Welcome to the AAEP! Rye grass is gaining popularity as a forage for horses as it is quick to establish and grow and provides good nutrition. Orchard grass is high in fiber and low in protein to help support a healthy digestive tract. Alfalfa hay is a good source of vitamins and minerals. Legume hays have a higher protein content than grass hays, and should be fed to active, working, lactating, young or convalescing animals that have higher nutritional needs. Your email address will not be published. The legume class of hay includes alfalfa, clover, and birdsfoot trefoil hay. What type of hay do you feed your horses? It should be fed in moderation, or fed as a blend with grass or grain hays. It can be quite expensive, depending on whether it has to be shipped long distances. $45/bale. Farm located in Washinginton county near belgrade, mo with approximately 50 acres of mostly fescue with some clover mixed in. However, the high-energy content may lead to overfeeding and to a fat horse. The real problem, however, which is not so readily observed, is liver damage. Birdsfoot trefoil is more resistant to negative soil conditions as well as moisture fluctuations. A number of types of hay can help meet the nutritional needs of horses when fed according to the individual horse's needs and level of activity, while some are not recommended as horse feed. There are many types of hay that you can feed to horses. Bermuda is typically the cheapest grass hay you can purchase for a horse. Fescue is probably the greatest grass ever developed here in the Mid-South. Want to Join AAEP? So this is definitely a regional hay. Click here to get started.. Tall fescue provides plentiful yields and is low maintenance, flourishing under a range of management systems. EquiMed staff writers team up to provide articles that require periodic updates based on evolving methods of equine healthcare. It works the same in horses. © Henrik Sendelbach. Fescue is fine for horses with the exception of pregnant broodmares. Fescue orchard mix. It is also considered very good, economically priced roughage. Orchard grass is a flat leaf, bladed, perennial, cool season, tall-growing grass. Otherwise, the fescue is fine.. All rights reserved. On average, a horse must consume about two percent of its body weight per day to maintain body weight and digestive health. This condition looks like colic with accompanying bloody urine and can be fatal to horses. Grass hay comes in many varieties and the best hay can vary from horse to horse. Exceptionally drought tolerant, it grows under a wider temperature range than just about any other grass. Before feeding fescue hay to pregnant mares, a horse owner should make sure that the hay is free of the endophyte fungus. Compared to other nonruminant animals, the horse has a relatively small stomach, normal-sized small intestine and a large hind gut. *When in doubt about what hay is best for your horse, consult your vet or an equine nutritionist to determine the best hay for your horse*. Looking to enter a multi year lease agreement which the lessee would fertilize and harvest the hay using acceptable best practices, in return for 50% of … This forage grows to 2-3 feet tall, and is easiest to grow when mixed with grasses. This ensures a high quality product still showing some color with good carbohydrate content and sweetness in the stem. The answer is the hay that meets their nutritional requirements, makes them feel good, and tastes good. Various mixes are available in baled form, or you can buy bales of legumes and grass, and then vary the feeding. A number of factors come into play when choosing the right type of hay for your horse. The application should be made when the clover is actively growing but before it gets too large. We now understand, however, that excess protein in alfalfa is converted into energy compounds, and the nitrogen produced in this conversion must be eliminated as ammonia. Fescue alkaloids can delay a mare's estrus cycle. ), but don't judge a book by its cover! Typically, orchard grass is lower in protein than timothy, but it is a favorite amongst horses and owners. As we discussed last month, if there is a super grass, it is fescue. Fescue hay can cause toxicosis in pregnant mares when they eat tall fescue that is infected with an endophyte fungus, Acremonium coenephialum . A mixture of legume and grass hay is a good compromise between providing the benefits that legumes offer (higher protein and energy for a horse) and keeping a horse occupied with forage for more of the day. Horses love it too! © Rasbak. Many horse owners prefer a mix of legume and grass hays as an ideal forage for their horses. But what about fescue hay? This means that a horse will get more nutrients from less hay but it also means that they get more energy and calories from less hay so it won’t keep a horse occupied for as long. If a horse has a heavy workload, or needs more energy and caloric intake, legume hay can be a good fit. Timothy, bluegrass, orchardgrass, teff, bermudagrass, fescue, reed canarygrass, ryegrass, smooth bromegrass, sorghum, sudan, switchgrass for horses. The calcium to phosphorus ratio is about 6:1 and must be considered when feeding young, growing horses. Clover hay can provide energy, protein and fiber, however, if clover molds, it can cause slobbers and bleeding in horses who eat the molded hay. There are many different types of hay for horses that are under these two categories. Alfalfa hay, sometimes called lucerne hay, is the most popular legume hay fed to horses in the U.S., while … This hay is sometimes referred to as coastal hay and is a shorter plant with fine blades of grass. Typically timothy grass has a finer texture than other grasses. Timothy hay is a common favorite among horses and owners. The two main types of hay for horses are grass hay and legume hay. Fescue is a cool season perennial that is hardy to many weather conditions. 