Hay season can be a stressful time for many, from the farmers harvesting it, to the horse owners purchasing it. With the variety of variables that influence the nutritional quality and safety, there are many considerations to be made. During this time of year, I receive tons of questions about new hay. Is it safe […]
What is Alfalfa? If you own a horse, chances are you are familiar with alfalfa. When forage for horses is discussed, there are two broad categories: grasses and legumes. Alfalfa is a legume that is commonly included in hay. This forage plant tends to be nutritionally dense and can be a great addition to equine […]
A topic that goes hand in hand with equine nutrition management, is the management of pasture and hay fields. As most horse owners know, it takes a team to ensure our horses are thriving. For this week’s blog post I had the pleasure of interviewing Michelle Durnin of Prosperity Ag Consulting on her top tips […]
Forage analysis is a crucial first step when formulating every balanced diet at Balanced Bay. Hay is typically the most prevalent portion of a horse’s diet; therefore, it only makes sense that we know its nutritional value. Taking a sample of the hay and sending it for laboratory analysis is the only way to determine the precise […]
This season has been a tough one for metabolic horses. In my practice, I have had an influx of new clients with laminitic horses and ponies. Through my own hay sampling and chatting with other nutritionists it is consensus that this year has had on average higher sugar content in the forage. Sugar content in […]
Proper pasture management can make a significant difference in yield and allow your horse to graze more, in turn, consuming less supplemental hay. As a general rule, horses will graze 0.26 lbs of dry matter per 220 lbs of body weight per hour. If your horse is 1000 lbs and grazes for ~16 hours this […]
Soaking hay is a popular topic in equine nutrition. There are many reasons a horse owner may choose to soak their horse’s hay. Some examples include laminitis, poor dentition, digestion concerns, metabolic disorders, as well as respiratory problems. Today’s blog post will discuss what the research tells us about soaking hay to reduce non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) […]
Horses have evolved to graze for upwards of 16-18 hours per day. Unfortunately, modern management tends to revolve around meal feeding. There is a significant amount of research on how encouraging slow feeding improves equine welfare. This is typically done with a hay net or slow feeder. This article will summarize the research on hay nets […]
Quality of hay varies greatly, even from the same field year to year. When purchasing or harvesting your own hay, the only way to know the nutrient content is with a lab analysis. With all the time and money that goes into feeding our horses, why not know exactly what you’re feeding!! When purchasing hay there are […]
Is second cut hay always too rich ponies and maintenance horses? This is a commonly used rule by many horse owners when trying to choose a forage to buy, and there is some truth to the rule, but it isn’t always true. There are many factors that play a large role in the nutritional value of […]
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