Timothy hay

[AngelaM]

Well I don’t know but we are quite a large country so it’s a bit of a perplexing comparison. I would say it depends where it came from in Canada, soil, harvest time, weather, is it newly seeded or in need of reworking the field, how it was processed etc so there would be a lot of variables. There is a supplement company here in Canada called Mad Barn and they have regional hay test data if you don’t want to test your hay (which I have not done). Not sure if it’s a paid service but they’re very good to answer an email and may be able to direct you in the right direction if they don’t have the info you are looking for.

Or you could get half Kentucky and half Canadian and see which suits you and your horse better.

[KarenM]

Thanks, Angela. I use Mad Barn products. I don’t know where the Canadian hay is grown. Unless a test is available for the Kentucky hay I have nothing to compare it to anyway. No one could tell me at the store if any of the hay they sell has been tested and it makes no sense for me to test since I buy so little of it at a time. The horse will eat it either way. Just was something I hadn’t been asked before.

[Doc-t]

HAY

This is a very interesting question and maybe I should stay out of this only because I will disrupt things – as usual 😉

AngelaM raises some good points that I want to add to. The forage used for producing hay has gone through a lot of selection by agricultural scientists to provide varying amounts and ratios of things (sugar, minerals, vitamins, protein) to produce specific effects for the animals consuming it. For example, dairy cows are fed forages that increase quality and quantity of milk while “grass-fed” beef, for those who eat it, will be surprised at the wide range of different tastes from beef raised on various pastures.

What I mean to say here is that not all “western Canadian” hay is equal nor are the “Kentucky” hays. In reality, every batch of hay received at a barn should come with a certificate that announces all the nutrition facts associated with it. But even if this was practical, would it be necessary or valid? For instance, if you received a load of Timothy from western Canada, Kentucky, New York, eastern Washington – or from anywhere – would it say something like: “This hay was designed for use in pastured retired horses” or “Race horse only hay?” I don’t think so. Worse, you get a deal on some high quality Timothy but when it arrives you discover it was scientifically produced to increase milk production in Holstein only cows. Now what?

Genetics aside, what should we be looking for in our hay. Trying not to be sarcastic here but the number one thing I look for is that the hay is dust and mold free at least to the eye. However, from the lectures I have heard, all hay has some degree of molds in it. Soaking helps and steaming really helps remove molds.

Other than molds and dust, here are my rules:

1. All hays only have “good quality” protein meaning they do not have all the essential amino acids. In addition, whatever the given “crude protein” percentage is you need to cut that number in half due to the 50% bioavailability of hay protein. 14% crude protein is really 7% absorbed protein.

2. All hays have starch (glucose, sugar) in it that will be used by the horse and will cause an increase in insulin. This is not helpful in horses with IR, EMS, laminitis and obesity. This can be reduced by soaking the hay before feeding it.

3. All hays have cellulose that will be converted by the hind gut into short chain fatty acids (fat) and these are used to fuel the muscle cells in athletic horses as well as all other bodily functions (along with the absorbed glucose).

4. Minerals are added by the farmer in the form of fertilizer to give the maximum yield at harvest. While there is evidence of mineral deficiency in over worked soil, it can be assumed that if the hay is “high quality” it has been fertilized. The other micro minerals can be provided with a mined salt block or if you feel it necessary, minerals can be added directly.

5. Vitamins are made in the hind gut by the bacteria. There are vitamins ingested from fresh forage but any vitamins in cut and preserved forage (hay, haylage) will degrade with time. If a horse never receives any fresh forage then there is a possibility of a vitamin E deficiency but I have not seen evidence of this except in starvation cases.

Where does this leave us? Try to find the cleanest hay for the best price. If you horse has excess body fat or is suffering from laminitis, EMS, IR or Cushing’s then decrease the amount of hay fed, soak the hay fed or do both. Allow for horses to go through hormesis which occurs when the horse loses body fat – this is a healthy process that cleans up dying and dead cells as well as free radicals.

Any dormant winter pasture and soaked hay will have cellulose which will not only provide for a high fat diet, it will also satiate the horse (reduce food aggression), provide level energy throughout the day and will preserve proteins.

Bottom line – use your eyes and look at each horse individually. If fat, reduce amount and soak. If old and thin and it’s winter – blanket and feed anything they can eat to maintain body fat. If losing body fat and now seeing lost top line (muscle) add soybean meal as well as more hay to achieve a lean and muscular horse. Be aware of changes, be vigilant and be patient. Each horse will respond differently. There is no cookie cutter approach to feeding hay. However worrying about where to get it and paying a bunch for it may not be healthy for YOU!

Like I said in the beginning, my ideas about hay are very different. Hay grown the way it is now, cut by bailing machines pulled by tractors and delivered by large trucks over smooth roads is only about 60 years old. Before that you made your own hay by hand and carefully measured it out over the winter – or you migrated to where there was pasture. Remembering this is important in honoring the way the horse developed over the past 100,000 years.