You like our Facebook page and we like yours. You follow us on Twitter and Instagram and we follow you. You subscribe to our You Tube Channel and we subscribe to yours.
You publish the EIE logo and link on your website and we list your business on EIE in the category of your choice.
Grow you Social Media presence and reach our audience! We've got a monthly social media reach of over 4,000,000 who are horse people of all kinds, from business owners to trainers to riders.
Forage is the foundation of every horse's diet, so learning how to evaluate hay quality is one of the most useful skills an owner can develop. Most horses eat 1.5 to 2 percent of their body weight in forage each day, which means hay makes up the majority of what goes into them. When that hay is clean, well cured, and nutritionally sound, it supports steady digestion, healthy weight, and reliable energy. When it is dusty, moldy, or overly mature, it can lead to digestive upset, respiratory irritation, and lost condition, no matter how good the rest of the feeding program is.
The good news is that you can judge a great deal about a bale before it ever reaches your horse. Here is how to assess hay with your senses, when to go further with a lab analysis, and how to match the right hay to the horse in front of you.
Start with a simple sensory check on a few bales from the same load, opening them up rather than judging the outside flakes alone. Look, smell, and feel for these signs of quality:
A sensory check tells you a lot about how the hay was grown, cured, and stored. What it cannot tell you is the actual nutrient content, and that is where many feeding problems start. As the Oregon State University Extension points out in its guide to buying hay, look and smell matter, but they are only part of the picture.
Two bales that look identical can differ widely in protein, fiber, and sugar. The only way to know what you are actually feeding is a forage analysis from a testing lab. A report gives you the numbers that matter: crude protein, fiber measures such as ADF and NDF that reflect digestibility, mineral levels including the calcium to phosphorus ratio, and non-structural carbohydrates, or NSC, which is the combined sugar and starch.
Those numbers are not a luxury. They are essential for horses that need precision: hard keepers and seniors that need more calories, broodmares and growing horses that need more protein, and metabolic or laminitis-prone horses that need forage low in sugar and starch, generally under about 10 to 12 percent NSC. The University of Minnesota Extension explains how forage quality is measured, and the University of Georgia Forage Extension offers a clear walkthrough of how to read a forage report once you have one.
One practical tip: test each hay lot separately. A lot is hay harvested from the same field, in the same cutting, under the same conditions, so its nutrition is consistent within itself but can vary from the next lot.
Because nutrient content shifts from field to field and cutting to cutting, some owners look for a supplier that analyzes every lot before it ships. A lab-tested, consistent forage such as Ultra Premium Timothy Hay takes the guesswork out of it, since you know the protein, fiber, and sugar levels of the exact hay your horse is eating, load after load.
There is no single best hay, only the best hay for a given horse. Grass hays such as timothy and orchard grass offer moderate calories and protein and suit most adult horses in light to moderate work, along with easy keepers. Legume hays such as alfalfa are richer in protein, calcium, and calories, which makes them useful for hard keepers, performance horses, and growing or lactating animals, often blended with grass hay rather than fed alone.
Cutting matters too. A second cutting of grass hay is often finer and leafier than a first cutting, which can make it more palatable for picky eaters and show horses. Whatever you choose, match it to the horse's workload, age, and health, and make any change gradually so the hindgut microbes have time to adjust.
Good hay can go downhill fast in poor storage. Keep it dry and off the ground on pallets, allow airflow around the stack, and protect it from rain and direct sun. Use the oldest hay first, and stay alert for any bale that feels unusually warm or smells fermented, which can mean it was stored before it fully cured. Buying from a steady, reliable source protects your horse too, since a consistent forage means fewer abrupt diet changes and fewer digestive surprises.
Evaluating hay is a skill that pays for itself. Combine a hands-on sensory check with a lab analysis, match the hay to the individual horse, and store and source it with care. Quality forage is the least expensive and most powerful tool you have for supporting your horse's health and performance, one bale at a time.
By Delmar Ropp, Farmers Direct Hay. Delmar is a hay grower with Farmers Direct Hay, a family farm that grows and ships horse hay from the western United States and helps owners match the right forage to the right horse.
There are more informative articles in our section on Health & Education.
By EIE Editorial
Inspirational, energetic and mesmerizing,
For horse lovers and non-horse lovers alike, Robert Montano’s autobiographical one-man play SMALL, is indeed a true story of big dreams.
Montano’s captivating performance engages the audience like no one-man show we’ve ever seen.
SMALL chronicles Robert Montano’s life story starting with his growing up in Long Island, NY in a Puerto Rican family. He is awkward and height challenged, but saw small men look like kings atop horses when his mom brought him to the racetrack as a boy. On his paper route one morning, he learns one of his customers was a horseman at Belmont Park, where he excitedly agrees to arrive at 4AM to help with the horses. It is there he learned that his true calling was to become a jockey.
While it is customary to learn to ride in an arena on a slow, gentle horse, Robert was thrown into the deep end when a trainer had him jump on a racehorse one morning at Belmont.
It didn’t end particularly well.
Undeterred, Robert persevered and eventually became a professional jockey.
The play continues to chronicle the enormous challenges of the sacrifices it takes to be a professional athlete - especially a jockey where there are strict weight limitations and risks of death while racing, as Robert saw in horseracing. There were audible gasps from the audience as he explained in graphic detail his eating and workout routine to make weight. Now a tall 5’8”, he developed an eating disorder in order to make the weight of 105. After a dangerous episode racing a difficult horse, he came to the realization that a career as a jockey put his life at risk.
Spending the summer at Saratoga Racecourse as an exercise rider, he went to the then popular nightclub “The Rafters” and got encouraged when a pretty girl told him she liked the way he moved and they spent the night dancing.
