Horse Hay: How to Identify the Good Stuff
Horses
are very fussy about their hay, and are likely to take it as a personal
insult if their owners don't deliver the good stuff. Neil Clarkson
reports.
Happiness,
as all horse owners know, is having a shed overflowing with top quality
hay by the end of summer, ready to sustain the troops through the
winter.
Horse
owners either buy it, or shut up a paddock or two in the hope that both
good weather and a local farm contractor will converge on the property
at the same time.
Knowing how to identify good hay is an essential skill for any horse owner, for two reasons.
Firstly,
who wants to fork out good cash for bad hay? Secondly, horses will
struggle to get any real nutritional value from rumpty hay. They may not
even eat it. Dusty and mouldy hay may even do your horse harm, and its
overall poor quality might bring on a case of hay-induced colic.
Buying
in hay is the only option if you can't afford the luxury of shutting up
a paddock. It's also the best course if you need only a few dozen bales
to see through the winter, as it will rarely be economic to have a
contractor do small quantities.
Before we look at how to assess hay, it's important to understand the process - and just as importantly - what can go wrong.
Scenario one: It's
an idyllic and gloriously sunny day. Your friendly contractor, tanned
from weeks of haymaking, drives in the gate. Spring has been kind and a
thick sward of leafy pasture awaits mowing. He mows the grass, which
immediately begins to dry under the baking sun. The contractor is back
three days later with his tedder and stirs up the grass, allowing it to
dry even faster. The following day he returns and declares, that with
continuing good weather, he will row it up for baling the next day. He's
as good as his word. The hay is rowed up and four hours later the
tractor and baler drive through the gate. The contractor checks the hay
carefully and declares it perfect for baling. Within two hours you have a
paddock of conventional bales and your friends and neighbours have
formed a traffic jam at your front gate as they arrive to help you get
it into the shed.
Scenario two: It's
been a hell of a summer. Hardly a day goes by without a shower. The
weather just hasn't been settled enough to make hay. Your grass is past
its best and is going to seed. The weather is finally looking better so
you phone your contractor. Everyone is bending his ear about making hay,
he explains. Nevertheless, two days later your grass is mowed. It rains
that night. There's some good drying the next day, but it will cop two
more showers before it's finally baled. It probably could have done with
another afternoon of drying but the weather forecast for the next three
days was poor. No-one turns up to help you cart it in.
Appearance
Inspect
it closely. You're after hay with plenty of leaf matter. Hay with an
abundance of stalk and mature seedheads will have been baled past its
best. Look for evidence of dried weeds and thistles - you're wanting to
buy dried grass, not weeds. Casually check out the paddocks as you head
for the haystack. If you see lots of thistles and other undesirable
weeds, there's a good chance the hay will have its fair share, too. You
may see a lot of stalky hay if it's been a difficult season. It may
still be acceptable for horses if they're going to enjoy a quiet winter,
but don't kid yourself. It will have more fibre and less protein than
leafier hay. You'll be better off paying a bit more for hay with a
higher leaf content - if it's available. If you see small immature
seedheads, the hay will be fine. In fact, some consider this to be an
ideal state for hay-making.
Color
Good
hay is a pale green to pale gold in colour. If it looks dull and brown
there's a good chance it copped rain while drying. If it's really
golden, it may have been too dry when cut. The best area to assess
colour is in the heart of a bale, not the outside, which can bleach out
in daylight. Don't be put off by a bale with part of its exterior
bleached. Chances are it has simply been spending its days on the
outside of a haystack. The bleached area will probably have lost its
vitamin A content, but most of the nutrients should still be there. If
you're not able to cut a random bale to check its interior, thrust a
hand inside the bale as far as you can and pull out a fistful to check.
Mould
Hay
should ideally be baled when the moisture content is around 15 to 17
per cent. Most contractors will assess moisture content on experience.
