![]() Buying quality, local hay will likely save money due to reduced transportation costs. When managed and harvested correctly, legumes will be higher in quality than grasses however there will be little difference between different grasses or between different legumes when all other factors are held constant. Legumes include alfalfa, red and white clover, lespedeza and birdsfoot trefoil. Grasses can include orchardgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, bermudagrass, timothy, teff and smooth bromegrass. Forage species used for hay will fall into one of two categories: grasses or legumes. Truth:Hay quality is not about the forage species or even the variety. Different forages are adapted to different soils and climate conditions, so the most common hays available for horses vary among regions. ![]() How it came about: Statements such as this often come from horse owners that have moved from one area of the country (or world) to another and are not accustomed to the local hay. Then choose hay that will meet the needs of your horse without excess based on a hay test. Consider the current body condition, level of work and pasture availability of your horse. Similarly, an open Angus cow does not need the same quality of hay that a high producing dairy Holstein needs at the peak of lactation. An easy-keeping Quarter Horse in light work does not need the same quality of hay as a Thoroughbred at the peak of its racing career. Truth: Individual needs of the animal should dictate the quality of hay provided. Therefore, cattle can perform well on lower quality hay that horses cannot digest well. Cattle are ruminants and are able to breakdown fiber very efficiently, whereas horses are monogastrics with a functional large intestine (hindgut fermenters) and are less efficient at fiber digestion. Horses and cattle have very different digestive tracts. How it came about: Some horses, especially those with high nutrient requirements, do require higher quality hay than cattle. ![]() Myth: Horses require higher-quality hay than cattle. Quality should never be assessed based on cutting number, but on a laboratory-performed analysis. High quality (or low quality) hay can be harvested from late spring to late fall if weather and management conditions are right. Stage of maturity and other management factors affect hay quality at harvest. Truth: First cutting hay can be high quality if cut early and second cutting can be low quality if it cut late. Second cuttings tend to cure more quickly and are less likely to experience rain damage both contribute to higher quality relative to first cutting. Because seedheads are only produced one time per year in cool season grasses, subsequent cuttings do not contain them and second or later cuttings will be generally less fibrous as a result. ![]() However, this also means that fiber is elevated in the crop, therefore reducing quality. For the hay producer, this means an increase in yield and therefore more bales can be harvested and sold. Cool season grasses such as orchardgrass and timothy will produce a seedhead in the spring, often just in time for the first cutting. How it came about: The number one factor that determines hay quality is stage of maturity at harvest. Myth: Second-cutting hay is always the best cutting.
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