Tips for Buying Hay:
What is good hay?
Any hay that is mould free. Any dusty hay likely has mould spores which will affect horses’ respiratory system and performance. If hay is baled when it is of the correct moisture content, there will be no mould.
What types of hay exist?
Low vs high digestible energy
Low sugar
Clover or no clover
Lucerne or meadow
Which hay do I pick?
The best thing to do is look at your horse’s body condition score and look at the hay you purchased last season. If they put weight on, consider a lower energy hay. If they lost weight, consider higher energy or higher protein hay. If they are laminitic or at risk of laminitis, then pick a low sugar option.
How compact is the hay?
The more compact the hay, the smaller and heavier the bale, and the easier to handle without falling apart.
Is the hay dry?
Moisture in hay causes spoilage and mould. Ensuring hay has a high dry matter content is key to making good quality hay.
Some balers have moisture content readers to ensure all the hay is consistent.
Some machines can add products to the hay to ensure when slightly higher moisture content hay is collected from an area of the paddock with less sun for example, the quality of the hay can be maintained.
What’s in the hay?
Having a nutritional analysis of the hay will help you to choose which hay suits you. Some hay companies send samples of their hay away for analysis. Ask them for this information to help you select.