And remember, always make a change in hay slowly with your horses to avoid colic. This poses a real risk of botulism to your horse. First Cut Versus Second Cut. Equine Vet J 1995; 27:86-91. The high nitrogen can cause colic, the high protein and sugar content can cause and aggravate Cushings. Small diameter stems. Newly cut hay is going to be much richer than last years cut, and if it comes from a different source/field will also have a different make up to the previous hay you have fed. Feed soaked hay right away to avoid mold growth. yes, dusty/moldy hay can turn a grand prix horse into a horse that not even a person who wants a "pet" will take. 2020 The 1996 Ontario Horse Industry Study indicates that hay valued at $100 million is consumed by horses in Ontario annually. Some grasses like Brome and Timothy ae flexible with cutting and don’t lose nutritional value quickly. If you store on a concrete floor, moisture will aspirate off the concrete up into the stack, so avoid that. Other problems can occur when grass is extremely mature at baling. Again, this improves air flow and improves safety of the stack and hopefully prevents it from tumbling down. Ideally, Ca:P ratios should range from 1:1 to 3:1 (up to 6:1) in horse rations. Smell like hay (kind of a sweet smell). Most of these have been tested for safety with cattle, but may or may not have been tested on horses. Animal Feed Sci. This may be relevant if you run a horse rescue and have horses that are not used to richness in hay where it might make them sick, or for horses suffering from Cushings or other metabolic disorders.  Just as when you shop for your own food, you hopefully are aware of its provenance as much as possible, it pays to apply the same rule for your horse hay. Some types of mold may cause colic or can cause a pregnant mare to abort. If there is too much, a good hay supplier will gladly replace the bale. To avoid having your horses inhale mold spores, Van Saun recommends feeding hay to horses outside and placing the hay at a low level, making it less likely that mold products will be inhaled. Once hay is cut, it will ‘sweat up’ for approximately two to three weeks. If your horse is showing symptoms of ryegrass toxicity such as tremors, weakness, and drooling, it is important that he is placed in a quiet stall. Soaking reduced magnesium (Mg) and phosphorus (P) levels in all hay types. Criss cross the stack, i.e. Horse owners have been wetting or soaking hay as a feed management practice for many years. Hay Moisture. Good quality hay is soft, green and pleasant smelling. Low NSC is common in alfalfa since legumes store carbohydrates as starch. Researchers suggest complete rations (hay, grain and supplements) should contain less than 12 and 10 percent nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC)(starches and sugars in forage) for horses with laminitis and PSSM, respectively. They also develop urinary incontinence and an atonic rectum that becomes impacted with feces. An additional benefit to grass hay is that is easier on the kidney's due to it's lower protein content and it tends to have finer stems, making it easier to chew and digest…..nice for senior horses. "If the horse is receiving enough calories to meet its requirements from the forage being fed then no oats are needed and no oats should be fed." If you have a hay mall, then do whatever you can to increase air circulation and obviously no roof leaks allowed. Management factors associated with stereotypic and redirected behavior in the thoroughbred horse. Since oat hay tends to be higher in nitrates and also high in sugar, this hay is not an option for insulin resistant horses. 1 non-structural carbohydrates estimated by adding water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) plus starch. Check the design carefully. For these horses, pellets or hay cubes can be a critical source of fiber and general nutrition. What often gets lost when people read … Hay that gets wet on the field may be dried and baled and many farmers do this. Farmers receive a higher price for 2nd cut hay. Moldy hay also puts ranchers at risk. Information provided by TheHorseStudio.com The International Equestrian Shop. As your horse spends hours with his nose in hay for much of the year, it is not surprising that he might be affected in this manner. Pasture growth – grazing – hay – feed for horses – Guidolin USA. Oat hay has thick tougher stalks that some horses will not eat. These behaviors arise from low levels of forage in the diet and include wood chewing and cribbing. Baling and cutting alfalfa is a whole other topic too. 3. I know soybean MEAL is gret.. its high protein, calcium and phosphorus content. Horses are impacted the most by moldy hay and can lead to respiratory and digestive problems like colic or heaves. There are many types of grasses, timothy, orchard etc. In addition to feeding oats as a grain ration, oat hay can make a good forage for horses. Moldy hay can be dangerous to horses. Oat Hay Analysis (average) Timothy: The best Timothy hay … The Horse Studio Team and The Merry Band at Catskill Horse hope this article has helped you with your horses’ hay. Most horses tolerate more than 20% NSC without adverse effects, and most grass hays, especially those from the Eastern states, contain only 7-18% NSC, with an average of … Throwing a tarp on top of the hay just under the leak will not eliminate water and will allow water entry/run off onto another part of the stack and moisture will in any event be present in the building. When you cut a field of hay you might run over a fawn, rabbits, birds, snakes, rodents and a myriad of other critters. Mouth ulcers, also called hay blisters, can be caused when horses ingest foxtail (Setaria species). I will use it as a supplement, but not as a main dietary source. Why do farmers add these products? Oat hay is high in fiber and the oats are already included in the feeding. An unknown mold changes naturally occurring cumarol in sweet clover to dicumerol, a blood thinning drug. Round bales are hard to handle in the barn, though they can be easily taken to the field with a tractor with the right fork or blade and are often used for outside feeding. The situation is, my three horses have been eating the bermuda hay for months and they are fine. National Research Council (NRC). Stacking hay that is baled is much, much heavier. Hay quality is directly tied to horse health as hay makes up the bulk of a horse’s diet. Oat hay, like all grass hays, meets the nutritional needs of herbivores that need high fiber and low protein." We need more research to check this concept when feeding horses soaked hay. Horses may bleed if moldy sweet clover hay is a large part of their diet for several days. Whether you feed grass or legume hay will depend primarily on what is available in your area and your horse… For highest ‘sweetness’ the perfect time to cut hay is around 10 a.m. Thus, this hay didn’t need soaking for horses with PSSM and laminitis. This is a very common grass especially in dry areas and is great for horses. But looking at the stalk in my hand, she was partially correct: this was in fact BAD horse hay! The horse that tends to overeat can be put in a nearby corral for part of each day or night. 1997; 18:11 731-735. Each of these elements play a role the diseases mentioned above. Cattle aren’t as sensitive to moldy hay, but certain molds can result in mycotic abortions or aspergillosis. A safe and effective way to properly treat hay is with buffered propionic acid. When hay is on the ground, the horse eats with his head and neck in a natural grazing position. Watts K, Ralston S. soluble sugar content can cause slobbers, liver damage and in. 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