The time has come for me to get educated on the best types of hay, but I see so many types – orchard, timothy mix, etc., etc. – being bandied about, I am just not sure what I should look for. I have middle-aged, moderate-level with some high-level activity horses. What type or mix is the best? I’m in the Northeast. I can’t afford to get fancy about first or second cutting, so that is a very secondary consideration.
Big thanks in advance!
If you want to know what the nutrition profile of a given batch of hay is, you need to test. The nutrition profile varies a lot even within one species of grass.
A big factor is how mature the grass is when the hay is baled. In the PNW where I live the first cut is always very mature because it has been growt since January, can’t be cut until June due to rain at which point it has flower heads abd even seed heads. Our first cut is thick and stalky, low protein but often freakishly high sugar levels. When folks feed it free choice they can get metabolic issues.
I don’t know if first cut is like this in every climate.
You want to get the most protein and the lowest nsc (non structurable carbs or sugars) and lowest indigestible fibre you can.
Usually this look like a finer greener hay but you only know by testing.
You could supplement your performance horses with alfalfa if you want more protein in them for muscle building.
Orchard and Timothy are both quality purpse grown forages with similar nutrition profiles but obviously maturity of hay will really affect that.
You really need to go see the hay and ideally get it tested.
We grow a “mixed grass” here. It has orchard grass, timothy, fescue( because you can’t keep it out) and some red clover.
I feed the first cutting to the horses. It really starts growing in April and we usually get it cut by mid June so it hasn’t over matured. They do really well on it and don’t waste a bit. I save the second cutting for my breeding goats and milk cow.
The condition of my horses, goats and cows tell me my hay is good. I don’t need to test it.
The hay that is the cleanest and most affordable for you.
I know that sounds like a cop-out, but that’s really what it boils down to. Unless you have an air fern, or a really hard keeper, the mature, moderately working horse needs good hay - doesn’t have to be GREAT hay that you’d want to feed an upper level horse or late-term broodmare, but should be more than “busy hay”.
If you need significant calories on top of that, then look for better hay.
1st, 2nd, etc cutting, is fairly relative and is based on the ideal cutting times. 1st cuttings tend to be a bit weedier. But a late 1st cutting can also be overly-mature.
Orchard and Timothy are good choices if you have them available. But there are lots of Bermuda varieties which are good as well, such as Tiftons, Bahias, and others.
Because of different nutritional profiles, if you can find mixes that’s even better. Around here, fescue and orchard is a common mix, simply because fields planted with OG end up with some to a lot of fescue in them anyway, unless regularly tilled and re-started.
If your horse is a harder keeper and you’re looking to reduce concentrates, then it’s better for him, and usually easier on your wallet, to find a hay that is up to about 20% alfalfa. Timothy is commonly mixed with it - T&A hay. I’ve seen some Orchard/alfalfa mixes. Or you can buy bales of alfalfa to supplement the grass hay, but mixes tend to be better in terms of what gets eaten since it’s all mixed in - feeding alf separately often ends up with that being gobbled up and the grass hay begrudgingly eaten :lol:
It sounds like you just need to find whatever is easily available and affordable that is also clean and fresh-smelling, and go from there.
I feed straight alfalfa big rounds first cut and horses either do well or don’t. But i find the cheapest hay i can for most part. If that means buying last year’s hay then that’s what i buy. I bought 2 loads ones last year’s hay ones this year’s hay. But difference in price year old hay i can get for 20 or 25 this year’s stuff was 45 per bale.
If hay guy has enough hay left over from this years supply, that’s what i’ll buy for next winter. All is stored in a barn so doesn’t really make much difference.
Finding the right hay drives me batty!! I usually have seniors here and they dictate the type of hay I feed based on their nutritional needs. Some of them can’t have alfalfa and others won’t eat grass hay. Currently I feed timothy/grass mix and throw a couple flakes of alfalfa in. I have the luxury of having our own fields and they vary in what they are made up of but when I didn’t I fed a nice leafy grass mix.
I, too, go absolutely batty this time of year. A good friend and I have a saying, “buying and storing hay is the WORST part about owning horses”.
In extremely broad strokes: First cuttings can be stemmier, second cuttings are generally softer. Generally softer hays are more leaf, less stem, so more digestible nutrition. Stemmier hay tends to be wasted more often/harder to chew and digest. Earlier grasses like timothy and brome often have higher NSCs, later season grasses like orchard and teff tend to have lower NSCs. Legumes like clover and alfalfa tend to be very palatable no matter what cutting, tend to be high in protein and also calcium.
All of this is ultimately affected by the weather and how the ground was managed and hay cut, cured and baled. There is no way to tell anything about nutrition at all unless you test it.
Like JB said, your best bet is to find the cleanest nicest hay you can afford and buy that. If looking for a place to start, call around to farms who’s condition of horses you admire and ask where they get their hay.
I am feeding a motley crew - a toothless super senior, an air fern morgan, and an appendix with a metabolism I would kill for.
I typically put up 5 types of hay (though this has been a weird year, I’ve only got 3). I like that the horses have variety, I feel the nutritional profile is more complete.
You’ll want to get hay that you can keep in front of your horses 24/7 (unless they are on pasture). The higher the quality, the less you will be able to feed your moderate workers. You may need 2 types of hay since you have 2 types of horses. Your moderate activity horses might need a lower quality hay than the high activity horses. Buck22 has a good post.
Truly depends on what the horse needs to stay a good weight with hay in front of them most of the time. I feed a local grass hay that is tested low NSC preferably 2nd and 3rd cutting. If a horse needs more calories, I add a timothy/alfalfa or orchard/alfalfa mix on top of the grass hay. If that doesn’t do it, I add straight alfalfa, a flake at a time. I only buy current this year’s hay, as year old hay is typically dustier and fewer nutrients. It cost less but I have to feed way more.
For my pony, I feed a low NSC grass mix in front of him 24/7 in his stall and in winter in a slow feed net and he gets a small flake of 2nd cutting orchard 2 X a day. Orchard is his favorite and he’s slightly spoiled.
I buy hay based on how clean it is(I open a bale and shake a flake to see if a big cloud comes out), how long it has been sitting, how stemmy, and smell (must smell clean and no mustiness).
If hay was put up right year old hay won’t be dusty,feeding year old hay no dust in it. No such thing as second cutting up here. If there is a second cutting it’s cow hay. Less nutrition doesn’t matter i put out equilix tubs has all the vit/mins they need. I keep at least 2 to 3 years worth of hay in my barn.
I’m still feeding last year’s hay. I have great pasture this year and managed not to pick up too many extra horses.
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