Hay

Hay is best when the grass has been cut after flowering but before producing seeds. It should contain good, nutritious grasses and not weeds and thistles. Hay taken off neglected pasture will lack goodness. Good-quality meadow hay is better value than inferior seed hay. Never feed mouldy or musty hay - it could damage a horse's respiratory system. A good bale should fall apart when the string is cut. Beware of dust, or damp, dark patches. Hay less than six months old could be indigestible, and might cause colic. Chopped-up hay, or chaff, is ideal roughage to mix with grain. It makes a horse masticate well and aids digestion. Oat straw can provide a non-rich fibrous chaff.

Meadow hay is taken from permanent pasture and should contain many nourishing herbs and flowers. It is softer, lighter, and greener than seed hay, and usually less nutritious.

Seed hay is a specially cultivated crop of nutritious grasses such as timothy, rye, clover, and sanfoin. It is hard and crisp to touch, and sweet to smell.	Mouldy or mow-burnt hay is not palatable or safe to feed. It may have overheated in the rick if baled before its juicy stems had dried, or it may have been rained on.

Contents