Hi Everyone,
I am newbie here and for horses.
I am choosing hay for my first horse coming home at 2 weeks, is Alfalfa Hay a good choice ?
Which brands you will use ? and how you choose hay for yours ?
Thanks
Lots of people feed alfalfa or a mixture of alfalfa and grass hay. The best hay for you/your horse is the one you can obtain easily, and what the horse has been eating already. Switching from grass hay to alfalfa is possible, but I wouldn’t do it at the same time you bring a new horse to a new barn if you can help it.
Can you ask the horse’s current owners where they buy their hay? Most people do not buy “brands” in the sense that they are buying horse hay at Tractor Supply…much more expensive than finding a local hay grower.
I would find a mentor/friend and line up a good equine vet to help you if you are new to horses and are bringing one home in 2 weeks. There is a learning curve and it can be quite steep if you don’t have knowledge or help.
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^^^^^this. Please take it to heart 
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Hay doesn’t come “branded” - each grower will provide several different mixes as grown.
If you buy from a dealer ask what they have, if buying from a feedstore, same thing.
Alflafa is a pretty high protein hay. Somewhere between 15-20% even late cuttings are on the higher side.
Compare to orchard grass - usually 10%-ish.
Unless you have a horse in competition, heavy work or a broodmare, alfalfa is generally not required.
Agree with S1969 that asking what is being fed currently is safest.
Most sellers will provide you with a bale of that as a courtesy, or you can offer to buy from them.
Also agree having a knowledgeable friend help you get horse settled & line up not only a vet but farrier in advance.
IIWM, I’d want to have at least a couple weeks worth of hay onsite before bringing a horse home.
I feed an orchard grass/timothy mix to my geldings in very light work,
I buy my year’s supply from 1st cutting, There is no Peace of Mind like having a barn full of hay with Winter approaching.
If your Winters can make driving difficult consider that, You do NOT want to run short of hay when they need it most,
Some growers will let you pay for the whole load, then store hay for you at their place - you pick up or they deliver as needed for added cost.
My price includes delivery & stacking the 200+ 2-string bales I need.
And don’t forget to post here - tons of folks with knowledge you will find helpful.
And a whoooole lot of 1st-time horsekeepers < myself included - 13yrs on my own farm now & COTH has been a great resource.
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Also learn how to identify moldy hay. Even the best hay growers occasionally get a moldy spot in some bales.
Hay storage is very important too. Never store it on a dirt or concrete floor-- the bales on the bottom will mold very quickly. Always store above ground – on a raised wood floor or on pallets with a plastic tarp in between for example.
Cover hay with a tarp if you store it in an area where rain can blow in.
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Hay is dried grass, and grasses have names/varieties, if that’s what you mean by “brand”. A brand is something like Triple Crown or Purina or Nutrena. Hays are things like alfalfa specifically, and some people will say “grass hay” which is generic. Grass hays include things like orchardgrass, Bermuda (of which there are a LOT, like Coastal Bermuda, Tifton, Bahia, and more), Timothy, fescue, and a few other more common ones.
You might find Timothy or alfalfa baled and packaged as a brand - Standlee for example.
But what you really want to know is the alfalfa/timothy/orchardgrass/fescue/etc names.
By “home” do you mean your own property?
Where are you located, and how much pasture do you have? This will make a difference as to how much hay you will need in a given year. Are you looking to buy from a hay farmer directly, or from, say, Tractor Supply or other feed store who gets hay from various places?
Do you have a vet? That needs to be your very first step. Set up a relationship with a vet, and talk to him/her about your horse.
Ask the current owner of the horse what type of hay he’s eating (if he’s eating hay at all, he might only be eating grass), what what if any feed he’s eating. Hard feed, commercial feed, concentrate, all terms to denote things other than forage (hay/grass).
Not all horses can tolerate alfalfa, either because of a sensitivity (not all that common but definitely exists) or it’s just too many calories. But in some areas of the country (that’s why we need to know where you are, at least generally) alfalfa is all that’s grown. Or, alfalfa isn’t ever grown because it doesn’t grow (well).
If you are in the US, and I assume you are, there are usually Agricultural Extension Agencies in each county who can show/teach you how to identify safe hay to feed. You don’t necessarily need to know how to tell the difference between orchardgrass and Timothy, but you DO need to know how to tell the difference between dust and mold, why hay not being green doesn’t mean it’s bad, why green hay doesn’t mean it’s high quality, etc. Just some basic information so you’re not buying blind. But in general, if the hay smells fresh and clean, it’s at least safe. If you break open a bale, it should spring apart,and you shouldn’t see puffs of stuff float up.
Most horses only need grass hay of some sort. Some benefit from either a mix of 20% alfalfa with a grass hay, sometimes it’s easier to buy alfalfa separately and feed 1-2 flakes a day along with whatever other forage they’re eating. Timothy/Alfalfa is a common mix, aka T&A. But if you see O&A the O is not usually Orchardgrass, it’s usually Oat hay, and you really don’t want that.
If you have access to mixed grass hays of known types, like the Timothy/Orchard mentioned above, that’s great - variety is good for the different nutrient profiles.
It all sounds complicated, but the easiest way to start is knowing what the horse is eating now. Then you just do the same thing, and if you can’t get those things, then hopefully he will come with a week’s worth or so, so you can transition him to what you will be feeding.
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Where are you located?
What is the horse currently eating and where does it come from?
How much pasture do you have and is the quality good or is it mostly weeds?
If you have two weeks, now is a good time to mow, fertilize and weed spray in preparation.
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Call the person who has the horse now and ask them to send a couple bales of the hay and a bag of the feed he is eating with the horse. You may need to pay for these, it is money well spent.
Then buy the same, or as close to the same thing, as possible.
Slowly add a little of the new feed and hay to what he has been eating.
Horses can get very sick if their food is changed suddenly. That can be very expensive.
Finding a good vet, and a mentor are great ideas! :yes:
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Thanks every one, I am from Southern Ontario with small barn and small arena outside, thanks for pointed out branded products problems, grass hay may need a duct control method, any good idea ?
Duct control? Do you mean dust control?
Good quality grass hay won’t be dusty.
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Is there a specific reason you are worried about dust? Does this horse have respiratory issues?
I think in your area Timothy is probably going to be one of your more common grass hays. You can probably get some alfalfa or a mix, but it may or may not be as affordable.
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Assuming “duct” = “dust”, dust is not a grass problem, it’s a forage/hay problem. Dusty isn’t really a problem for a healthy horse. Cutting grass too short for haying can result in kicking up dirt which then gets baled.
Is this an only horse? How small is the “small arena”? Does this mean there’s not much grass?
