Forage comes in many forms, from pasture to hay pellets to hydroponic fodder. The majority of the horse’s digestive tract volume is dedicated to the microbial fermentation of forage and, as a result, forage should be the majority of every horse’s daily feed intake. Wherever you live, it is likely that at some point in the year you will have to supplement your horse with a forage source other than pasture. You may already have a clear idea of what that supplemental forage is going to be this coming year. Sometimes, though, plans change due to the unexpected, such as the droughts of recent years, and this can leave you grasping for other options and in unfamiliar territory. Given the costs associated with buying forage, no one wants to make the wrong choice. Here are some things to consider about the diff erent types of supplemental forages and the forms they come in.
Forage forms the
all-important foundation of your horse’s diet. To help you choose what’s best for your horse, here’s a rundown on the many forms of hay available today.
T
he most common form of supplemental forage fed to horses is long-stem baled hay. Regardless of the type of hay, the maturity of the plant at cut ing has a large impact on the nutritive value of the end product. Other factors aff ecting quality and quantity of harvested hay include length of curing time, moisture content when
baled, method of handling and weather conditions during curing. Plants cut at a later stage of maturity will generally have lower nutri-
tional value than those harvested earlier in their life cycle. As the plant matures, protein and readily available carbohydrate content decrease, while structural carbohydrates increase. T erefore, hays harvested at a less mature stage of growth are bet er suited to hard-working horses as well as broodmares and foals, while hay harvested when the plants are more mature is bet er suited to easy keepers. Yields are lower when plants are cut earlier in their life cycle so producers get fewer tons per acre, which can result in higher prices.
continued next page
WWW.TRAILBLAZERMAGAZINE.US • June 2013 | 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100