nutritional value of hay for horses

Preference of horses for grass conserved as hay, haylage or silage C.E. Many horse owners feed grass hay or straight alfalfa or a combination of grass and alfalfa to their horses. Grass type horse hays have a lower nutritional value than legumes, but are considered ‘safe’ hays, because it is harder for a horse to over eat or have a reaction to grass hay. Steaming shouldn’t replace the main goal of feeding hay with low mold and dust content. When you rely on it too much, you can create some significant nutritional imbalances in a horse’s diet.” Beet pulp, for instance is low in phosphorus compared to its calcium content. In an effort to improve upon the nutritional qualities of traditional oats, plant breeders created varieties of … However, if the hay is stored above the stalls (in a two-story barn), and the loft area is not well ventilated, the dry forage can soak up moisture in the air that may be rising from below. Hay for Your Horse Smorgasbord of hay and grain for horses Flickr.com - Smerikal. Best for: Horses that require an energy- and nutrient-dense hay, such as lactating mares, growing foals or horses that need to ingest a plentiful amount of calories. Reed canarygrass is a tall, leafy, high-yielding cool-season perennial grass. Hay is a main source of forage for many horses, and knowing what nutrients it offers allows horse owners and caretakers a better understanding of what else needs to be provided in the diet for optimal nutritional … Different types of hay for horses can vary in nutritional value, taste or texture. ... needs additional protein and hard feed or whether just supplementing with minerals will be sufficient to cover all your horses nutritional needs. Fresh grass naturally contains the carbohydrates, protein and minerals a horse needs. To date only two research studies have been conducted—Lieb et al., (1993) and Eckert (2008). Nutritional Value for Horses Not much is known, however, about the nutritional value of perennial peanut for horses. However, barley hay should never be fed to horses. In general, nutritional value is highest in late spring/early summer. Oats are valuable also in crop rotation and have various industrial uses. Sugar beet pulp is a popular by-product feed used in horse diets because it provides fiber similar to the fiber in hay and has a digestible energy content similar to oats. All horses need good nutrition, health care, and a safe place to live that provides good air quality, room for voluntary exercise and a relaxing environment in the company of other horses. It is also lower in nutritional value but has good amounts of vitamins A and D, calcium, and phosphorous. While grass hay is lower in protein and calcium it is still a great source of feed for most horses. The value of hay is determined by the composition of nutrients in the hay rather than the hay's appearance. Teff hay for horses pros and cons the horse untitled teff grass for forage nitrogen and irrigation requirements osu 10 reasons why all equestrians should consider teff hay … The latter is something completely different, with no nutritional value for livestock. Know the Nutrients in Your Hay, Enabling a More Insightful & Efficient Way to Feed Your Horse. Dried forage products, such as hay, chaff and beet pulp, also provide many important nutrients for health as well as up to 70% of a horse’s energy requirements. Particularly relevant is information on sugar (ESC and WSC separately) and starch levels for laminitic horses. We relentlessly perfect our farm, procurement, production and delivery processes to make sure the highest quality and most nutritious products are realized by our discerning consumers and their livestock. Grazing your horse has clear nutritional benefits and can save feed dollars. This publication describes the factors affecting the nutritional value of alfalfa hay as well as the horse’s digestive system and nutritional needs. Of course, hay kept in storage for a long time will lose its field-fresh smell, but that will not affect its protein or energy nutritional value. Providing appropriate amounts and Nutrition Proper feeding practices for foals, adult horses, ... mature horses. The Equine Science Society is a group of equine scientists specializing in nutrition, exercise physiology, reproductive physiology, genetics, bioscience, production and management and teaching and extension. Oat straw is preferred by farmers for animal bedding. Hay that is overly mature when it is cut has little nutritional value to the horse due to an increase of a component called lignin, which is completely indigestible for the horse or the microbes in the gut flora. Horses in this study ate 1.5% to 1.8% of their bodyweight in teff hay, with the lower intakes being on the more mature hay. An additional benefit to grass hay is that is easier on the kidney's due to it's lower protein content and it tends to have finer stems, making it easier to chew and digest…..nice for senior horses. Mold spores can produce respiratory disease in horses. Equi-analytical.com and safergrass.org would be a good starter, the latter especially for you founder-prone horse. These two studies found perennial peanut hay to be very similar to alfalfa in digestible energy, as well as A number of factors come into play when choosing the right type of hay for your horse. Nutritional Value for Horses. Performance horses in heavy work often benefit from legume hay that can provide calories and … The closer the nutrient