What is the healthiest hay for horses?

Legume Hay for Horses

Alfalfa, white clover, red clover and birdsfoot trefoil are common types of legumes, with alfalfa being the most popular choice. Benefits: Legumes are higher in protein and calcium than grass hay, and may also provide more energy and a higher level of total digestible nutrients, such as vitamin A.

What type of hay is best for horses?

What type of hay is best for horses to have free choice of?

If feeding free choice, every attempt should be made to find a suitable grass hay. The next best choice would be a grass/alfalfa mix. Alfalfa or grain hays (such as oat or rye) can be fed free choice too, and most horses will probably regulate their intake of these as well.

Is timothy hay or alfalfa better for horses?

Alfalfa hay is typically higher in protein and essential nutrients than timothy hay, making Alfalfa a better option for more active animals that need a high protein diet. Alfalfa also has more calories per pound than timothy, so it's generally the preferred choice of sport horse owners.

What hay is safe for horses?

What is the best hay mixture for horses? Mixed or mixed-grass hay usually means that it has different types of grasses in it. Common mixes are timothy/alfalfa, orchardgrass/ alfalfa, and orchardgrass/clover. The best hay mix for most horses, without any health problems, is one-half Alfalfa and one-half Timothy.

How to choose the right hay for your horse

What hay is lowest in sugar?

Low sugar hay is extremely important in a horse's diet due to its health properties and the enormous benefits it can offer. While lucerne usually has lower sugar than a lot of grass hays, it more often than not tests HIGHER in sugar, starch & protein compared to our Low Sugar Hay.

Is clover hay bad for horses?

Clover can be a good feed source for most horses because it provides useful energy and adequate protein and fiber. You can use clover in hay or pastures. Clovers can sometimes mold, which causes slobbers, photosensitivity (reactive to light) and bleeding.

What's the difference between orchard and Timothy hay?

Orchard Grass is higher in protein (10-12%), higher in calorie content and contains the same balanced levels of calcium and phosphorus as Timothy grass. The higher calorie content of Orchard Grass is a result of higher fiber digestibility compared to Timothy Grass.

Do horses like Bermuda hay?

Bermuda hay is a nutritious option that you can use for feeding your horses. For horses in training and back yard horses, Bermuda hay, in combination with alfalfa, will promote their optimal health.

What hay is best for older horses?

A reduction in fiber fermentation means that older horses receive less nutrients from forage resulting in higher quality forages being required. Alfalfa hay and good quality grass hays are preferable to stemmy and mature hays that have tougher fiber to ferment.

Should horses have unlimited hay?

Constant access to hay means that the stomach and hindgut, the critical organs for digestion, will be occupied to avoid creating problems like ulcers. Feeding three or four times a day is already better than once or twice.

Should horses have free choice hay?

Some have said free choice forage feeding leads to increased obesity and an increased risk of laminitis. They are mistaken. During a harsh winter, when the food supply is sparse, wild horses hold on to body fat to help them survive. They do this by having an elevated blood insulin level.

Is Blue Grass hay good for horses?

Grass Hay for Horses

Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass and timothy are all examples of common grasses used for hay. Benefits: Grass hay is lower in protein and energy than legume hay — but it's also higher in fiber, which can make it a good choice for many horses.

What hay has the most protein?

On average, alfalfa hay has much higher levels of protein, ranging from 15% to 21% depending on when the alfalfa was cut. This is much higher than the protein levels of grass hay, which typically contains 10% or less protein.

Why is alfalfa good for horses?

Alfalfa hay is an excellent source of energy, protein, calcium and some other nutrients for horses. Its concentrations of protein and calcium meet the nutrient needs of horses in high levels of production, such as growth and lactation, but exceed the nutrient requirements of horses in other life stages.

Is Kentucky bluegrass hay good for horses?

Kentucky Bluegrass is low-growing and, therefore, low-yielding. Because of this, it is not ideal for hay but is excellent for horse pastures. It is highly nutritious, very palatable, and tolerant of close, frequent grazing. Kentucky Bluegrass also forms a tight sod, providing good pasture footing.

Is Tifton hay better than coastal hay?

As far as production, testing in Florida indicates that in general Tifton 85 yields more forage compared to coastal, is more digestible, has a lower sugar content, and is slightly higher in crude protein. Although it has thicker stems, the stems have higher fiber content that is more digestible.

What is Tifton hay?

Tifton 85 is a hybrid strain of Bermudagrass Cynodon dactylon, a forage perennial grass that originated in Africa and was brought to the United States as a pasture and hay crop for the humid Southern states.

What kind of hay causes colic in horses?

Orchard grass hay was linked with colic more frequently than alfalfa, coastal, or Bermudahay. Hay from round bales was associated with an increased colic risk. Feeding hay or grain on the ground was not identified as a colic risk factor. Water Water deprivation increased colic risk.

Is orchard hay OK for horses?

“As a source of fiber, well-made orchardgrass hay has a place in the diets of all types of horses. When it's clean and sweet-smelling, its palatability is wonderful, and few horses refuse it,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph. D., nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

Is prairie hay good for horses?

A good-quality grass hay may meet most of the adult horse's basic nutritional needs. Mature horses require 10 to 12 percent CP (crude protein) in their diets. Many native or prairie grass hays contain just 6 to 8 percent.

Is Bermuda grass good for horses?

Bermuda hay is good for horses; it's high in fiber which helps horses ingest food and absorb nutrients in their diet.

Does orchard grass make good hay?

Orchardgrass is a versatile grass and can be used for pasture, hay, green chop, or silage. A high-quality grass, it will provide excellent feed for most classes of livestock.

What is the difference between alfalfa and clover?

Alfalfa is like a clover, but has a bigger stem than grass. It also can produce higher protein levels than grass. Clover is a type of grass that does better in low ph levels, but doesn't have the yield or longevity as alfalfa. Alfalfa is more drought resistance too.

Is Brown Top hay good for horses?

These two grasses are very hard to tell apart except for in spring when brown top is a pretty pinky-brown colour. They are regarded by some as a weed grass, because of its low quality, but for horse owners it is a very useful addition to pasture. It is non-endophyte and horse-friendly.