Maturity is important to hay quality. As plants become more mature, they contain less energy and protein and are less digestible and palatable. They become stemmy with fewer leaves. Seed heads in grasses and flowers on legumes are indicators of a plan t's maturity. Young, growing plants, on the other hand, have more leaves than stems.
Leaves contain twice the nutritive value of stems.
Hays should also feel soft or fine. Lots of stems make the hay coarser, and it feels rougher. A University of Georgia study showed that horses actually selected hays that had finer, or smaller, stems and leaves. Horses prefer hays that are easier to c hew and aren't abrasive to their mouths. Alfalfa hay, shipped out of the West, is often beige on the outside but green inside.