composition of the hay matches the requirements of the horse being fed, the fewer supplements needed and the more economical the total ration. Horses can easily digest nonstructural carbohydrates, mostly in the small intestine. Hay can be long-stemmed in hay bales. Not much is known, however, about the nutritional value of perennial peanut for horses. “The calcium/phosphorus ratio is about 10 to 1, which in small amounts isn’t a problem for a mature horse… Again, this is a good thing as horses on restricted diets are unlikely to eat this hay as fast as more palatable hays like alfalfa, so they should eat … Hay with moderate or low RFV value might be desirable for horses … As grazing animals, research has shown that horses do best when their feeding patterns follow a natural grazing pattern. In the absence of such hay, steaming is a good practice for reducing mold and dust content in moderately moldy hay. For hay, coastal grass is used, because its common counterpart does not reach the needed height. Some by-products provide little nutritional value to the horse but can be used as a source of fiber, or “bulk,” in the diet. Because of their high fiber content and low energy value, whole oats have traditionally been a relatively safe feed for horses when compared to other cereal grains such as corn. For example, if your horses needed 7 pounds of oats per day along with hay to maintain good condition under the level of activity they are asked to do, you would only need to feed a little more than 5 pounds of Omolene #500 ® horse feed to maintain the same condition. "The nutritional value will be depended on the stage of maturity the crop was at harvest" Coleman said. This hay is typically a good and less expensive alternative to orchard or timothy hay grass hay. value.Well-preserved alfalfa hay should be the foundation of a feeding program for young growing horses, recreational horses, and active horses.This publica-tion describes the horse’s digestive system and nutritional needs and how to select alfalfa hay. 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. *When in doubt about what hay is best for your horse, consult your vet or an equine nutritionist to determine the best hay for your horse* The two main types of hay for horses are grass hay and legume hay. EquiMed Staff - 05/04/2017 Nutrition. The chief value of oats remains as a pasturage and hay crop, especially for horses. In some areas, minerals or other nutrients might be depleted from the soil, leaving a deficit in the nutritional value to the horse. It can be applied to turnout times between 3 and 24 hours. Long stem hay is the traditional baled hay. It is the fourth most widely grown crop in the United States and is the only forage species produced and sold in every state. Important factors to keep in mind for horse hay are the nutritional needs of the animals (mature horses will not need high protein or calcium levels unless they are mares nursing foals), and the way the hay was harvested. Variations occur from field to field. While the lower relative nutrition level of grass hay makes it a good filler, it does have relatively more carbohydrates. The following alphabetic chart provides nutritional data for common forages. Selenium, in particular, is of concern to horse owners. Meadow hay. Grasses commonly used as hay are brome, orchard, and timothy. Muller ∗, P. Uden (2007) *Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences As can be seen from the table, some nutrients don’t vary much as their levels are determined more by the grass species than the conservation technique. Fall has a rise in sugars but general nutrition goes down. This means that grass hay, not alfalfa hay, is a more dangerous food for an obese horse, or a horse with laminitis concerns. [Note: Hay runs about 90% dry matter, 10% moisture, so 4.43 kg of hay DM = 4.43/0.9 = 4.9 kg as fed.] Horses can do well on grass or alfalfa (or other legume) hay. Oat hulls are a source of furfural , and oat flour has been used as a food preservative in ice cream and other dairy products. Steaming horse hay to reduce the effects of mold and dust. Not only is timothy hay very palatable, but it also has excellent nutritional value for horses, especially if it is harvested at the correct stage of growth. This mineral is scarce in many areas of North America, and that means horses won’t be getting enough from grass or hay. It is cut, cured, and baled. For over 30 years, Standlee has done nothing but grown and produce the best Premium Western Forage and forage-based products. Pasture or hay is the main ingredient of the diet of almost all horses. ... (Abstract 11) conducted a study to determine the effect of feeding Teff hay to horses. This equation works for ponies and full size horses. The Hay Chart. 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 is also a popular horse hay since it is widely available. A good understanding of the factors that affect hay production and what to look for when buying hay will help you select high quality hay that meets your horse’s nutritional needs. Nutrition. "Barley cannot be fed whole to horses because the husks will burrow into the skin and gums and cause awful sores," she explained. Any of the common hays discussed above can be fed to horses, but what's most important is nutrient value in relation to the cost of the hay. In winter grass is dormant, and hay will be needed. Help Your Horses Get the Most from Hay. 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