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QUESTION: HOW DO I CHOOSE THE RIGHT HAY FOR MY HORSE?
VETERINARY VIEWS
Hay quality is important to provide a horse with the best nutrients and to avoid feed-related illness, such as problems related to dust, mold, or coarse roughage. Find a reputable source from which to purchase your hay and be sure to open up a bale or two to check the inner contents. Look for areas of discoloration that might indicate mold. Shake out a flake it to see if it is dusty. Stick your nose in it (provided you aren’t hypersensitive to mold) and smell the hay. It should have
a sweet and fresh odor rather than a musty smell, and it shouldn’t irritate your nose or airways. The color of the hay should be green rather than straw colored; this indicates ample freshness and vitamin A content. The interior of the hay bale should be dry; if hay is put up too wet or uncured, the moisture promotes proliferation of mold, causing wastage and health hazards over time. Wet hay can also be a fire hazard when stacked tightly in storage. Hay leaves should be compressed but readily separate when pulled apart rather than being stuck together with debris, dirt, or mold, nor should the leaves fall apart into dusty little pieces. Check for weeds and foreign debris (snakes, animal parts, twine, etc.) as this makes the hay quality questionable.
It is not a bad idea to buy a few sample bales and take them home to your horse to
For optimal digestive health, it’s best to mimic natural eating conditions and to allow a horse access to free choice grass hay or pasture.
The color of hay should be green and not straw colored; this indicates freshness and vitamin A content.
check palatability and his willingness to eat from this source. If your horse turns up his nose at what appears to be good hay, check for mold or dust, and look for spoiled remains in the feed bunk that would contaminate
new feed. Routinely clean feeders to remove spoiled or old hay and debris so your horse’s appetite remains keen.
For optimal digestive health, it is best to mimic natural eating conditions and allow a horse access to free choice grass hay or pasture. This is not always possible due to a tendency for some horses to become obese or because
QUESTION: HOW OFTEN SHOULD I FEED MY HORSE?
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