Harvest the grass. Hay.
- 23 jul
- 7 Min. de lectura
At the beginning of summer, the grass must be harvested to be stored and have food for the horses in winter: hay.
Hay is as old as the domestication of horses. It was the first form of grass conservation developed by ancient horse keepers.
The horse evolved over time to be an efficient grazing animal that adapted well to feeding on hay and other forages.
Hay, grasses, and legumes that can be dried for horse feed are easy to grow as part of a crop rotation or in a permanent pasture, and grow naturally in many areas. However, a better understanding of the best types of hay and what's needed for a healthy crop will increase field yield and nutrition.
Local climate, moisture levels, and soil condition will affect hay quality. Meadow hay, fescue hay, alfalfa hay, and clover hay are the most popular types for horses, along with oat hay. Wheat and barley can also be useful for hay crops.
The best hay will depend not only on the growing and harvesting conditions, but also on the horse that will eventually eat the hay and what its feeding preferences may be.
Early-maturing hay is perfect for growing horses and lactating mares, but it may not be the best choice for horses with low nutrient requirements. Mid- or late-maturing hays are better for horses with low nutrient requirements because they can eat more to satisfy their appetites without overeating and gaining weight.
Haymaking is the process of preserving meadow grass once it has been cut, sun-dried, and baled. This allows it to be preserved for a long time and the hay can be fed to horses in winter.
Haymaking is the most widely used method for preserving green forage for horses. It involves cutting the grass in meadows or fields at the point where it reaches its peak quality. It must be at its peak maturity; the more mature the grass, the less nutritional value it has and the less digestible it is for horses.
It's best to cut the grass when almost the entire paddock is in flower and before the seeds form and release them. This ensures a good nutritional level and low lignin content, which determines quality and digestibility. If the grass is too mature and therefore has high lignin levels, the risk of feeding disorders increases and nutrient absorption by the horse's intestines is reduced.
The best day for harvesting is a warm, dry day with low humidity, so that the cut hay can dry quickly and evenly. Depending on soil conditions, the type of hay, and the timing of planting and harvesting, it is possible to obtain two or even three cuttings of hay in one year.
The cut grass is left to dry in the sun on the ground so that it loses most of its moisture without deteriorating. Once the hay is cut, it should be spread evenly so that it dries thoroughly. Depending on the weather conditions and the weight of the hay, raking or turning the hay can also help it dry evenly.
After several days, it is baled, that is, turned over, so that it dries completely and is ready to be baled. If it rains while it's drying, grass blades and up to 25% of the hay's nutritional value are lost.
Once the hay has been dried and baled, it's time to bale it for storage. If the harvest is small, it may not be necessary to bale the hay at all; it can be stored loose in stacks or in a barn. However, baling makes the hay more compact for easier transport or storage.
If we bale too early, the moisture left in the grass causes mold and mildew to form in the hay, decreasing its quality and risking unusable bales over time due to the fermentation caused by this moisture inside the bale.
Good hay should be green, with some leaves, not sunburned, smell good, and be free of dust or mold. Hay should smell like summer! A strong, pleasant hay smell is a good sign. It takes years of practice to mow the grass at its peak maturity and to judge the timing so it dries properly so we can bale it before it rains.
After baling, it's important to store the hay properly, or all your hard work will be wasted. We store bales stacked with some space between them to allow air circulation and heat dissipation, and on a pallet so air can also circulate underneath the bales. Bales should be protected from rain and snow, either in a shed or under a sturdy roof or tarp. A good fence around the bales can also prevent livestock or wildlife from approaching to eat uninvited.
Quality hay from pastures is the foundation of our horses' diet, along with grass directly from the pastures. The horse's intestinal system, which absorbs nutrients, is designed to feed itself slowly over many hours a day on forage that isn't too rich in nutrients. This way, its digestive system always works smoothly, and we avoid physical problems such as colic and psychological problems, such as many stable bad habits (eating wood, swallowing air, etc.), since the horse feels full.
