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| What type of Hay do you use? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 01:09 pm |
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1st Post |
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Mistiblue G.O.G Community Member 
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The stables where I board uses only Timothy/Alfalfa hay and they all say it's the best to avoid colic and has the proper nutritional value. Then I heard from someone else who is equally knowledgable about horses say that Orchard grass or Brohm is the best hay of choice and that T&A hay has too high of a protein content and will make a horse "hot". Another one said Coastal was the prefered one for the best health of the horse. What type of hay do you find works best for your horses?
____________________ "The Greatness of a Nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way that its' animals are treated " - Gandhi |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 02:41 pm |
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2nd Post |
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lovemytwh G.O.G Community Member 
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We feed Brohm - not sure if that is spelled right - hay up here. The horses just LOVE it! It is a very soft hay and sweet too! It is easy for older horses to eat and not colic on because it is easier to chew for them. We are blessed to have great hay for our horses. Timothy tends to be a little stalkier than Brohm. Alfalfa is what they feed the race horses up here to give them the extra energy that they need. So, if you can get good sweet Brohm grass, that is my vote!tu1 Lacey
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| Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 02:47 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Nelliebly G.O.G Community Member 
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T&A is generally considered the best all-around hay for various reasons, the first one being that it does deliver the required nutrient content. Timothy is very high in fiber and rough, which makes for a smooth ride through the gut. Coastal has much less nutritional value and is in general very fine. Not sure about your area, but when I lived on the west coast in Florida, I only gave a small amount of coastal. Our area was very sandy, sand colic was very common and when feeding a fine hay you only increase the risk, as you do when it's very cold (when they don't drink enough). As for alfalfa making horses "hot": I guess if a horse is stalled 24/7 it could be bouncing off the wall. Energy fed needs to have an outlet. Mine are out in the pasture, half of their hay intake during winter is alfalfa, my nursing mare is on alfalfa, and the only "hot" horse I have is my 6-month old colt (if wasn't, I'd be worried) ;)
____________________ Rack on home, "Wild Man" Joe |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 04:39 pm |
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4th Post |
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ladybug G.O.G Community Member 
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Our horses are out 24/7 and usually have grass most of the year, and the grain they get is spillers performance, safty first a really nutricious grain am and pm, so we do the Costal hay along with the am and pm feedings, and it is mainly for fiber and help with digestion. We ride maybe once or twice a week and most of that is just fun trail riding so they are not really worked to hard. I had heard that if you are riding a lot more and might need more protein, then the T&A is very good. Especially if they never have accest to much good grass. I have always found that less is better on horses as far as causing Colic. I use to do T&A back when I had a 3 year old mare and she would tend to get colicky once in a while, not bad just small symptons, I finally took her off of it. Then it stopped. But she had lots of good grass at the time, so it may have just been to much. I also Do the Sand clear every month as well.tu1
____________________ A WOMANS PLACE IS ON A HORSE !! |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 04:43 pm |
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5th Post |
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ladybug G.O.G Community Member
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I forgot to ask, What type of feed do they give him? and is the horse stalled 24/7 or does he have turn out time during the day to graze. If the horse cant walk around and move that stuff thru and use up the extra energy, then again, less is better. IMO.w2
____________________ A WOMANS PLACE IS ON A HORSE !! |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 06:18 pm |
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6th Post |
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Mistiblue G.O.G Community Member
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My horse is out 24/7 but he has had to share the pasture with another horse and it's too small an area for two horses so there is no grass for him to graze on. He has been getting two scoops of feed morning and night and only one flake of T&A hay in the mornings. This is what he's had with his former owner and now I'm moving him to a bigger pasture that has grass. Oh and the feed is called Compete 10%. Now sure what that means but that's what they've had him on and recommended he stay on it.  Last edited on Wed Sep 5th, 2007 06:20 pm by Mistiblue ____________________ "The Greatness of a Nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way that its' animals are treated " - Gandhi |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 08:09 pm |
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7th Post |
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Nelliebly G.O.G Community Member
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Mistiblue wrote: My horse is out 24/7 but he has had to share the pasture with another horse and it's too small an area for two horses so there is no grass for him to graze on. He has been getting two scoops of feed morning and night and only one flake of T&A hay in the mornings. This is what he's had with his former owner and now I'm moving him to a bigger pasture that has grass.Compete 10%=10% protein. Compete does not replace hay like a senior feed would do. If your pasture has enough grass and it's nutritional enough, that may be enough. If you plan on giving less hay, start with half a flake for a while so you can check for weight loss. But, with winter time coming up, grass normally loses a lot of it's nutritional value and if your horse is not used to much grass you could end up with a problem in spring time. One flake of T&A is not a lot while it does give your horse the fiber and nutrients it needs without a risk.