950lb. It has 120 percent more energy per unit in weight than oat hay. Several characteristics of alfalfa make it an excellent hay for horses. Fescue is a cool-season forage and provides grazing from mid-March until early June and from September to December. There are generally five to eight cuttings from an alfalfa field each year when irrigated, four to five when not irrigated. There are some loose correlations between bermuda grass hay and colic. Alfalfa can be grown successfully in most areas of the U.S. Stay a while and then get out there and ride! Normal horses can tolerate NSC levels of 20% or higher. Broodmares consuming endophyte-infected tall fescue often have abnormally long gestations and foaling problems. It brought an end to many … As many as 700,000 horses may graze fescue pastures or be fed fescue hay each year. Crude protein values can be as high as 18 to 19 percent. Oat hay is an excellent feed for horses. Keep in mind that even though some of these hays may sound better in their description, ultimately the best hay for your horse is the one they will eat. © Bidgee. The same stand of grass can be cut four or five times a year. Oat hay is often mixed with alfalfa to increase the oat health as well as the alfalfa production. It is as nutritious as Timothy hay, and its value can be increased by growing it with a legume. Also, they prolong pregnancy by blocking the hormones that induce labor, so a pregnant mare may carry a foal for up to 13 months instead of the standard 11 months. With less protein than alfalfa, 8% - 10%, it is an excellent source of roughage for all types of livestock. The higher percent of calcium in legume hay can present a problem with the calcium/phosphorus balance. Different ages, classes and workloads of horses require different levels of nutrients from the hay they eat. Discontinue use of hay that causes slobbers, as continued use may lead to health problems. Grass Hay for Horses Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass and timothy are all examples of common grasses used for hay. Feeding a legume/grass mix can be the best of both worlds. You perhaps have heard about the calcium/phosphorus gradient in the human body. This higher content of protein and calcium can come with problems. Its high energy content compared to other roughage. Pick a hay your horse likes to eat. If you have a grass-legume pasture for horses where alsike clover is a problem, the clover can be removed by spraying with the herbicide Banvel/Banvell II (dicamba). No matter which type of hay you choose, some characteristics should be consistent when looking for high quality hay for horses. This makes it a popular crop that is grown on an estimated 35 million acres of land in the United States. MaxQ®, a non-toxic endophyte Tall Fescue grass introduced to the cattle industry by Pennington Seed over10 years ago is performing exceptionally well and offers similar benefits to the horse industry. Stems are slender and branch with a multitude of leaves. The symptoms of alsike poisoning vary and susceptibility seems to depend on the area where the clover is grown and the individual horse. It is relatively palatable to horses and has a fine texture. Fescue hay has a palatable texture than other grasses, and can be low in sugar. Its low levels of starch and sugar (below 12%). Many commercial stables will offer a choice (e.g. Tall fescue is grown for pasture, hay, silage and as a companion crop with other forage grass varieties and legumes. Many horse owners prefer a mix of legume and grass hays as an ideal forage for their horses. Timothy, Fescue) and legume (e.g. It is harvested in every state, and trails only corn and wheat in total acres harvested. Grass hays have a lower protein content, and are suitable for easy keepers, and other horses that do not require the extra calories. Bermuda grass hay A well-kept pasture also is the most natural and healthy environment for exercise and rest. Orchard grass hay is a common component of many hay mixes. Fescue Grass Straw is also popular with dairy farmers in the export market and is successfully fed in the beef market. The first cutting is typically preferred for feeding to horses as it has longer and harder fiber length, as well as longer seed heads. We will explore all the types of hay that are commonly fed to horses. Commonly fed legume hays include alfalfa and clover, with most other hays falling into the grass family. Both the mare and the foal can be affected. #2 Alfalfa is a popular forage for horses, but it should never be the primary hay source as it contains high amounts of protein, which can stress the kidneys, and calcium, which can lead to major