard grass)

Legume hay tends to be more calorie and nutrient-dense, and is generally a better choice for performance horses, young horses, and breeding stock. Grass hay tends to have a better nutritional balance and is a better choice for adult horses that do not fit into the other catagories. Of course these are generalities, and may not be true in your area.

Nutritional content of hay varies widely by area. I've learned this through experience. The alfalfa I got in Arizona was not the same as the alfalfa I got in Kansas and it certainly was not the same alfalfa I got in Missouri. Nutritional content can change dramatically even locally--a 50 mile drive in my area can make all the difference between stemmy, hard-to-digest hay and fine-stemmed, leafy, beautifully green hay.

I have tried to picture the most popular types of hay below, linked to an article with more information.

Alfalfa



Lespedeza



Clover



Timothy



Prairie Hay

Brome

Orchard Grass

Fescue

Bermuda

Ideally, everyone would be able to test their hay. Unfortunately that is often not what is practical. There is, however, a "test" you can perform on hay when you pick it up, to ensure it's the best quality hay possible. Although nutrition can vary with region, you can still determine good hay by appearance. With the help of an equine nutritionist, you can combine different hay types available in your area, along with supplemental nutrition such as grain, supplements, beet pulp and bran, and develop a program that keeps your horses in optimal health.