Some horses have a bloated belly and a swollen abdomen. This is due to a diet high in grass, either fresh or hay, and therefore high in fiber. This isn't harmful to the horses at all, and is because, on this high-fiber diet, their intestines fill with water to ferment this fiber.
At Cavalls Wakan, we feed them baled hay off the ground, which is how horses should eat, as they are designed by nature.
Furthermore, they tend to eat hay in the same meadow where it was cut, so over time they adapt to the local bacterial flora and are better prepared to deal with potential intestinal parasites in the meadow. This also saves us the economic and environmental costs of transport.
Hay is essential for anyone who cares for horses and haymaking can be a challenge, however, there are several other reasons to harvest our own hay:
Save on feed costs and grow the highest quality hay.
Control exactly how hay is grown and processed.
Rotate crops successfully and allow the soil to recover and regenerate with hay crops between other cropping seasons.
Control excessive field growth or invasion of weeds, brush, or other unwanted plants into usable fields and pastures.
Prevent the entry of external hay, which could contain seeds of undesirable invasive plants (poppies, jimsonweed, etc.)
Trying to close the production-consumption loop by ensuring our horses' nutritional self-sufficiency and knowing exactly what they're consuming.
Meadow hay contains a mix of native grass species and forbs such as dandelions, daisies, and wild sainfoin. Because it is a mixture of different grass species, including some alfalfa and clover, it offers a good diversity of fiber and nutrients for the horse's diet, while also being lower in protein and carbohydrates compared to cereal hays.
Meadow hay is the most digestible and horses can live healthy lives feeding exclusively on it.
If you want to enrich its diet, because it is a horse that needs more energy, for work, lactation, etc., you can add
alfalfa hay, to meadow hay to raise its protein and energy level.
Alfalfa is a staple in many horse diets and can be an excellent source of energy, protein, and minerals for horses with higher nutritional requirements.
Adult horses receiving light exercise may not require the higher nutrient density of alfalfa, but this forage can be incorporated into most feeding plans in small to moderate amounts, provided the diet is properly balanced and is never the basis of a horse's diet due to its high protein and starch content.
Oat hay, or another cereal, can also be given as the main forage for horses, just like meadow hay, although it should be noted that oat hay, as it contains the cereal seeds, will always have a higher nutritional value.
It is ideal for growing and underweight horses, carbohydrate-sensitive horses, horses with gastric ulcers, performance horses, mares in late pregnancy and lactation, breeding stallions, and older horses.
It is always important to ensure that cereal hay has been cut correctly and in time, since if it is cut late, it will have lost its seeds and will only be straw.
Straw vs. Hay: Hay is the name given to a crop that is cut for haymaking while the grain or seed is still maturing on the plant.
Straw is the by-product, mainly stems and leaves, that remains after the cereal has matured and the grain has been harvested.
Straw provides little nutritional value and lower energy content than hay, and its high lignin content makes it quite indigestible. In a horse's diet, it provides bulk but little nutrients, so it should never be the basis of its diet.
It can be used in diets to aid weight loss or simply to maintain a healthy weight, mixed with grass hay to create a ration with the same volume, for adequate forage intake but with a lower energy density. However, adding straw to any diet can be problematic for some horses due to the risk of colic and gastric ulcers.
Straw is most commonly used for bedding in stalls and stables, not for feed, so it tends to have low hygienic quality, meaning it contains fungi and bacteria that are associated with health problems. If we use it to add to forage, we must ensure it is of good quality.
Hay plays a fundamental role in a horse's diet, affecting every aspect of its health and well-being. From aiding digestion and preventing common disorders to satisfying its instinctive need to feed, hay is indispensable.
Different types of hay—whether grass, legume, or grain—offer different levels of calories and protein, so it's important to select the right type to meet a horse's specific needs based on its age, health, and activity level.
It's not just about keeping them fed, it's about ensuring they lead healthy and happy lives.
