6/ JULY 2020 THE RIDER The Way of Horses: It’s Hay Making Time


seeds. Nutritionally, grass hay


will be lower in protein and calcium than hay that is made with legumes. Legume hay (generally alfalfa, clover, trefoil) will also have a higher energy content. Within the grass family


are many varieties, which are broken into two groups: cool-season and warm-sea- son.


Cool-season grasses


grow best in temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.


By Eleanor Blazer Copyright @ 2015


"For sale - Grass hay for


horses. 50 pound bales. $5.00 a bale. Delivery available." Ads similar to this will be ap-


pearing across the country as the weather allows farmers to start making hay. But the advertisement leaves several unanswered ques- tions.


What is grass hay? The most popular plant fami-


lies used to make hay are grasses and legumes. Grass plants are monocotyledonous, which means one leaf sprouts from the seed. Leaves of grass are long and slen- der. Legumes are dicotyledons, which means two leaves sprout from the seed. The leaves are gen- erally three leaflets attached to a petiole (stem). Legumes develop nodules on the roots which interact with bacteria and produces nitro- gen needed for growth. Legumes produce "pods", which contain


In the United


States they are commonly grown in the upper regions


(northeast, mid-west and Pacific northwest). Examples of cool-sea- son hay grass varieties used for horses are timothy, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass,


fescue,


bromegrass and ryegrass. Warm-season grasses are


adapted for the warmer tempera- tures of the south and southwest. They will go dormant when tem- peratures drop below 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The most popular warm-season horse hay varieties are Bahia grass and Bermuda grass. What type of grass was used


to make the hay in the advertise- ment? It is possible the hay pro- ducer does not know. Unless the fields have been maintained with proper weed control, fertilization and re-seeding (with known grass varieties) the consumer may be buying weeds. For example, a warm-season weed called John- songrass is toxic to horses, but looks beautiful when growing. Another example is volunteer (not


purposely planted) cool season, non-endophyte free fescue grass which can cause abortion, foaling problems and lack of milk produc- tion. Native grass varieties can make good hay, but they should be identified and confirmed they are not toxic to horses. All plants drop in nutrition


and digestibility as they mature, and should be harvested at the peak nutritional stage. This is generally before the boot stage - before the seed heads appear. Unfortunately weather plays a big part in timing the harvest. How mature is the hay in the


ad? An examination to determine the stage of the seed heads, and the coarseness of the stems will give the buyer insight to the nutritional value and digestibility of the hay. Very mature hay will be wasted by the horse. Supplementation will be required to make up for the nutri- tional deficiencies. Older horses, or horses requiring dental care, will have trouble chewing the coarse forage. The non-digestible parts of the hay will also lead to an ex- panded cecum (hay belly). Before writing a check for the


"grass" hay, do your homework and make sure you are getting horse quality forage.


* Earn a Bachelor of Science De- gree in Equine Studies, an Associ- ate of Art Degree in Equine Business Management, or certifi- cation as a Professional Horse Trainer, Riding Instructor or Stable Manager. Go to www.horsecours- esonline.com and get started today!


Reprinted from the July 2015 Issue of The Rider.


Archie the Mouse has a new Adventure!


ARCHIE FINDS THE FILLY tells how, with the help of new friend Buzzy the Bee, Archie goes in search


of his BFF Winny’s new grand-daugh- ter…a brand new baby horse. Together Archie and Buzzy visit all the farm- yard families, trying to find the new


little filly. Lots of fun as they meet all the new babies who arrived this spring and, of course, our little hero finds the filly and introduces her to grandpa


Winny. Great for read-alongs and of- fers colouring pages, too.


Author: Glenda Fordham Illustrator: Elyse Darby Full-colour illustrations, soft cover $14.99


Special! Order both books for only $22.00


Can a mouse and a horse become friends?


Archie Finds a New Home, the story of a little house mouse forced to move from his family’s over-crowded mouse hole in


the farmhouse and finds a brand new home out in the barn. He encounters all sorts of hazards as he makes his way across the


farmyard but eventually finds a new best friend in Winny, the old carthorse, who


saves Archie from the hungry barn cat. For children 0-5.


Author: Glenda Fordham Illustrator: Elyse Darby


Full-colour illustrations, soft cover $9.99 From The Rider and Barnmicebooks.com Visit www.barnmicebooks.com to order.


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