As the summer grass disappears it’s time to stock up on good quality hay. Here are some tips to help you get the most from your hay, and keep your horse in tip-top condition.
Hay is expensive but it’s a false economy to buy poor quality hay. Good quality hay has the most nutritional benefit and will reduce wastage - there is nothing more frustrating than seeing a horse turn his nose up at a hay net, and if does eat it you may face vet bills later because he develops respiratory problems. Before you buy hay open one of the bales and pull out a sample from the middle. Slight discolouration is OK but mould, dust, weeds (particularly ragwort), fermentation, excessive heaviness and a foul smell are signs of poor quality and should be avoided.
Good hay has a sweet scent that seems to capture the very essence of summer. The stems should be fine, green, leafy and soft – in short it should look, smell and taste like something your horse will enjoy eating. Ideally hay should be fed within a year of harvesting to maintain its nutritional value.
Once you have bought your hay (preferably from a reputable, local supplier) you need to consider storage. A barn or shed that offers protection from wind, rain, snow and excessive sunshine is ideal. Stack the bales on wooden palates to avoid sweating and put the oldest bales at the front so they are fed first.
During winter there is nothing more annoying than searching around in the dark for scissors or a knife to cut open a new bale so tie a pair of scissors onto a piece of baling twine and hang them in a convenient spot so that they are always available. Keeping a torch nearby is also very useful.
If you have a greedy horse that makes fast work of hay nets try putting one hay net inside another. This will make is more difficult for the horse to get the hay out and act as a boredom buster through the night, but don’t make it too difficult for him to eat! Use a weigh tape regularly to monitor your horse’s condition, particularly if he is a veteran, and adjust his feed accordingly. Veteran horses can sometimes find it difficult to eat hay and finding balls of half eaten hay on the floor is a sign that his teeth need checking and a hay replacer may be necessary.
New research, conducted by the WALTHAM-initiated Laminitis Consortium has highlighted the fact that feeding soaked hay may not, as previously thought, make it safe for laminitis-prone horses and ponies and may leach significant nutrients, protein, vitamins and minerals from the hay. Researchers advise owners to get hay analysed prior to feeding and choose hay with the lowest water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content they can find. When providing soaked hay it is even more important to feed a balanced, supplementary feed.
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