So, what is quality horse hay?

This is a question that a lot of people ask and are asked.  And the answer, as so many Extension answers are, is “It Depends”.  Of course, there are many factors that go into determining if the hay is “good.”  A previous article on the NC Horse Blog talked about how to understand a forage report.  You can find that entry here.  And that is certainly the place to start when trying to determine the quality of the hay.  Another factor is the horse that you are feeding.  Different classes of horses have different nutritional needs.  Are you feeding a “pasture ornament” or a pregnant mare or an endurance competitor?  Or maybe you have some weaned foals to keep growing.  All these animals have different nutritional requirements.  And many can be met by hay/forage. 

It seems many folks think they can look at hay and tell how good of quality it is.  And this is a good preliminary judgement.  Some things to look at are: are there weeds (or other contaminants) present; are there seedheads or blooms present (this indicates maturity at cutting); does it smell like fresh cut grass (or are there burnt, moldy or fermented aromas), is it low in moisture and is it green.  But, ultimately, the true determination of quality is the chemical analysis.

At the State Fair every year, there is a forage show.  You should check it out October 2019 – it’s always in the Jim Graham building beside the restaurant.  This year, one of the classes had three entries, and the entry with the lowest visual score (based on characteristics listed above) won the class as it was highest in protein and energy.  Without the chemical analysis, you would not know how good that hay was.   In fact, the hay had enough protein to feed a maintenance horse and breeding stallion.  It was just shy of enough protein to feed a performance horse.  Additionally, the hay had enough energy to feed a maintenance horse, breeding stallion, performance horse, broodmare, and growing horse.  And many folks would have passed it by just after looking at it.

Below is a brief table with some of the nutritional requirements for various classes of horses.

Table 1. Crude protein, acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber requirements for various feeding classes of horses (expressed on a 100% dry matter basis). Referenced from Paul Siciliano Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, who is now with NC State University.

Feeding Class	% Crude Protein	% Acid Detergent Fiber	% Neutral Detergent Fiber
Maintenance	10	37-40	50-65
Breeding Stallion	10	37-40	50-65
Performance	10-12	30-37	40-60
Broodmare	12-18	30-37	40-60
Growing Horse	14-18	30-35	40-5

While visual inspection is good place to start, the only true way to know the nutritional value of the hay is to have it analyzed.  The NC Department of Agriculture performs forage analysis for $10 per sample.  Your Cooperative Extension agent can help you with the sampling and the forms.