What type of hay has the lowest sugar content?

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.

What hay is low sugar?

If you are looking for low-sugar hay for a metabolic horse, it's all about how the hay is grown and managed. Teff can be as low as 5% sugar and the only other hay that's this low in sugar is bluegrass straw—which is also used a lot for metabolic horses."

What is the best low sugar hay?

The GREAT thing about Rhodes grass hay is it more consistent and reliable in terms of the low starch and sugar content, which makes it a good choice for horses with health issues such as insulin resistance (IR). For IR horses, the guideline is starch and sugar (ethanol soluble carbohydrates; ESC) to be less than 10%.

What grass hay has the lowest sugar content?

Perennial ryegrass is the highest in NSC (sugar and starch), followed by tall fescue, timothy, crested wheatgrass, orchard, redtop, Garrison meadow foxtail, Kentucky bluegrass, meadow brome. Native warm-season species were lowest in NSC.

What hay is best for Laminitic horses?

Generally, a mixture of grass hay and alfalfa is the best hay combination for horses prone to laminitis.

Sugar Content In Fruits From Lowest To Highest Ranked | Sugar Comparison Fruits

Is lucerne hay low in sugar?

Lucerne is relatively low in sugar and starch, containing about half the amount of cereal hay (oaten, barley and wheaten) so it doesn't cause large insulin spikes and blood sugar level fluctuations and is very useful as a component of feed for horses with laminitis or metabolic issues such as insulin resistance.

Is alfalfa OK for laminitic horses?

Feeds with a combined sugar and starch content of less than 10% should be fed to horses with laminitis. If horses are underweight and need to gain condition, consider adding alfalfa-based forages as they contain more calories per pound, but are low in sugars and starches.

Is timothy or orchard grass lower in sugar?

Unfortunately, there is no grass that is consistently low in sugar. Most cool-season grasses, like orchardgrass and fescue, can have high sugar content. Timothy and crested wheatgrass tend to be medium in sugar content, as are most warm season (native) grasses.

Is Timothy hay low in sugar and starch?

Timothy hay is considered a medium sugar hay. This warm-season grass measures at the low end of the normal range for ethanol soluble carbohydrates, measuring between 4.7 percent and 10.9 percent. Timothy hay also measures at the low end of the normal range for starch, measuring between 1.5 percent and 4 percent.

Is alfalfa hay low in sugar?

Alfalfa Has Low Starch and Sugar Content

Feeds are rarely (if ever) sugar free, as even straw contains some sugar, but the low-sugar and starch content does highlight the alfalfa health benefits for your horse.

What hay is highest in sugar?

Oat hay tends to be higher in nitrates and also high in sugar (NSC), so this hay is not an option for insulin resistant horses. Here's a comparison chart so you can see the differences between alfalfa hay, timothy (grass) hay and oat hay.

Does soaking hay remove sugar?

In addition to removing sugars, soaking also reduces some minerals. Crude protein, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium concentrations all decrease with soaking.

Is Bermuda hay good for laminitic horses?

First, it is low in fructans, natural plant sugars known to incite or exacerbate laminitis in certain horses. Horses prone to laminitis will generally improve when fed a low-fructan diet. Second, coastal Bermudagrass tends to cause fecal desiccation through contractions of the intestines.

Is rye hay high in sugar?

Grasses planted primarily to fatten livestock and promote milk production are 'high sugar' grasses. Hay made from wheat, barley, rye-grass or oats is high in sugar especially if it has been made prior to seed formation. Sugar levels can be elevated in grasses when they are drought stressed or over-grazed.

What's better timothy or orchard grass?

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.

Are Timothy pellets low in sugar?

The Timothy range has high fibre and is highly palatable, but naturally low in sugar, protein and starch.

Does long grass have less sugar?

Most of the nutritional value is in the blade of the grass. Long grass contains less leaf material and therefore less nutritional value. Long grass also contains less sugar than short grass.

Can horses get laminitis from hay?

Feed a low energy forage

Hay is more suitable for horses and ponies at risk of laminitis than haylage. For those prone to the disease and/or overweight, feed hay that has been soaked for 12-16 hours.

Is Timothy grass the same as Timothy hay?

Timothy Grass has a slightly higher protein and is greener in appearance. Timothy Hay is a mix of leaves and stems from Timothy grass, which is a perennial bunch grass. Timothy Hay is high in fiber and low in protein which is a combination critical to the health of rabbits and other small animals.

What's the best hay to feed horses?

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.

Does alfalfa have more sugar than Timothy?

Alfalfa has more sugar and starch than most grass hays which is a problem for horses at risk of laminitis; so if your horse falls in this category, make sure you talk to your vet before starting them on Alfalfa.

What do you feed a horse with chronic laminitis?

Horses require a minimum of 1.5% of their bodyweight in roughage per day for optimal health and wellbeing. For a laminitic prone horse/pony, low sugar roughage sources may include Teff hay, Rhodes grass hay, lucerne hay, beet pulp or soaked grass hay. Some specialist feed suppliers have analysis available.

How do you get rid of a Cresty neck on a horse?

Addressing underlying metabolic issues, increasing exercise and feeding a lower-calorie diet will support weight loss and help you get rid of your horse's cresty neck. Once your horse has reached a moderate body condition score of 4-5, excess fat along the neck should be eliminated or significantly reduced.

What is the difference between oaten hay and lucerne hay?

With oaten chaff, it is obvious that there is almost no leaf to be found and almost all stem. The amount of indigestible fiber is much higher in oaten chaff or hay than in most types of lucerne/alfalfa, which means that the amount of energy a horse can get from it is lower.