Hay is the easiest and least expensive way to provide the essential fiber in your horse's diet at a time when he's probably on a reduced work schedule and pasture is likely to be inadequate. Not only that, but eating hay will help keep your horse warm when the wind blows bitter. The horse's body uses that heat to help maintain internal body temperature. Good-quality hay should be free of mold, dust, and weeds, and should not have been rained on during or after harvest. It should be sweet-smelling and appetizing.
Palatability is influenced by the plants in the mix.
Some types of hay are relished by horses more than other types, and depending on the climate in which the hay is grown, a hay field might contain quite a complex mixture of plants, some providing hardiness and others boosting the taste quotient. For other horses, straight clover or alfalfa hay might actually provide something of a protein and calcium overload. One exception is geriatric horses. Because their ability to absorb nutrients, including protein, is compromised, they can better tolerate the high protein content of a legume hay, and they often find the soft texture of such forage far easier to chew than a coarser grass hay. About The Author Karen Briggs writes for more than 20 equine magazines in Canada, the United States, and Great Britain.