Much of this first cutting hay that was made in Butler County, Ohio may be of poor quality. Producers have tried to wait until they could get two or three days without rain to cut it. Much of the hay was rained on or was allowed to stand in the field until it was much too mature. Mother Nature was not cooperative with hay harvest this year.

It would be wise to test lots of hay and sell it according to the test results. Buyers of horse hay should ask for nutrient analysis. Mold and horses don’t mix. Even if the hay is only “dusty,” it’s not a good idea to feed it.

Horse hay should be 10-17 percent moisture and about 10 percent crude protein. “Crude protein is not likely to be a limiting part of the diet except in lactating mares, said Krishona Martinson, University of Minnesota regional extension educator.
Hay with an acid detergent fiber (ADF) value of 30-35 percent is good for horses.

“The lower the ADF value, the more digestible the nutrients in the hay are,” she said. Hay at 45 percent or more ADF is of little nutritional value. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) level should be 40-50 percent, and most horses won’t eat anything above 65 percent.
Equine analysis also provide non-fiber carbohydrate (NFC) estimates to help select feed for horses that show sensitivity to starches and sugars and measure digestible energy (DE) in the hay. “For a light working horse, DE should be about 20 Mcal/day, and most hays range from 0.76 to 0.94 Mcal/lb. of DE,” she explained. Calcium and phosphorus ratios can vary among different types of hay. Martinson says an adult horse in a maintenance phase should have a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 3:1 to 1:1.
Rained-on hay may be fine for horses in spite of the color, Martinson said. “Rained-on hay may be faded in color, but I still urge horse owners to have it tested,” she said. “If it isn’t moldy and it tests okay, it should be fine to feed because horse owners should be supplementing for the vitamins that tend to be lost in rained-on or older hay anyway.”

Readers with questions or comments for Steve Bartels may write to him in care of this publication.