Timothy and Alfalfa Hay Blog

Timothy hay is an excellent source of fiber and roughage to include in your horse's diet. As a horse owner, you'll have to decide if you should purchase first or second cutting of Timothy hay. You may have heard that the nutritional quality of first cutting Timothy hay is inferior to the second cutting. While this may be true in some cases, this really depends on farming practices, such as if first-cutting hay is harvested from a weed-free field at an early stage of growth before the stem becomes larger and coarser.

Topics: Hay for Horses, Timothy Hay, Quality of Forage, Race Horse Hay, Timothy, Horse Health, Horse Nutrition

How Do Horses Digestion Systems Work?

Horses are non-ruminant herbivores, meaning they have a single stomach digestive system, and can eat and utilize roughages much like cattle or sheep.  However, unlike cattle, horses have stomachs that function similarly to human stomachs, where feed particles are mixed with pepsin, an enzyme that breaks down proteins, and hydrochloric acid, which breaks down solid particles.  But, a horse stomach is quite small in comparison to the stomachs of other livestock animals and can only contain about 10% of the total capacity of the digestive system. 

Topics: Alfalfa Hay, Hay for Horses, Timothy Hay, Race Horse Hay, Timothy

Saturday was a historic day as Justify became the 13^th Triple Crown winner with his victory in the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, NY. Conditions were perfect and the track was fast on Saturday as Justify became the second Bob Baffert-trained triple crown winner since American Pharoah ended the 37-year drought in 2015.

Topics: Hay for Horses, Timothy Hay, Race Horse Hay, Horse Nutrition, News

The second of three races that comprise the Triple Crown ended in another win for Justify this weekend. Conditions at Pimlico Race Course were strikingly similar to those at Churchill Downs earlier this month, with rains leading up to the race, a muddy track, and the addition of heavy fog that made the 9.5 furlongs that much more exciting.

Topics: Hay for Horses, Timothy Hay, Race Horse Hay, Horse Nutrition, News

Topics: Hay for Horses, Race Horse Hay, Video, News

Topics: Race Horse Hay, Horse Health, News

Accounting for about 20% of the national hay area harvested in the United States, the Western US has a climate suited perfectly for the growth of high-quality, nutritious forage. Every day, bales from these states feed animals across the country and around the world. Hay is shipped from ports along the West Coast, making its way to dairies, farms, race horses, and camels across the world.

Topics: Hay for Horses, Quality of Forage, Race Horse Hay, Export Hay

Does Steaming Make Hay Healthier and Safer for Horses?

Soaking hay in water for 30 minutes or less is a good way to reduce airborne particles such as dust and mold, making it an effective management strategy for horses with respiratory problems. Soaking also reduces levels of nonstructural carbohydrates in hay, which is essential for horses with metabolic issues. However, soaking also leaches other essential nutrients from hay.

Steaming hay before feeding is commonly practiced in Europe and is becoming more popular in the U.S. But, not much is known about the effects of steaming on the nutritional quality of forage and if it effectively reduces dust and mold in hay. Fortunately, a study to examine the effects of steaming on hay quality was recently conducted by a team of researchers based in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Minnesota.

Topics: Hay for Horses, Quality of Forage, Race Horse Hay, Horse Health, Horse Nutrition

 

There are many varieties of grasses and legumes that can be fed to horses. Some are more palatable and digestible than others. Timothy hay is one of the most popular hays fed to horses. It is grown in many locations in the United States and around the world. Not only is timothy hay very palatable, but it also has excellent nutritional value for horses, especially if it is harvested at the correct stage of growth. Reed canarygrass is a tall, leafy, high-yielding cool-season perennial grass. It is typically considered as a low-quality forage for livestock because native varieties contain high levels of alkaloids, which make the forage unpalatable. Additionally, this forage often grows in wetlands and, as such, it isn’t usually harvested until wetlands dry up and the grass is overly mature. However, newer varieties have lower concentrations of alkaloids and similar nutrient composition and digestibility to other cool-season grasses.

Researchers from the University of Maryland examined the voluntary intakes and dry matter digestibilities of timothy hay and a low-alkaloid variety of reed canarygrass hay by mature, Thoroughbred geldings.

Topics: Hay for Horses, Timothy Hay, Race Horse Hay, Timothy, Horse Nutrition

Horse owners provide their horses all the right things – clean, fresh water, excellent quality forage like alfalfa or timothy hay, and supplements that provide balanced levels of vitamins and minerals. In spite of this exceptional care, sometimes their horses still don’t seem quite right and may actually be suffering from digestive problems. The equine digestive system is particularly sensitive and overall health is directly tied to a properly functioning gastrointestinal tract. Fortunately, many types of nutritional supplements that support digestive function are available to horse owners.

Topics: Alfalfa Hay, Hay for Horses, Timothy Hay, Quality of Forage, Race Horse Hay, Timothy, Horse Health, Horse Nutrition