mineral imbalances. The benefits of feeding a legume, like alfalfa, but keeping the balance in your horse’s nutrition and energy levels by also feeding them a grass hay. It does spike in sugar production in the fall, so be cautious when grazing or feeding it to sugar sensitive horses. For areas with mild winters, it will provide abundant amounts of forage almost year-round.There are, however, two drawbacks. Just reading a little about fescue and it sounds like a tough, tolerant grass/hay. Clover hay can cause "slobbers" in horses. Fescue can be fed to horses, but avoid this hay for pregnant mares. Timothy is typically harvested two times per season, the first cutting in early summer and the second cutting in late summer or early fall. It's the fungus that's toxic to the fetus. This popular hay is available in the warmer and more humid climates of the South. Orchard hay is another common type of grass hay – it usually has a thicker blade than timothy hay but can be softer in texture. If cured correctly, vitamin C content will be high. Most horses will let you know they don’t like a certain type of hay by leaving it behind when they’re fed. Hay should be harvested in such a way the time between mowing and baling is minimized. It is lower in protein than some other grasses, so you must ensure a horse is getting enough protein in their diet if this is their only forage. To access member-exclusive content on our website, you must login. Hay should be green. If horses don’t need additional grain, some people use a ration balancer to make sure a horse is getting all the nutrients they need from their diet. The length of time the horse spends foraging for food and the amount of feed eaten at one time are important things to consider. Tall fescue has a high yield. RFV. It is a good source of copper and zinc and has a good balance of protein and energy. In each of the past 10 years, U.S. farmers have harvested about 60 million acres of hay. This fungus grows and lives in contaminated fescue and when ingested by your horse, toxicity will develop. More known as a grain crop, oat hay is a popular hay in the western United States where dryland farming is employed. Each type of hay falls into one of two categories: legumes and grasses. Oat hay, like all grass hays, meets the nutritional needs of herbivores that need high fiber and low protein. It can also be used as a treat for adult animals. As grazing animals, research has shown that horses do best when their feeding patterns follow a natural grazing pattern. Preservative-treated hay has been fed to horses without problems. Grass hay is exactly what it sounds like – a short leafy plant – while legumes are members of the pea family. Hay and other roughages provide nutrients and satiety for your horse. Feeding cattle, horses and other livestock requires farmers dedicated to producing high quality, nutritious hays. Additionally, it is a good source of vitamin A and D without an overload in protein, and it has a better balance between calcium and phosphorus. Alfalfa is the most common legume hay for horses. The flower blooms are small, bright yellow, and form in clusters at the end of the stems. Before selecting which is most appropriate, it's important to be familiar with these common types: A favorite hay of the race horse industry, timothy grass is one of the more popular hays. Therefore, when purchasing hay for pregnant mares, be sure it is free of fescue. Both the mare and the foal can be affected. See Full Listing. For over 10 years now, cattlemen across the Southeast and Midwest have been able to witness the exceptional performance of MaxQ® in tall fescue. First time logging in? Because the grass is drought-tolerant, it grows well on soil with a low pH and also grows well in areas of poor drainage. If that weren't enough, it is also exceedingly productive under that broad temperature range. In horses, fescue toxicity can cause reproductive problems. Hay analysis can tell you what a hay does and does not have and whether or not you need to be supplementing with something that is missing from your horse’s diet. Timothy hay is one of the most popular hays fed to horses. Not all hay is made equally, and each horse has its own preferences. Timothy grows best in areas with abundant day length and moisture. Benefits: Grass hay is lower in protein and energy than legume hay — but it’s also higher in fiber, which can make it a good choice for many horses. Its proper Calcium to Phosphorus ratio. There are five kinds of clover hay: red, common white, crimson, alsike and landino. Color can vary based on grass type and exposure to sunlight. It is drought resistant, resistant to overgrazing and is a high quality nutrient source. This hay is high in protein, but lower in calcium than legume hay. Oat hay is best cut when the oat seed is out of the milk stage and into the dough. Fescue Toxicosis in Horses . Its substantial content of crude protein and lysine (essential amino acid). User Agreement and Privacy Policy. People once thought that feeding alfalfa hay to horses caused kidney damage because of increased urination and ammonia production. Tall fescue is a hardy, popular, cool season perennial grass that can grow on a variety of soils in a variety of climates. 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