That evening out was the impetus to embark upon a new career and ultimately, he wins a full scholarship for dance at Adelphi University, and pivots from one dream to pursue another
Equine Info Exchange got a chance to sit down for a one-on-one conversation with Robert after watching his play. He was colorful and passionate, and we learned that there is tack from actual jockeys on set: including a saddle from Steve Cauthen who rode Affirmed to the Triple Crown in 1978, adding to the authenticity of the play.
“The takeaway is that you can have second chances in life. I like to say that I’m ‘Rocky on the racetrack.’ You can have a dream and a goal, but if that doesn’t work out, where do you go from there? Dance did it for me,” said Robert.
He openly discussed his time in the summer working as an exercise rider in Saratoga:
“While at Saratoga, I got a bit of heat when my roommates found tights and ballet shoes. I was taking dance classes at Skidmore College and they started busting my b***s.”
“Breaking into dance was hard, but nothing was harder than my life at the racetrack where there are very long hours and no days off. It helped me build confidence that I could do anything.“
His new successful career, gave him the opportunity to work with such performance legends as Chita Rivera in “Kiss of the Spiderwoman” and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie “Chicago.”
However, he still has many connections in racing and appeared on “Talking Horses” with handicapper Andy Serling and former jockey Richard Migliore. He tells us about horsemen coming to see SMALL and being brought to tears.
He continued, “I feel sad about Aqueduct Racetrack closing as it’s part of history and that’s where I got my start. I watched Ruffian race there. I even have a tattoo of her on my shoulder with the words “Running to my own rhythm.”
“Although Aqueduct is closing, I will be attending the opening of the new Belmont Park on September 18th. The next day I’m getting married!”
We wish Robert Montano the very best and hope that his spectacular play can be performed in other cities for people to enjoy.
SMALL, a one-man play, Is written and performed by Robert Montano.
See it DAILY at the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street, NYC until July 25th. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
There are more interesting stories in our section on Recreation & Lifestyle.
Kentucky Equine Research founder Dr. Joe Pagan discusses new research in performance horse health and nutrition with Balchem Animal Nutrition and Health for their Real Science Lecture series. Visit KER.
Whether you keep your horse on a few acres or have at your convenience rolling hills as far as the eye can see, pastures should be managed to ensure that grass provides optimal nutrition for horses. Each farm is different, but some management strategies are universal no matter the size or location of your farm.
Soil testing. Soil profile, including mineral content and pH, varies greatly from farm to farm and region to region. For this reason, soil testing is recommended in order to determine if and what kind of fertilizer may be necessary. Typically, your local Cooperative Extension Service office can help you with a soil test, and supply a report with fertilizer recommendations. Soil tests are often free or inexpensive and well worth the effort.
Stocking rate. Stocking rate is important if you are relying on pasture to meet the majority of your horse’s nutritional needs, and is defined as the number of acres available per animal. For an average 1,000-lb (450-kg) horse, two acres of well-managed, established pasture is recommended during the growing season. If you have four horses, for example, you’d need a minimum of eight acres. If stocking rate is higher, supplemental forage, such as hay and possibly a concentrate, may be necessary to meet the horse’s daily nutrient needs. Higher stocking rates stress pastures and reduce the amount of available nutrients.
Rotation. A rotational grazing plan keeps grasses healthy. Just like horses, plants need a chance to rest and rejuvenate after stress (heavy grazing, drought, etc.). Horses are able to graze right to the ground, and hooves can cause compression and divots in the ground. The higher the stocking rate, the more important it is to have a rotational grazing plan.
Even with only two paddocks, rotation can work. When pastures are 7-10 inches tall, turn out horses. When the pastures are grazed down to 3-4 inches, allow the pasture to rest and turn out horses in the other area. Additional pasture areas will improve results. Ideally, rotating in four- or five-week cycles is recommended but will depend on the stocking rate and amount of space available.
Sacrifice area. A sacrifice area, also known as a drylot, is a place where horses can be turned out when pastures are too wet, have not grown sufficiently to allow grazing, or when pastures are resting. Sacrifice areas are also useful for horses who cannot be maintained on pasture, such as those with metabolic concerns. Shelters, water sources, and sometimes feeders are often placed in sacrifice areas.
These areas should be large and comfortable enough to accommodate the number of horses on the farm, leaving plenty of room for horses to avoid pecking-order squabbles.
Mowing and sward height. Regular mowing helps reduce weeds. Mowing height is an important consideration. Since grasses store energy in the bottom of the plant closest to the ground, mowing too short is counterproductive. Mowing to a height of 3-4 inches is generally appropriate. Pastures should also be dragged to break up and dry manure.
Be sure to consider a quality ration balancer or vitamin and mineral supplement that will supply horses with nutrients not found in sufficient quantities in pasture. Keep water and salt sources clean and readily available.
The effort put into pasture maintenance will yield nutritious forage for your horses year after year.
There are more informative articles in our section on Tack & Farm.
Are you interested in promoting your business or sharing content on EIE? Contact us at info@equineinfoexchange.com
Our Mission — Serving the professional horse person, amateur owners, occasional enthusiasts and sporting interests alike, the goal is to serve all disciplines – which often act independently yet have common needs and values.
Equine Info Exchange is totally comprehensive, supplying visitors with a world wide view and repository of information for every aspect related to horses. EIE provides the ability to search breeds, riding disciplines, horse sports, health, vacations, art, lifestyles…and so much more.
EIE strives to achieve as a source for content and education, as well as a transparent venue to share thoughts, ideas, and solutions. This responsibility also includes horse welfare, rescue and retirement, addressing the needs and concerns of all horse lovers around the world. We are proud to be a woman-owned business.