Hay Testing

and Nutritional Hay Analysis

Contents

Introduction - Hay Testing

It is relatively unusual to have horses hay tested. Normally hay is judged by how it looks and smells... (fairly unscientific.)

If you are buying hay however, there is no reason not to ask for a hay analysis from your supplier. He may look rather surprised, but by asking he has more reason to supply this information, if not straight away, but in the future.

By getting hay analyzed this gives you an overview of it's mineral values as well as it's sugar levels.

In the long term this will help you be:-

• more selective with what you feed your horse(s) and what supplements to give
• so more cost effective
• and so contributing towards the overall health of your horse.

Paddock Paradise and Hay Making

If you are in a position of making your own hay which setting up a Paddock Paradise can create, it then makes sense to get your hay analyzed.

By setting up a track as Pete Ramey says:-

• you have now got your land back,

So you may then be able to make your own hay from the centre of your field and then store it in a barn or field shelter.

Or if you are lacking dry storage you can get your hay wrapped and have it made into haylage.

It is surprising how much hay you can make from small paddocks once they are not being grazed.

Your hay is then likely to become quite a large percentage of your horses feed, so it makes sense to get it analyzed and see the nutritional values as well as the sugar content.

Testing Minerals in Hay - Our Experience

Once we had set up our Paddock Paradise track we were then in a position to make hay from the centre of the field. Wanting to do the best with transitioning our barefoot horses it made sense to get our hay analyzed.

It is quite simple - you just send off samples of hay and wait for the results.

The results which came back were:-

Results of Our Hay Testing

• Lack of magnesium (common in England)
• Lack of manganese plus lack of zinc and copper
• High iron which aggravates the lack of trace elements
• Ca:P was balanced
• Sugar was high

With these results it possibly explained why some of the horses were taking time transitioning.

What We Did With These Results

We then set about finding the most appropriate Horse Supplements which we felt were as near to a natural mineral source as possible(and did not contain loads of molasses and sugars.)

Since then our hooves have greatly improved. We were able to see the changes in the new hoof growth quite clearly coming down from the coronary band.

Paddock Paradise and Hay Making

If you are in a position of making your own hay which setting up a Paddock Paradise can create, it then makes sense to get your hay analyzed.

By setting up a track as Pete Ramey says:-

• you have now got your land back,

So you may then be able to make your own hay from the centre of your field and then store it in a barn or field shelter.

Or if you are lacking dry storage you can get your hay wrapped and have it made into haylage.

It is surprising how much hay you can make from small paddocks once they are not being grazed.

Your hay is then likely to become quite a large percentage of your horses feed, so it makes sense to get it analyzed and see the nutritional values as well as the sugar content.