____________________ Rack on home, "Wild Man" Joe |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 10:01 pm |
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8th Post |
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seabreeze G.O.G Community Member 
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oops! duplicate Last edited on Wed Sep 5th, 2007 10:06 pm by seabreeze ____________________ You know I only talk to you, Wilbur. -Mr. Ed |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 10:02 pm |
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9th Post |
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seabreeze G.O.G Community Member
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opps! duplicate Last edited on Wed Sep 5th, 2007 10:05 pm by seabreeze ____________________ You know I only talk to you, Wilbur. -Mr. Ed |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 10:03 pm |
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10th Post |
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seabreeze G.O.G Community Member
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my bad Last edited on Wed Sep 5th, 2007 10:07 pm by seabreeze ____________________ You know I only talk to you, Wilbur. -Mr. Ed |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 10:03 pm |
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11th Post |
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seabreeze G.O.G Community Member
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I buy timothy/orchard/grass hay from the tack store. They get it from Canada. Can't seem to find any local hay that is of the same quality. No dark brown and a lot of green. General is on a drylot, gets Blue Seal Strider pellets and never stalled. He does very well on this diet. http://ohioline.osu.edu/b762/b762_21.html
____________________ You know I only talk to you, Wilbur. -Mr. Ed |
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| Posted: Thu Sep 6th, 2007 02:37 am |
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12th Post |
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gaitedgirl2 G.O.G Community Member 
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The kids are on grass pasture for the summer and fall months. I feed Timothy/Orchard grass (no alfalfa) 3rd crop here in Wisconsin during the winter. The first crop always seems like straw because it grows too tall and the second crop has alot of weeds where third crop is just right (soft grass) the horses love it and forth crop is more expensive. I buy BIG bales of third crop that run from $30 to $35 dollars each depending on how the year is for growing. -Diane
____________________ I hear in my heart, I hear in its ominous pulses, All day, on the road, the hoofs of invisable horses. -Louise Imogen Guiney, from "wild Ride" |
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| Posted: Thu Sep 6th, 2007 12:45 pm |
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13th Post |
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407lisas G.O.G Community Member 
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Our place serves Orchard. It always smells sooooo good!
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| Posted: Thu Sep 6th, 2007 06:11 pm |
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14th Post |
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Ruuhzoo G.O.G Community Member 
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Coastal bermuda and alicia. Never had any problems. Don't have to worry with monitoring intake like you do with the richer grasses with the higher glycemic indexes. Less risk of colic and laminitis.
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| Posted: Thu Sep 6th, 2007 09:25 pm |
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15th Post |
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Nelliebly G.O.G Community Member
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There's only 4 points difference between alfalfa and bermuda grasses (which includes alicia). The only time you would worry about the glycemic index of hay is when you have a horse that's insulin resistant. In that case, you can always soak the hay for an hour which reduces the sugar level by approx. 30%. Other than that, unless you grow your own hay, one has no idea unless you test the hay you're buying; there are so many things that affect the quality between seeding and cutting, cutting and bailing, not to mention storage.
____________________ Rack on home, "Wild Man" Joe |
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| Posted: Fri Jan 15th, 2010 06:24 am |
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16th Post |
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AppyJo G.O.G Community Member 
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I had a long discussion over this topic on another board. I found out in the south its mostly alfalfa and grass whereas in the NW its orchard and grass. The southerners told me orchard made their horses hot and not the alfalfa whereas it seems to be the opposite in the NW. I have found my appy does best on 2/3 orchard and 1/3 grass. When I work him less its the opposite. Either way I suppliment with vitamins and rice bran in the winter and add beet pulp when I want to build up muscle for show season. I try not to keep that much weight on him all year long as he has joint issues but in show season I like him looking fuller and he gets worked hard. In the NW its seems to be primarily orchard and grass though I do see the other stuff on the market.
____________________ Never assume! The moment you do, life is sure to screw you over! |
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| Posted: Tue Nov 23rd, 2010 12:10 am |
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17th Post |
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Roadapple Cider G.O.G Community Member
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BUY the best quality hay you can get. It will save you money in the long run. If I have aged horses, I want 2nd cutting that is soft. Hard, thick stemmy hay is a waste of money. Not only because it is non nutritious but the hay is difficult to dry and chew. Alfalfa, or a high percentage in your hay, seems to distribute weight differently than other hays. The show horses in particular enjoy a more beneficial body shape. A blend would be ideal.
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25th, 2011 06:17 am |
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18th Post |
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imgaitin G.O.G Community Member 
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Timothy grass that is grown ON the property. No pesticides. That is it! No grain, no feeds, no alfalfa. My horse is..... healthy as a horse!
____________________ "Did you give the horse its strength, or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?" -Job 39:19 |
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| Posted: Mon Aug 8th, 2011 08:22 pm |
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19th Post |
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hannah_rain G.O.G Community Member 
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I feed coastal hay 24-7 and give soaked alfalfa cubes/pellets daily, my horses are on dry lot, so I feel hay 24 hours a day is neccessary and don't want them to over-do it with alfalfa. They get a mineral/vitamin supplement with beet pulp to keep weight on them. No fortified grain for my boys, I want to know for sure how much of what they are getting  .
____________________ ~Hannah "No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle" ~Winston Churchill |
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| Posted: Mon Aug 8th, 2011 09:38 pm |
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20th Post |
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SunnysMum G.O.G Community Member 
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My pony gets Orchard Hay, she can't have Alfalfa because she's allergic to it. And we also feed her 1lb of Enrich 32 and her herbs. That's it. She gets electrolytes in the summer, has mineral and salt blocks year round. I don't even have to worm her because of the herbs she gets. And, I only do shots annually because the stables require them.
____________________ Chi ha tegoli di vetro, non tiri sassi al vicino |
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