You might get away with slightly higher moisture with conventional
bales, but it will be a close-run thing. Moist hay poses a real fire
risk, so don't keep it inside a shed. It also provides perfect growing
conditions for mould, which can be toxic to livestock. You're most
likely to find it in the heart of the bale. This is another thing to
check when you cut open a sample bale, or pull out a sample by hand.
Mould can show as areas of darker discolouration, but it isn't always
visible. Worry not: you have another weapon in your arsenal. That nose
on your face is not just for decoration!
Smell
The
sweet smell of good hay is just glorious, and comes from a plant
chemical called coumarin. But your nose is also an essential tool in
sniffing out mould. You may well smell mould before seeing it. If you're
able to cut a sample bale, thrust your nose into its heart before the
surrounding air can dilute any odours. Hopefully, you'll detect a nice
sweet smell. If the smell is sharp, musty, almost metallic, it is a sure
sign the hay is mould-affected.
Weight
If
you can tuck a conventional bale under each arm, the grass has almost
certainly been dried to a crisp in the paddock before baling. Its
nutritional value will be limited. If a single bale is tough to lift, it
may be too moist and be breeding mould furiously. You'll need to lift a
few bales to get the hang of this, but once you recognise the right
weight range for a good bale, you've acquired a useful skill.
Texture
How
does the hay feel when you work it in your hand? If it feels coarse,
your horse is likely to find it that way, too. A good leafy hay will be
easy to the touch. Even the stems in good hay should be flexible.
Dust
As
you test the hay for texture, smell, and weight, take careful note of
whether it's producing much dust. There's only one place that dust will
end up - your horses' lungs. The dust can come from a number of sources.
It could have been blown on to grass during a dry spell before cutting.
It may have been kicked up from dry ground by the machinery making the
hay. It could also have come from the gradual breakdown of the hay.
Whatever the cause, avoid dusty hay.
Leaf shatter
This
is where the leaf matter in the hay crumbles when it is touched or
disturbed. The main problem is that leaf shatter will quickly rob the
affected hay of its nutrients. Leaf shatter can begin even before the
hay is baled, especially if a leafy crop is too dry when the contractor
rakes it.
You
have to assess how bad the problem is, but if the bale is
disintegrating with every touch, you might be better to look elsewhere.
Age
Hay
will gradually lose its nutritional value as it ages, but not as fast
as many people think. While new-season hay is probably the best option,
well-stored top-quality hay will still be pretty hard to beat, even if
it's a season or two old.
Storage
Hay
can be stored outside, but there is always a risk that rain may
penetrate the covers. Hay that's been shed-stored and protected from the
elements is most likely your best bet. When you get it home, store the
hay well. Keep if off the ground, otherwise the hay will soak up
moisture like the wick of a candle, effectively ruining the bale.
Typically, half the bale may be rendered worthless.
Finally,
if you've gone to the trouble of sourcing the best hay for your equine
friends, make sure they don't waste it by trampling it into the muddy
paddock.
- If you've bought the hay, it's a good idea to feed it out in only one part of each paddock. That way you can keep an eye on the areas in question for any weeds that may take root come spring.
Lucerne / Alfalfa hay
Lucerne
hay is a favourite of horses, but it can be expensive, especially in
parts of the country where it doesn't grow well. It has plenty of
protein - 15 to 18 per cent for good hay - but this may be more than
your horse actually needs.
If
you're wondering where good spring pasture fits in this equation, it
can be 20 to 25 per cent protein, based on dry matter. No wonder horses
can easily get in trouble on such a rich diet.By comparison, meadow hay
is likely to have 6 to 10 per cent protein, based on dry-matter weight.
Lurcerne
hay is a great option for growing horses and mares with a foal at foot,
both of which have a need for higher levels of protein, but for most
horses it's usually treated as a very useful and appealing supplement to
their diet. It's tasty and a good choice for fussy eaters.
There's
no doubt that just about every horse will enjoy a diet rich in lucerne
hay. The only thing is you may well be paying well for the privilege of
feeding them additional protein they don't need.
Never begrudge a farmer his premium return on lucerne hay. It's an expensive crop and tricky to get it just right for baling.
